Mamma Mia! Here I go again!
“Abba-solutely fabulous!”
The first UK tour of Mamma Mia! has finally arrived in Cardiff! Here until the 13th of November, the much-loved musical packed with many classic and well-known ABBA songs is a smash hit with the audience!
“This announcement is to warn audience members of a nervous disposition that this performance contains platform boots and white lycra!”
If you’ve never seen or heard of Mamma Mia!, I’m just going to assume you live under a rock. One of the most-loved musicals out there by many generations. Families, friends, young and old – it’s a show that anyone can enjoy!
Cast
The cast really outdid themselves; the energy they poured into singing, dancing and acting really shone through on stage. Donna, Rosie and Tanya couldn’t have been played by actresses more perfect for the roles.
Sara Poyzer played Donna and did an amazing job: the humour was on-point and she worked really well with Lucy May Barker (Sophie) – the onstage chemistry was wonderful to experience and really rather emotional at times. Her mannerisms really helped the character come to life for me and it almost seemed as though Poyzer was possessed by a real life Donna as her portrayal of the character was more than I could have expected to see.
Jacqueline Braun played Rosie and she. was. hilarious. I mean, I actually had tears rolling down my face at one point. During one of the more iconic numbers, Braun ‘wowed’ the audience by suddenly doing the splits mid-performance. Judging by the audience’s reaction, it was unexpected to say the least! Braun gave an enjoyable and very comical performance and really did a good job of entertaining the audience throughout the show.
Emma Clifford has to be my absolute favourite actor from the whole show. Playing Tanya she couldn’t have nailed the role more perfectly if she tried. She oozed sass and sarcasm and I lapped it all up! The audience was constantly amused by her and she wore the role like a luxurious coat. I couldn’t fault her performance if you paid me!
The lovely Sophie Sheridan was played by Lucy May Barker and she really did portray the character well, giving an air of innocence and a lot of stubbornness. She makes the situation of finding her ‘dad’s’ believable and even relatable when it comes to the emotions that she was going through.
All singing, all dancing!
The whole cast were absolutely phenomenal in their singing and dancing. Their movement timing worked perfectly with their singing. The stamina was crazy, especially from Louis Stockil, who played Pepper during ‘Does Your Mother Know’ –
Setting the scene
The set was simple but very effective! Using just two walls that were moved by the ensemble, along with any new props each scene, it flowed very smoothly and looked very natural. The lighting was very good, giving the illusion of the moon coming through blinds in a bedroom, a setting sun, the shadows of trees… Even during the nightmare sequence!
Verdict
As a fan of the movie, I was really excited to go and see this live and I was not disappointed at all! I can’t fault anything. From the acting to the set design, every aspect really worked well with each other and made it flow together brilliantly. I’d say it was ‘Abba-solutely fabulous!’
Rating: 9/10
Mamma Mia! continues at WMC until 13th November – more info here.
Images credits: All via official Mamma Mia website
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