Hello world! Welcome back to another blog. Today I will be talking about my review of Mamma Mia, which I saw on 29th October 2024 at the Novello Theatre in London!
This tells the story of young bride Sophie who invites 3 men to her wedding hoping that one of them will be her father.
This show was an emotional one, as my late mother was a massive fan of the show and the band ABBA. It also helped me settle into the big city, as being autistic, a city like London can be very overwhelming. But then once I got into the theatre I was in a world of my own.
Izi Maxwell who played Sophie was brilliant. She brought lots of personality into this character, her voice was incredible and you can tell how much she loved it. I also liked her scenes with Ben Irish who played Sky, as their connection was the next level! I also enjoyed Natalie Langston name who played Donna Sheridan (who was also an understudy for the show), and their scenes together was fantastic! Natalie was one to watch, as her personality shone through and her voice was fantastic! But I’ll get onto the songs later.
The other characters in the show all brought their one personality to it. Emma Odell and Nicola-Dawn Brook (Emma being an understudy) played the role of Donna’s friends Tanya and Rosie. I thought they did a brilliant job, and Emma looked exactly like the character in the film, which is all thanks to the power of hair and makeup, and they definitely carried the show along.
Luke Jasztal, Stephen Beckett and Christopher played the roles of Sophie’s potential fathers, Sam Carmichael, Bill Anderson and Harry Bright. Luke and Natalie’s connection is obvious, as you can tell that they made the characters realise that their love for each other was still there despite all them years, and that the other two flings were simply a moment of madness. Stephen did a brilliant job of portraying self proclaimed author Bill, and I don’t know if the Australian accent was real, but it definitely convinced me. And his chemistry with Nicola-Dawn was hilarious at times (and I’ll mention one moment later on). Christopher did a brilliant job of portraying the role of Harry, and I do get his socially awkwardness especially when it comes to the art of romance. We do get hints of his sexuality in the film but not in the show, so maybe it could’ve given us some hints.
After watching the film in preparation, I did notice a few differences in the film. The main one being location, as they only had the hotel which then turned into a church for the wedding scene. There was also moments where the songs were placed in a different order, the main one being “Take A Chance on Me”. And let’s just say I agreed with that placement, as the timing of it couldn’t be more awkward lol!
As the music was so iconic, it was so hard not to sing along. I discovered that I prefer the musical version of “Honey Honey” compared to the film version, and “Take A Chance On Me”, performed by Nicola-Dawn and Stephen, and “Does Your Mother Know” performed by Emma and Timmy Driscoll (who played the role of Pepper and was an understudy in the show), gave me the chuckle factor. A nice break from the serious moments as well. And of course the iconic song “Mamma Mia” was literally an ear worm song. Even my dad was singing along to it! “The Winner takes it all” was another highlight of the show performed by Natalie. I was surprised I didn’t cry to the song, as when I watched the film I nearly shedded a tear. But still she gave off a powerhouse performance and one which I was in awe of. Finally the medley at the end had to be the best part. This was where everyone hooked in at the, and whilst my family got emotional knowing it was my mum’s favourite show I just had the time of my life dancing along. It just shows what the power of music can do, especially when a show like this contains songs from an iconic band.
I really don’t think I have any downsides to the show. But I think my only criticism is that because I got overwhelmed earlier it took me abit to settle in. But once act one kicked in with the titular song, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Although at the opening of Act 2, I didn’t quite get the story of it, but it just felt like I wasn’t expecting something like it.
Overall I would give the show a full house. It was fabulous, the cast were fantastic and as it was my mums favourite show I’m glad I got to enjoy something that she loved!
And that was my review of this iconic show that’s been in London for 25 years! Please see the link where you can buy your tickets if you haven’t seen it already. Although I would book them sooner rather than later, as for those reading this who have seen the show, you’ll know why it’s so popular!
See you soon for another blog. Until next time…
This is The Autistic Actress signing off :)
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