Mamma Mia! At Mayflower Southampton Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Helen O
Now that the clocks have gone back and the nights are drawing in, who doesn’t need a bit of feel-good energy to boost the mood?! Well, I’ve got just the thing for you…Mamma Mia! The smash hit musical, based on the hits of ABBA, which is currently enjoying a two week run at Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, as part of the current UK and International tour.
Like millions of others, I’ve been enchanted by the 2008 movie, starring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan, so I was truly excited to head to the Mayflower Theatre tonight to watch the musical where it originated from. Wow, was I impressed! The show is currently in it’s 26th year and it’s hardly surprising that it’s been seen by 11 million people already!
Seated in the stalls, we had a perfect view of all of the action taking place, so all we had to do was relax and enjoy the show.
Set on an idyllic Greek Island, Mamma Mia! tells the story of love, friendship and identity with the perfect backdrop of ABBA’s timeless greatest hits.
The atmosphere in the packed auditorium was electric, and we didn’t have to wait long before being swept into the story, with Lydia Hunt perfectly cast as Sophie Sheridan.
It is the day before Sophie’s wedding to Sky and after reading her mum Donna’s diary, she realises there are three possible men who could be her father — Bill, Sam, and Harry. Hoping to uncover the truth, she secretly invites all three to the island for the wedding, without Donna’s knowledge, hoping to solve the mystery.
Jenn Griffin shone in the lead role as Donna Sheridan what an amazingly effortless voice! Her rendition of ‘The Winner Takes It All’ was a true showstopper. I’ve still got goosebumps just thinking about it.
The production struck a wonderful balance between heartfelt emotion and laugh-out-loud humour. Much of that comic relief came courtesy of Rosie Glossop and Sarah Earnshaw, who brought Donna’s close friends, Rosie and Tanya, to life with impeccable comic timing.
One of my favourite comedy moments came with Tanya’s rendition of ‘Does Your Mother Know’ as she expertly fended off the flirtatious advances of young Pepper. It was brilliantly staged and performed with just the right mix of feist and humour.
The entire cast were phenomenal and gave the performance their all with stunning vocals and spectacular choreography.
The set was simple, yet effective, managing to depict life on the Greek Island using seamless set changes while the vibrant, colourful costumes ensured the spotlight stayed firmly on the performers throughout.
Of course, special mention needs to go to the incredible musical score by Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, which provided the backdrop to the story, cleverly woven into the action, almost as if the songs were written for the story, rather than the other way around. As you would expect, the show features all of the ABBA favourites, including ‘What’s The Name of The Game’, ‘Honey, Honey’, ‘Super Trouper’ and of course, the titular ‘Mamma Mia’.
With a running time of 2 hours and 35 minutes (including a 20 minute or so interval), the show was jam-packed full of energy from the outset right through until the energetic, simply phenomenal curtain call. The show is aimed at age 5 years+, but I would say it’s more suited to slightly older children.
Ticket prices start from £34.50 dependant on date and location, which I think is good value for money for such a fantastic, quality production. I’d recommend the show to anyone who is looking for a feel-good, fun-packed night full of laughter and fantastic music. We left the theatre with a warm fuzzy feeling, like we’d just been to the best party!
Mamma Mia! is appearing at Mayflower Theatre from Friday 24th October until Saturday 8th November 2025 with several matinee performances along the way.
To accompany the audio described performance of Mamma Mia! there’s also a touch tour taking place on Wednesday 5th November, details are available on the Mayflower Theatre website.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: Tickets from £34.50 depending on date and seating location
Buy tickets here: https://www.mayflower.org.uk/whats-on/mamma-mia-2025/
Full address of the Theatre: Mayflower Theatre, Commercial Road, Southampton, SO15 1GE
Tour information: https://mamma-mia.com/uk-and-international-tour