Reviewed by Louise Styles
From Tuesday 26th June until Saturday 30th June you can catch Mamma Mia! at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury. It guarantees to be a night full of laughter and singing with a little all-round ABBA glam thrown in for good measure!
Set on an idyllic Greek island the story follows Sophie trying to discover the identity of her dad. With the possibility of it being one of three men she invites them all to attend her wedding. Without her mother, Donna, knowing all three accept and arrive on the island unaware that they may be about to gain a daughter. From the off the story is told as a mixture of dialogue and catchy ABBA tunes taking us through the day before and the day of Sophie’s wedding. Pretty much any ABBA song you can name will have been cleverly woven into this show; Chiquitita, S.O.S, Super Trooper, Take a Chance On Me and so many more, you’ll surprise yourself at just how many of these songs you really do know every word of. The stage show originally debuted in London in 1999 and went on to travel around the world, it was such a phenomenon that in 2008 it was made into a movie which currently holds a place in the top 10 highest grossing live-action musical of all time.
Whilst the movie version has huge screen names such as Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth this production of the show has some theatre names with their own impressive list of credits. Donna, Rosie and Tanya, played by Shona White, Nicky Swift and Helen Anker, are literally the perfect trio – their friendship is utterly believable, their voices are perfect for belting out ABBA hits and their comedic timing is spot on. Their ability to make the audience laugh with the subtlest of looks or gestures only makes you laugh more at the outlandish gags they are equally as good at. I also have to applaud their ability to dance in sky high platform boots! Amazing job Ladies!
If you love a feel-good story, characters that are realistic, funny and relatable as well as a fantastic sing a long then this is the night out for you. Grab your pals and get to Waterside to see it! The theatre is surrounded by car parks for easy parking as well as plenty of restaurants and bars if you fancy a pre-show meal.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £19.90 to £73.40 (plus £2.85 transaction fee).
Mamma Mia! is at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury from 26-30 June 2018, for more information or to book tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/aylesbury or call the box office on 0844 871 7607.
Waterside Theatre, Exchange Street, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP20 1UG | 0844 871 7607
