MAMMA MIA! - Theatre Review (UK Tour)

M A M M A M I A !

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Birmingham Hippodrome

★★★★★

THEATRE | Kyle Pedley

THANK YOU FOR THE MUSICAL...

Few shows can you go into knowing almost exactly what to expect more so than with Mamma Mia!. Doubly if you are one of the millions who made the 2008 Meryl Streep movie adaptation the almost inexplicable mega hit that it was. It’s light, frothy, feel-good and laugh-out-loud funny, all set to sun, sea and the sound of ABBA. And yet, for any presumptions and suppositions, Mamma Mia! on stage - arriving in Birmingham for a Summer tenure in this, it’s first ever UK tour - comes laden with surprises and joys, many in direct contrast with the at times awkward, often tonally misjudged movie (who can ever forget Pierce Brosnan’s monotone warbling, for starters?).

Where the movie felt like a hodgepodge of casting choices and ideas doggedly forced together, at times bizarrely so (see the French and Saunders send-up for a brilliantly observed commentary on how), here everything just works. And wonderfully so. Following the story of young Sophie (a delightful Lucy May Barker) who has grown up on a Greek island idyll with her mother Donna (Sara Poyzer), the young bride-to-be attempts to discover the truth behind her parentage mere days before her wedding to handsome beau Sky (a swoon-worthy Phillip Ryan). The only problem is, there are three possible candidates of fatherhood from a particularly illicit Summer of broken hearts, romantic boat trips and ‘dot, dot, dots’.

"Where the movie felt like a hodgepodge

of casting choices and ideas doggedly

forced together, at times bizarrely so,

here everything just works."

And so Sam (Richard Standing), Harry (Tim Walton) and Bill (Christopher Hollis) all rock up to the island, much to Donna’s bemusement, but at least she has sterling, hilarious support in the form of best friends and ex-bandmates Rosie (Jacqueline Braun) and Tanya (Emma Clifford) to help her, the former all big boobs and even bigger personality, the latter a man-eating, mojito-swilling, nip-tuck delight.

It’s in the casting where this premiere tour of Mamma Mia! really shines. It’s a toe-tapping reminder of just how many fantastic pop tracks ABBA churned out, with a slew of fun, vibrant set pieces accompanying classics such as ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘Money, Money, Money’, ‘Souper Trouper’ and of course it’s titular anthem, and these are only bolstered by the talent on display here. There’s not a weak link to be found - impressive given the relative size of it’s core cast.

Sara Poyzer is quite wonderful on disarmingly naturalistic form as Donna, giving a genuinely impressive leading turn with a performance which ranges from the camp fun of her shenanigans with Rosie and Tanya, through to the more delicate, emotional beats of ‘Slipping Through My Fingers’ and the vehemence of ’S.O.S’ and ‘The Winner Takes It All’. It’s a brilliant, barn-storming anchor around which the hijinks pivot, and it says everything when Poyzer is up there giving Meryl Streep a run for her money.

Richard Standing, Tim Walton and Christopher Hollis are all brilliant in their own ways as the trio of potential Sophie-dads. Hollis is great fun as backpacking Aussie writer Bill, bouncing (quite literally) off of Braun with real comic relish later in the show, whilst Tim Walton is completely endearing without overdoing it as camp, lovable Harry. Richard Standing particularly impresses, in fine voice and with an empathetic gravitas as the slightly more gravelly, no-nonsense Sam, with Standing stepping up in the Second Act in particular as his history with Donna takes centre stage. The three are all fantastic, and as with the entirety of the cast and ensemble, the chemistry is palpable and on-point throughout.

"Jacqueline Braun is quite wonderful as Rosie...

continually proves herself a hilarious, scene-stealing

stage comedienne extraordinaire. Meanwhile, Emma

Clifford is delicious as the sultry, triple-divorcee

Tanya, commanding the stage with every strut,

side eye or slinky dance move."

Rounding out the cast, Jacqueline Braun is quite wonderful as Rosie, mercifully stepping out of the shadow of Julie Walters and, whether it’s throwing herself around a bedroom and into impromptu splits (‘Dancing Queen’), or erupting into spontaneous bouts of passion with an unsuspecting target (‘Take A Chance On Me’), Braun continually proves herself a hilarious, scene-stealing stage comedienne extraordinaire. Meanwhile, Emma Clifford is delicious as the sultry, triple-divorcee Tanya, commanding the stage with every strut, side eye or slinky dance move. She also benefits from one of the show’s best realised set pieces in ‘Does Your Mother Know’, which she duly goes to town with. As a trio, Poyzer, Braun and Clifford are simply hilarious and electric, with the likes of 'Dancing Queen' uproariously funny and meticulously observed.

Elsewhere, Micha Richardson and Blaise Colangelo are great fun as Sophie’s besties Ali and Lisa, and even if the two are fairly under-utilised as characters, they head up a uniformly fantastic ensemble who lend the more robust and dance-worthy numbers an infectious vibrancy and kinetic vigour - ‘Voulez-Vous’ and ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!’ will have you itching to leap out your seat to join in. Louis Stockil and Sam Robinson, meanwhile, head up the ‘lads’, and are fantastic comic relief throughout as a pair of cocksure, buffoonish yet well-meaning bartenders.

As said, everything here just works. Mark Thompson and Jonathan Allen’s relatively simplistic yet surprisingly versatile set design marries with Howard Harrison’s lighting to create a convincing Mediterranean getaway, whilst resident director Mark Hilton takes the foundations of Phyllida Lloyd’s original work and perfects practically every note, step, laugh and beat. He also ripples the whole thing with subtle touches of character and easily missed nuances that breathe life into every scene and interaction. It helps, of course, that he is working with such a strong cast, and with such a great, timeless soundtrack, but this as tight, note-perfect and entertaining as you could expect the show to get, with no wasted opportunities or flat moments.

With the show continuing it’s now 19-year run in the West End to this day, all eyes were on Mamma Mia! to deliver in this, it’s very first UK tour, and deliver it most certainly does. It’s campy, silly and goofy, and about as far from the likes of Sondheim or Schönberg as you can get, but that’s kind of the point. With a veritable onslaught of pop classics, an ensemble of supremely likeable characters, some terrific, vibrant staging and choreography, an island-load of eye candy and sex appeal, and a simply terrific cast and ensemble who nail every laugh, step and note, Mamma Mia! is quite simply the ultimate feel-good musical theatre experience. Those allergic to the songs of ABBA may do best to steer clear, but for everyone else, it is not only better than the movie by some measure, but easily one of the most joyous, vibrant and entertaining evenings at the theatre you could hope for.

Knowing me, knowing you, you’ll love it.

MUSINGS

+ Bold, vibrant, completely infectious - the ultimate feel-good musical

+ An energetic reminder of just how many terrific pop tunes ABBA turned out (Thank you for the Music!)

+ A simply resplendent cast - uniformly fantastic

+ Sara Poyzer gives a fantastic, naturalistic and supremely likeable lead performance

+ Standing, Braun and Clifford in particular shine in their supporting roles

+ A sexy, laugh-out-loud funny, toe-tapping delight of a show

Run: Tue 28 Jun - Sat 3 Sep 2016

Performance Reviewed: Wed 29 Jun 2016 (Press Night)

Tickets: 0844 338 5000 / Official Website: click

#ticker #review #new #5star