Review: ‘MAMMA MIA!’ Musical Continues to Captivate Generations

As we turned around and looked at the faces of the audience during the finale of MAMMA MIA!, we saw the look of pure joy as the cast was rendering “Waterloo.” Almost 50 years after the Swedish group ABBA recorded this number there seemed to be no generation gap in Mumbai, as people, young and old were mouthing the well-known lyrics as if they had sung them all their lives.

It is a truism that any generation is partial to the music of their teens and early Twenties and identifies with that music for life. In this case, people of at least three different generations were grooving with the music of ABBA. 

The musical MAMMA MIA! is a unique inversion; other musicals from My Fair Lady, South Pacific, Oklahoma, West Side Story and The Sound of Music, among others, have songs as part of the narrative that have become popular. In each of these shows, the music has been composed to suit the script and story. In the case of MAMMA MIA! it is the story of a musical which is written around the very popular songs from the Swedish group, ABBA. Even the storyline here has been shaped around the lyrics of the songs involved. The effect is there for all to see.

This particular production from Nick Grace Management has been performing for the last 19 years, has already toured 42 countries and is booked until 2027. Grace spoke to us of the popularity of this show across all cultures around the world. They will be playing in China next year, and Grace expects the response will be no different. 

The group ABBA (from the initials of its four band members) had a life span of just 10 years, from 1972 to 1982. That would be the typical life of a “pop” group. However, the vision of one lady, Catherine Johnson, a British playwright to write a story and create a musical from ABBA’s catchy music, resulted in the making of MAMMA MIA!, the musical. This was several years after 1982, when ABBA disbanded and this musical has revived public interest in their music, preserving and presenting it to younger audiences. This resulted in the band being revived in 2016, an astounding 34 years after they stopped being active! They have toured and performed as a band to huge audiences, at least until 2022, a testament to the power of the musical.

Meryl Streep played the main part in a movie of the same name, MAMMA MIA!, but this film was made eight years after the musical was first staged.

The storyline for the musical is set around a wedding on a beautiful Greek island in azure blue waters surroundings. The movements of the performers were well choreographed; they involved some deft dancing and dexterity from the players. The bride-to-be was not sure which of her mother’s three beaus was her father, so she invited all three potential sires to her wedding! Frenzied actions took place throughout the musical and were always highlighted by an appropriate ABBA song. We heard through the evening the hits from “Money, Money Money,” “Thank You for the Music,” “Mamma Mia,” “Dancing Queen,” “Super Trooper,” “Voulez Vous,” “I Have a Dream” and “Waterloo” and a few more. 

The singing throughout was superb and was accompanied by a live seven-member band in performance, we were informed by Grace. The sets were slick and suitably Mediterranean, as were the costumes. One would expect this class from what seems to perform like a well-oiled machine!

The acting was good and Sara Poyzer playing the role of Donna Sheridan, the mother of the bride, was dynamic, as was Sarah Earnshaw playing the role of the saucy Tanya, her friend. The supporting actors were also convincing in their roles. In the end, ABBA conquered!

The staging of shows like MAMMA MIA!, The Sound of Music and West Side Story at the NMACC, all in 2023, has certainly added a new dimension to the entertainment scene in Mumbai, filling a void in the Broadway, West End type of theater.

It will run for a few weeks. Worth an indulgence!

Click here to buy tickets for ‘’MAMMA MIA!’