Mamma Mia!

Mamma Mia!

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Musical
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Date: February 24 2015
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre, Liverpool, England

I have been a huge fan of ABBA's music for many years; they created so many hit songs that are very famous and range from catchy sing-a-longs to slower, quiet tunes, but almost all have a clear message. Whether you love Dancing Queen or Money, Money, Money, most people will have a favourite ABBA song, and most ABBA fans will love almost all of their songs.

So when the musical Mamma Mia!, first established in the West End in 1999, finally came to Liverpool, I really wanted to see it. I knew of the storyline behind the show, I understood that it would be light-hearted and feel-good, and I also recognised that a strong, experienced cast would be on hand, but to incorporate the music of ABBA would enhance the experience as a whole. And Mamma Mia! certainly achieved that: a theatre-goer watching this show will recognise all of their favourite ABBA hits, but it is important to point out that even if ABBA's music were replaced by the songs of another band, or if the music featured consisted of original tunes, Mamma Mia! would still be a very enjoyable and memorable show. Of course, the ABBA soundtrack elevates it even greater.

We are introduced to Sophie Sheridan (who was played here by Niamh Perry), who is about to marry the love of her life Sky (Justin Thomas) in Greece where her mother Donna (Sara Poyzer) owns a villa. Just one problem: Sophie has never met her father, but having found her mother's old diary, it could have been any one of three men: Sam Carmichael (Richard Standing), Harry Bright (Mark Jardine) or Bill Austin (Michael Beckley). So, Sophie invites all three to the wedding, on behalf of her unsuspecting mother, believing that she will immediately recognise her real dad. The only snag is that, whilst all three accept the invitation, Sophie finds it impossible to discover who her actual father is; it really could have been any of them. Meanwhile, her mother is stunned when they all turn up, and she begins to wonder how to explain the mess to Sophie, not realising that she is more than aware. At different points, it seems that any one of the men could be her dad, but with Sophie hoping for her father to walk her down the aisle on wedding day, how will the situation be resolved?

The story is intriguing, and the plot developments are carried out in such a way that the vibe is only ever positive. Indeed, whilst there are signs of emotion and drama, they never dominate scenes in such a way that we lose sight of the fact that this is a romantic comedy. From the humorous back-stories to explain why each man is a "contender" to be Sophie's father, to the light-hearted treatment of the happy couple at their stag and hen parties, to the funny and at times rather suggestive dance moves, to the one-liners by Donna's longtime friends Rosie (Sue Devaney) and Tanya (Shobna Gulati) who have also come along for the big day, there is plenty to enjoy from a comedy perspective.

The casting, as stated, is strong and features several notable names. Niamh and Justin are believable as Sophie and Sky, particularly Niamh who finds the right balance between being in an emotional family struggle but handling it in a manner that prevents this comedy musical from degenerating into a weep-fest. Donna and friends, who in the story used to be a group called The Dynamos that reunite for the wedding celebrations, all have standout lines and each of them get a bit close, shall we say, to one of their male counterparts. Although they play minor roles, Alex Simmons as Pepper and Charlie Stemp as Eddie deserve credit for the moments when the spotlight shines on them, and they pull off some pretty nifty dance routines. And when the entire dance troupes come together for the more advanced routines, the only way to describe their performances is stunning. Practice makes perfect, and it's safe to say that there was plenty of the former to definitively achieve the latter.

As for ABBA? Well, that's the secret to taking this from a strong story to an unforgettable musical experience. As mentioned, all of ABBA's hits are featured in the story at some point, as well as in a nice "bonus" routine to climax the show. What I appreciated was how each song was used for a reason; a number was inserted to fit with the situation at the time, which ranged from explaining a dramatic plot development to its inclusion being a perfectly funny yet entirely suitable tune to belt out at that particular instance. Case in point: Bill feels he is Sophie's dad, but is unsure if he is confident enough to walk her down the aisle. So, what does Rosie say? Well, "if you change your mind, I'm the first in line." You know where that goes. And sometimes you can't help but laugh not at the songs themselves, but at the ways in which they are introduced. It's humorous, but completely appropriate. And very few, if any, lines from the original hits are changed for the purpose of this story, which is quite an achievement. I also liked how I wasn't guessing "which song comes next?" The plot followed so naturally that by the time the next song came in, it just felt right. In fact, the name "ABBA" is not mentioned in the entire show, so for someone who didn't know that these were all classic ABBA hits, it would have yet like a perfectly constructed assemblance of music, which this show definitely provides.

So, my overall thoughts on Mamma Mia! were that it was what I had hoped for and a little bit more. A classic soundtrack perfectly adapted for this show, a variety of stunning or visually hilarious dance routines, a simple story to understand with a good number of twists and tunes and an unpredictable ending, a strong cast and a nice helping of funny one-liners all combined for a brilliant night at the treatre. ABBA fans will undoubtedly love it, but even if you're not familiar with the Swedish pop group, you should definitely "take a chance" on Mamma Mia! It is the perfect blend of comedy and music in a theatre setting and, to quote Shobna Gulati from my recent interview with her (which you can read by clicking here), it lives up to its billing as "the ultimate feel-good musical".

Mamma Mia runs in the Liverpool Empire Theatre until Saturday March 14. For ticket information, click here.

You can learn more about Mamma Mia! by clicking here.

Overall Rating: 10/10 - Perfect

Shobna Gulati: "Mamma Mia! Is The Ultimate Feel-Good Musical"

Shobna Gulati as Tanya in
Mamma Mia!

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

With the critically-acclaimed Mamma Mia! set to make its Liverpool bow, Mark Armstrong spoke to Shobna Gulati, an experienced stage performer also renowned for her television work in the likes of Coronation Street and Dinnerladies, about what theatre-goers can expect from the ABBA-themed hit Mamma Mia!

Mamma Mia! tells the tale of Sophie, who is preparing to marry the love of her life, Sky. In the run-up to the wedding, Sophie has a desire for her father to walk her down the aisle, but she does not know who her father is. However, she then finds her mother's old diary, which reveals intimate encounters with three men, any one of whom could be her father. In an attempt to learn the truth, she invites all three to the wedding, writing invitations from her unsuspecting mother Donna.

Along the way, there are a number of important developments as other people are brought into the fold. But the story is told with a positive energy from all involved, enhanced by the fact that the songs used in the performance are from the ABBA discography. The combination of popular, catchy and feel-good music and an intriguing storyline based on hope leads to a strong, very appealing theatre production. Shobna, who plays Tanya in Mamma Mia!, explains how this is central to the reason why people will enjoy the show so much:

"I myself have been an ABBA fan for years; I've always loved their music. To have a chance to do this live, where you are singing and dancing to ABBA songs, is a thrill for me as a performer, and that crosses over to the audience, who will feel good when watching this. We have a great production company and a great cast, and there is always a positive vibe throughout Mamma Mia! I consider it to be the ultimate feel-good musical.

"I am also excited to be involved because it is a live performance of a show which demands a lot of energy from everybody involved. And there is a strong connection between the cast members. In the Mamma Mia! movie (released in 2008), it is a bit different because scenes are filmed with several takes, and one needs to perform only for specific scenes. Here, it is live, and with an audience looking on, you have to bring a high level of energy to your entire performance."

This project is more enjoyable from a personal standpoint for Shobna as her real-life best friend Sue Devaney is also cast as Rosie. Friendship is a notable aspect of the story, as three central characters Donna, Tanya and Rosie have managed to keep a lifelong friendship alive after so many years and despite not seeing each other for a while. But while Shobna can relate to the friendships featured here, her character is a little different to her actual personality.

She says: "My character Tanya is a feminist, which is similar to myself in real-life. But whereas I am a retiring, boyish type, Tanya is very much out there, she's brassy, and she has also become posh, which is not something to expect from the real me!"

Of course, Shobna is also known for other roles, including the character Sunita Alahan in Coronation Street. But she is a versatile performer who can adapt to a variety of surroundings and situations. And she notes that there are big differences between acting on the small screen and performing on stage:

"I love theatre the most because each night is different, largely because the audience and their reactions will be different every single night. Working on a soap is very different, and acting in a soap is even different to other forms of television. Soap is a unique genre, which involves filming in advance, and learning one set of lines for one scene and then moving towards the next. For theatre, you have to know it all, and be able to do it well, and to be able to modify your performance each night depending on how the audience may react. You have to go through rehearsals, you have to understand the technical side including stage directions. In theatre, you have to get it right every single night, and you have to be prepared to make changes which make your performance a little bit different. I love it."

It certainly looks as if Mamma Mia! will have a big impact on the audience. It provides a feel-good, summertime feel to a production being shown in the late winter. It brings a real positive energy with it, and Shobna is very much a strong casting in this production. So, all that remains to be asked is: what is Shobna's favourite ABBA song?

"I'd probably say "Lay All Your Love On Me, only because it's the boys singing and dancing, which is lovely to look at and listen to!"

Mamma Mia!

(Thanks to Shobna Gulati for her participation in this interview, and thanks to Victoria Armstrong of the Liverpool Empire Theatre in making this interview happen.)

Mamma Mia runs in the Liverpool Empire Theatre from Tuesday February 24-Saturday March 14. For ticket information, click here.

You can learn more about Mamma Mia! by clicking here.