Mamma Mia is one of those musicals that everyone is familiar with. Since its release, it has increasingly become one of the most loved musicals in the world, rivalling classics such as Grease and Les Miserables. It is one of those musicals where legions of fans have the whole text memorised and often, have a particular affinity to the iconic movie. As a result, any cast for the live production has a difficult job to ensure that audiences can look behind the movie and avoid comparisons, especially given just how different the stage is to the screen. 

To address this issue, director Gary Young decided to reimagine the production in an all-new staging. Gone were the typical neutral/American accents and in were Australian accents, with casual references to places like Marrickville that made the Aussie audience smile. And in some ways, this was successful. The show was close enough to the movie that audiences didn’t feel short-changed but had enough differences that it was not simply a live retelling of the movie script, which was very much appreciated by all in the theatre.

Indeed, it was some of these moments where the musical differed from the movie that the show produced its finest magic. “Under Attack”, which began the second act was one of the highlights of the show, with Tom Hodgson’s choreography, which placed the cast on stage as demons in Sophie’s nightmare, being particularly clever. It was both comic and creepy, especially when Sophie’s three prospective dads entered the stage, which was a nice change of pace from the very light-hearted nature of the rest of the show. 

Hodgson’s choreography was arguably the stand-out of the entire show, with absolutely stellar routines throughout. The staging of the male ensemble as dancing in flippers during “Lay All Your Love On Me” was absolutely hilarious and had the audience in stitches. In all of the major ensemble numbers, the choreography was energetic, tight and innovative, which is especially important in this type of show. Hodgson made full use of the wide stage, which meant that the audience were treated to a visual spectacle throughout the show, which was fantastic. 

The energy from the big dance numbers was carried through the show by the ensemble and some of the featured leads. The two stars of the show were Donna’s sidekicks, Rosie (Bianca Bruce) and Tanya (Deone Zanotto). Bruce’s performance of “Take A Chance On Me” was powerful and hilarious while Zanotto’s performance of “Does Your Mother Know” had just the right amount of pizzazz to it (helped by some stellar dancing from Jordan Tomljenovic as Pepper). Bruce and Zanotto were also excellent in the numbers they performed with Elise McCann, who played Donna Sheridan. Sophie’s three dads, played by Martin Crewes, Drew Livingston and Tim Wright, were also charming and funny throughout. 

But where this performance was surprisingly let down was in the singing. With few exceptions, all of the cast seemed to be struggling with pitch and often, lagged slightly behind the band. The extent of these issues made me wonder if there were microphone issues or issues with feedback on the stage but, the problems were really quite noticeable. While Mamma Mia is not a show that demands vocal perfection, the extent to which it affected the show was a little disappointing. It also wasn’t just the pitch issues that stood out from a vocal perspective. Several of the lead characters really struggled to convey the appropriate vocal tone and often found their voices cracking and being unable to properly attack some of the notes in their upper register. While the vocal timbre required for the show does require some additional exertion from lead characters, this was still quite unexpected.  Additionally, while the use of Australian accents in dialogue was an interesting and refreshing creative choice, it did not translate well into the sung part of the show, often sounding quite grating. All this meant that the key dramatic moments of the show were somewhat lacking, with “The Winner Takes It All” being particularly devoid of power and the requisite emotion we’ve come to expect from such a poignant song. 

With that said, the end of the show was superb, with the three whole cast numbers (complete with Abba-style costuming) getting the whole audience onto their feet and dancing. At the end of the day, this is a very fun show and while there were some issues with the singing, the audience had an absolute blast. The house was packed to the brim, with many children in attendance and the energy after the show was palpable. While this may not be the most technically perfect performance, it is great fun and I’m sure will be a delight for any who choose to go see it. 

Rating: ★★★ 1/2

Mamma Mia plays at the Lyric Theatre until 30th July. For more information click here. 

Photo credit: David Hooley