A favourite show in London, Mamma Mia! the musical is transferring to the Novello Theatre this week, having spent eight years at the Prince of Wales Theatre.
Based on the songs of 70s and 80s superstar band ABBA, the show debuted in London in April 1999 at the Prince Edward Theatre with the concept of being a ‘jukebox’ musical rather than an autobiographical show.
Set on a sunny Greek island, Mamma Mia! tells the story of a young woman, Sophie, whose wedding day is fast approaching. The only obstacle preventing it from being the perfect day is having her father walk her down the aisle: Sophie’s never known him. By chance, she comes upon her mother’s old diary in which she read about encounters with three different men, around the time that leads her to believe that one of them must be her father. Sophie decides to invite each of them to the island as the festivities begin, in the hopes that she can get to know them well enough to determine who her father really is. The twist? She’s done all this without the knowledge of her mother, Donna.
Cue a raft of hilarious, dramatic, romantic, heart-wrenching and heart-warming scenes, each accompanied by the perfect ABBA track. Mamma Mia! is truly the feel-good show in London and is so well-loved by tourists to the West End and residents alike – keeping it running for well over 13 years.
Its transfer to the Novello Theatre marks the end of an era, as the show makes way for the new musical at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Let It Be, another ‘jukebox’ musical – this time, based on the music of the iconic British band, The Beatles.
2012 is a very special year in Britain – with national pride at an all-time high following notable events such as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee being celebrated earlier in June and of course The Games – an extremely successful Olympics being staged in the nation’s capital followed by the Paralympics currently taking place. Therefore, it is a very happy coincidence that the year also marks the golden anniversary of one of Britain’s greatest offerings in the music industry.
The Beatles released their first single Love Me Do in 1962 and now, 50 years on, to celebrate this momentous anniversary, the nation will be treated to several special concerts performed in their honour. Though most of these will be staged in Liverpool, the birthplace of the band members, the West End will see the opening of this new show in London on 14th September 2012.
As noted in our last couple of posts, there’s been several new shows and re-shuffles in the West End of recent days – so do sign up to our newsletter to get the inside track on any changes and the latest information on all the shows on in London.
