Last night, Lochlan, Eowyn and I went along to the Theatre Royal Norwich to watch the amazing Mamma Mia On Tour, and looking at the entire theatre up on their feet singing and dancing along, everyone was in agreement, that it was a fantastic night!
I last saw Mamma Mia Tour six years ago at the very same theatre (in pretty much the same seats!) last time I went with Xene aged 18 and Neva aged 13, and they both adored it, so I knew Eowyn, also aged 13 would have a great night, and Lochlan had already booked his place as soon as Mamma Mia UK Tour announced it was coming to Norwich!
I am sure you all know the story of Mamma Mia, but in case you have been living under a rock for the last 15 years, here’s what its about in a nutshell.
Set on a Greek island paradise where the sun always shines, a tale of love, friendship and identity is irresistibly told through the timeless hits of ABBA.
Sophie’s quest to discover the father she’s never known brings her mother face to face with three men from her distant romantic past on the eve of a wedding they’ll never forget!
Every day’s a holiday at MAMMA MIA!, so have the time of your life at the world’s sunniest and most exhilarating smash-hit musical.
I am a huge fan of both the films, but I can honestly say it is SO much better than the movie (even with Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth in the equation) LIVE!.
The cast were outstanding, each and every member of that cast gave 110%.
Jena Pandya played Sophie to perfection, and you could really feel her emotions from the excitement of the wedding to the nervousness of trying to discover who her father really is.
Toby Miles played the cool, loving, supportive fiance Sky, who didn’t really want a big wedding and was clearly going along with it for the love of his life.
Sara Poyzer was fantastic as mum Donna, supported by her two best mates Rosie (Nicky Swift) and Tanya (Helen Anker), who all worked so well together and you could really see them causing chaos in their younger days!
The three possible dads were all excellent in their own right, Sam the true love of Donna’s life (played by Richard Standing) made you believe that he really did love the island he had returned too, a slightly older, wiser man, but still super cool and clear;y still in love with Donna.
Harry (Daniel Crowder) was kind and caring and desperately trying to do the right thing by Sophie and Donna, when the penny finally dropped why they were all there, as well as reliving his wilder days before the life of a city banker took over!
And finally Bill the writer (Phil Corbitt) who had never been interested in children, but was also prepared to step up to his responsibilities, but clearly much better suited to Rosie, the scene just before the wedding had me in stitches!
And a special mention should go to Pepper (James Willoughby Moore) who had the audience in fits every time he appeared on stage, and he’s sure got some moves to woo Tanya (and most of the females in the audience), judging by the wolf whistles and clapping!!!
AND a huge shout out to the entire ensemble, who made the entire show come alive, they made you feel like you were there in the moment on that little Greek island, a far cry from a rather chilly, dark evening in Norwich!
Mamma Mia On Tour 2022
It was always going to be a hit with me as I love Abba’s music, and the fact that Eowyn was playing the soundtrack all the way to the theatre and knew every single word, and Lochlan had already said it was the one show he wanted to see, above all others! I was pretty sure it was going to be a hit, but I don’t think I realised how much!
The show had a feel good factor from the moment you walked in the theatre, the place was buzzing with excitement and the first thing that hit me was the diverse age range, the recommended age is 6+ which i’d agree with as its quite a long show for anyone younger to sit through.
The songs were amazing, the cast was fantastic, what more could you ask for, other than for it to keep going, as I didn’t want it to end!
So book your tickets NOW!!!
The athleticism of the entire cast was incredible and I would definitely recommend it to everyone who is an Abba fan, or just loves musicals.
It is running until Saturday 22nd October in Norwich, but don’t take too long to decide as the tickets are nearly all gone! If you don’t live local, check out the Mamma Mia Tour for further dates and locations.
Mamma Mia is also showing at Novello Theatre grab your tickets at Theatre Tickets Direct, From The Box Office and See Tickets.
Looking for more feel good musicals, check out Six the Musical and We Will Rock You
