Thank you for the musical

Twenty-four years after it debuted in the West End, and almost 40 years since its oldest song was first written, Mamma Mia!The Musical and its catalogue of  ABBA hits still feels fresh and vibrant. The show is about to launch yet another Australian season – a re-staging of the phenomenally successful 2017 production – and the excitement from prospective audiences is palpable. 

Featuring 22 songs penned by powerhouse writing team, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, and book by Catherine Johnson, Mamma Mia! The Musical is a funny, clever tale of life and love set on a picturesque Greek island. 

Donna, an ex-pat Aussie, runs a taverna on the island. Her daughter, Sophie, is about to get married and would love her father to walk her down the aisle, but she doesn’t know who he is. A sneak peak at Donna’s diary reveals that there are three contenders and Sophie, unbeknown to her mum, invites all three men to the island. 

This upcoming production introduces an all new cast and reunites much of the creative team from the 2017 tour including director, Gary Young. Young actually has quite a history with the show; he was associate director on the premiere Australian production in 2002 and returned for the 10^th anniversary show in 2009.

“It’s such a delight. We had such a good time working on the show the last time,” says Young about working with the same creatives. “It’s lovely to have all these Australian creatives being able to do their thing. And it’s a terrific team.”

There have been a lot of juke-box musicals, especially in recent years, and they aren’t always successful, so why does Mamma Mia! work? 

“I think this is a little different in that the songs in Mamma Mia! are absolutely part of the narrative,” explains Young. “It goes to how brilliant the writing of the lyrics is in those ABBA songs. Catherine Johnson, when she originally wrote this script, was so clever in the way she constructed the piece and the way that the songs are used, they all further the narrative. And they all work in terms of character development as well.”

Mamma Mia! has garnered a following beyond fans of ABBA’s music, with many people going to see the show repeatedly. 

While this is essentially a re-mounting of the last show, there are a few changes around design and staging, and of course the new cast inherently brings freshness and diversity. 

“A lot of the choreography’s the same but I’ve sort of tweaked and adjusted all the way through, and anywhere where we’ve developed new characters for people and allowed them to bring their own personalities in, we’ve adapted accordingly. It freshens it up, makes it more exciting for me and also the cast  has more ownership over a show that they know has already been done,” says choreographer, Tom Hodgson who also worked on the previous tour. 

Hodgson says working with the same creative team is an advantage because most of the negotiation and creative decisions have been made, and the team has developed a rapport. 

“We’re all in agreeance about what we’re going to keep. But absolutely, just having worked with those people before, we already have a solid working relationship, we already agree on where we want the show to go. That’s really helpful.”

In creating the choreography, Hodgson took his cue from the way ABBA songs are used in the real world. For instance, big hits like “Voulez Vous”, “Gimme Gimme”, “Waterloo” and “Dancing Queen” are favourites at functions and parties. 

“You know wherever you are they can usually fill a dance floor. I wanted to recreate that energy on stage – obviously with a lot more structure and choreography – but I wanted that feeling of a sort of joy and inclusivity,” he explains. “I wanted to make sure that the whole cast, not just the people who are the stronger dancers, were involved in those big numbers.”

ABBA songs are quite theatrical and lend themselves to broad, fantastical interpretation – something that appeals to Hodgson’s imagination. There is also the setting on a Greek island that allow multi-cultural elements to be included. 

“I mean I think the Greek people may look at them and raise their eyebrows, but I certainly tried to be authentic in it, and we certainly do have moments in the party scene of the wedding where I’ve used those sort of traditional Greek formations in the dancing.”

Hodgson believes the success of Mamma Mia! can be attributed to the story, the atmosphere, and the relatability of the characters. 

“It’s a light-hearted rom-com, really. It’s an easy few hours at the theatre. You certainly come away with a feeling of joy. But I think the story’s interesting. I think the book’s well written. It’s really powered by the female leads – the whole story.”

Elise McCann who plays the lead role of Donna, says much the same thing, in particular with regard to the strong female characters. 

“One of the things that I love so much about this show is that connection between mother and daughter and that friendship and that love, as well as the female friendships all around between Donna and her friends and Sophie and her friends. I just feel like it really is a love letter to and celebration of family and friendship and female friendship and I just love that.”

McCann was also in the premiere production of Mamma Mia!. She played Ali, one of Sophie’s best friends, so now, it feels like she’s come full circle. 

“I find it quite moving to be honest – Ali was my first role ever and the show itself has a really special place in my heart because it’s the first time I had the opportunity to do something like that,” says McCann, adding that she always aspired to play Donna. “I want to do it justice because I know how special the show was to me when I was younger.”

There are two distinct age brackets among the characters in this show: the older set which includes Donna and her friends and the three potential fathers; and the younger set which is Sophie and her friends and her fiance. It’s part of what gives the show such universal appeal and it also allows for broader exploration of themes and emotions. 

That a collection of songs that were never written to have association with each other, let alone with a whole single work, can someone fit so seamlessly is astounding. For McCann, it’s testament to the songwriting mastery of Ulvaeus and Andersson. 

“I don’t think I fully understood or respected their music as much as I do now having done this musical twice,” says McCann. “Now that they’re in the context of this musical, you realise how genius and how brilliant they are, because the lyricism is incredible for one thing […] The harmonies they put in, the musical progressions, where they kind of shift things – they themselves are their own little story.” 

Martin Crewes, who plays Sam, agrees that the script and the way the songs are naturally inserted are extremely clever. 

 “I personally think the script is, if not a work of genius then it’s pretty close in terms of creating this storyline that contains these ABBA songs in a dramatic sense.”

His character is the most developed of the three men, with a past relationship with Donna that continues to evolve. They had been in love 20 years ago, but Sam left and married someone else. 

“Particularly in the second act, for Sam, it gets heart-rending where he opens up about the pain of marrying the wrong person and he tries to reconnect with Donna and they’re slightly at cross purposes,” says Crewes. “Then, of course, it has to have a happy ending. But it’s not tacked on, it absolutely makes sense.”

Crewes says they spent a long time pre-rehearsals talking about the history of their characters and creating backstories.  

“I sort of decided, in these discussions, that it didn’t really make sense for Sam to be from Australia, or if he was from Australia then he was living in London, so my Sam is British.”

Crewes actually auditioned for the role of Sky (Sophie’s fiancé) for the premiere London production of Mamma Mia! The Musical. His only other previous connection is that he has seen the show four or five times around the world.

“I can’t really remember too many things apart from just sitting there with a massive smile on my face and then standing up at the end. And I’ve always thought: what more do you want from a show?”

Indeed. 

From May 24

Sydney Lyric, 55 Pirrama Rd, Pyrmont

mammamiathemusical.com.au