Theatre / catherine johnson
Review: Mamma Mia!, Bristol Hippodrome
Seen worldwide by 60 million people, its DVD the highest-selling musical video of all time: who doesn’t know Bristol playwright Catherine Johnson’s sunny, funny story of love and marriage on a Greek island?
On the eve of her wedding, Sophie’s quest to discover her real father’s identity brings three men from her mother’s past to the island they last visited 20 years before. Johnson has ingeniously woven this simple tale into a whole tapestry, featuring some of the most popular pop songs ever written.
How is it that this light-hearted story is able not only to entertain – which it does in spades – but to also build an emotional bridge to its audience? Arguably this is at its peak in ‘slipping through my fingers’, where Sophie and mum Donna Sheridan put together a beautifully acted mother and daughter narrative. This emotional scene ends with Sophie in her wedding dress – and you can’t help but be gripped.
The three ‘dads’, Sam, Harry and Bill, don’t seem to get the billing that Pierce Brosnan et al enjoy in the movie – but fortunately they can all sing. The trio’s version of Our Last Summer is delightfully melodic. Elsewhere, Tony Van Haast’s dance arrangement for Sophie’s dream sequence is worthy of mention, as is Howard Harrison’s understated yet highly effective lighting which peaks in the finale.
Sara Poyzer (Donna) gives a charismatic performance with vocals to rival Agnetha and Anni-Frid. Her buddies Tanya (Emma Clifford) and Rosie (Jacqueline Brown) offer up a hilarious rendition of Dancing Queen, and the three create an amusing trio act which pops up throughout the show. Lucy May Barker’s Sophie, meanwhile, stands out for her impressive vocal range.
ABBA fan or no, in the end the show’s music, dancing and atmospheres can’t fail to move you. The standing ovation at the final reprise of Dancing Queen was a well-deserved reaction to an energetic and superbly choreographed show.
Mamma Mia, how can I resist you?
Mamma Mia! continues at Bristol Hippodrome until Saturday, May 7. For more info and to book tickets, visit www.atgtickets.com/shows/mamma-mia/bristol-hippodrome
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