IT’S the mother of all musicals - and it’s sprinkling some Mediterranean sunshine in Bradford this autumn.
Mamma Mia! is the record-breaking super trouper of a show that has been seen by more than 70 million people worldwide, in 50 countries and in 16 different languages.
Now in its 27th year in the West End, the hit musical returned to Broadway this summer and became the first Mandarin speaking production of a Western musical in China.
Mamma Mia! is the feelgood musical with a score of Abba songs that led to two mega hit films, Mamma Mia! - the highest grossing musical film of all time upon its 2008 release - and Here We Go Again - the most successful musical movie sequel of all time.
Now the show is back, on a new UK tour.
With music and lyrics by Abba maestros Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus, Mammai Mia! is produced by Judy Craymer who, with director Phyllida Lloyd and writer Catherine Johnson, dreamt up the idea for the show - a sunny, funny tale of a mother, a daughter and three possible dads unfolding on an idyllic Greek island - and powered it tirelessly to spectacular success.
“A lot of people doubted us,” says Judy. “They just couldn’t get their heads around it.”
When the show opened in the West End in 1999 it quickly became a landmark theatrical triumph with cross-generational appeal, delighting Abba fans and legions of new ones.
Joe Grundy as Sky and Lydia Hunt as Sophie.
This was, however, no overnight feat. Judy, who trained in stage management at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama, was working in the production office of musical-theatre royalty Tim Rice in the early 1980s when she first met Benny and Björn, who were collaborating with Rice on Chess. One of Judy’s first tasks was to collect Ulvaeus from the airport, and the pair quickly struck up a friendship.
Joe Grundy, held aloft, as Sky with the cast. Images: Brinkhoff-Moegenburg
“It was huge fun,” recalls Judy. “I was flying to Stockholm with Tim Rice every week, working in Benny and Björn’s studio.” The access she had to the Abba pair was crucial, “It was very fortunate, because otherwise I’m not sure they would have taken this on. I had to pester them for a long time!”
She adds: “I listened to their songs with a whole different ear, having met the guys. They take you on a journey. And that was the beginning of me falling in love with those songs.”
Judy began to see the dramatic potential in Abba’s infectious pop and “started thinking about how to turn them into narrative”.
Sarah Earnshaw as Tanya, Jenn Giffin as Donna and Rosie Glossop as Rosie in Mamma Mia
At first, she wasn’t sure what form this dramatisation would take. It was Catherine Johnson who suggested the story of a mother and daughter. Judy knew at once it was the right formula. “We were both penniless, Catherine was a single mum,” she recalls. “I only had about £1,000, so I said ‘I’ll pay you £500 now, and £500 when you’ve written it’. It’s so difficult to get a project going, but we just got on with it.”
Producer Judy Craymer. Photo: Mary McCartney
Phyllida Lloyd, who came on board as director, shared their passion, and the trio put together a female-led show full of joyful romance and fierce mother-daughter affection: an exuberant matrimonial comedy set on a Greek island, with a playful nod to the family dramas of classical tragedy.
It’s the strength of that narrative, Judy believes, that sets Mamma Mia! apart. “I don’t consider it a jukebox musical,” she says. “My vision was always for it to be an original stage musical, using existing songs that fit perfectly within a new, original story. It’s had an enormous influence on music and theatre-going culture.”
The show has spread joy to packed houses worldwide. In New York, it helped revitalise Broadway after 9/11, proving an unexpected balm for theatre-goers. Now it’s back - and that, says Judy, feels very special: “Re-opening on Broadway feels like a landmark. It’s inspiring to see the show still has a huge cultural resonance. It seems that many people who saw it previously are coming back - and introducing younger family members. To see this ongoing connection across generations has been wonderful.”
Jenn Griffin as Donna in Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia! was one of the first big shows to return in the UK after the pandemic; in a typically astute move, Judy mounted its first ever open-air production, in the grounds of Harewood House. It was a tonic for audiences who had been denied live theatre for so long.
“It offers escapism,” says Judy. “The audience is transported to a sun-kissed Greek Island with blue skies, turquoise sea, a fabulous cast and an uplifting story. This has become even more important to our audiences in times of uncertainty. I think the show’s joyful energy and the shared experience of being in a theatre is a great comfort during darker times. It’s not just entertainment - it’s almost therapeutic.”
Mamma Mia! has been groundbreaking, on a global scale. Judy has particularly fond memories of the opening of the Japanese production: “Because of theatre etiquette there, the cast can’t leave the stage until the audience stop clapping. I thought they’d be there all night!”
Hollywood quickly took notice, prompting eager calls from studios including Universal Pictures. Judy held out for her ambitious dream casting - Meryl Streep, who leapt at the chance to play Donna. It was a coup that Judy repeated with the film’s sequel, in which Cher delivers a magnificent diva turn as Donna’s mother. The icon had, according to Judy, already seen the show twice in London, where she danced in the aisle.
“The success of the two films reignited passion for the show,” says Judy. “They also helped introduce broader audiences to musicals in general.”
Two years ago ITV talent show Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream searched for two new talents to play the roles of Sophie, Donna’s daughter, and Sky, her fiance. Samantha Barks, Alan Carr, Amber Riley and Jessie Ware were the judges.
“It was an incredible opportunity,” says Judy. “The series was part of the musical’s 25th West End anniversary celebrations, it was wonderful to relive the Mamma Mia! experience on a TV set in Greece.”
Almost three decades on from the show’s West End opening, Judy is busily planning a third movie. “It’s something I have in my sights - I think there’s a trilogy there,” she says. “There are lots of wonderful Abba songs that we haven’t yet mined, and Björn and Benny have written a couple of new ones. These things take time, but it’s in the works, fingers crossed!”
For now, fans will have to wait and see, but whatever comes next for this sunniest of shows, there’s sure to be an eager audience for it. How can we resist it?
* Mamma Mia runs at the Alhambra Theatre from November 10-21. Call (01274) 432000 or visit bradford-theatres.co.uk