Prince of Wales Theatre: Mamma Mia

The setting of this high-energy musical takes place on a Greek island. A woman sets out to find the true identity of her father, occurring the day before her wedding. In her search, she manages to round up three men from her mother’s past, and bring them back to the location they last met 20 years ago. Mamma Mia is full of love, friendship, and laughter from Catherine Johnson’s tale. Songs include: “Dancing Queen,” “Knowing Me, Knowing You,” “S.O.S.,” “Take a Chance on Me,” and “The Winner Takes All.”

When possessing , you are in for a very special day. Although the description of the experience of seeing Mamma Mia would be nothing compared to actually experiencing it, it is described as follows; the songs come from the Swedish super-group’s songbook and dancing and singing are encouraged. Although children will love the dancing and music, the plot may confuse them. However, there is nothing else that should prevent a child from seeing the show (unless under 4 years of age), making it a safe family trip.

Mamma Mia, London is shown in the Prince of Wales Theatre, located on 31 Coventry Street. Features for the theatre include: allowance of guide dogs (staff will dog-sit if preferred), disabled access, and air conditioning. At first called the Prince’s Theatre, in 1886, it was renamed The Prince of Wales Theatre. C.J. Phipps architected the theatre, along with many others in London (the best known probably being Her Majesty, Haymarket). It seated a little over 1,000 people and its façade matched that of the restaurant and hotel (Thistle Hotel) located next door.

Jessie May plays Sophie Sheridan (one of the leading actresses); her training includes graduating from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts with First Class Honors. Linzi Hateley plays Donna Sheridan; she trained in Italia Conti Academy. Joshua Sasse plays Sky; he grew up in Nepal and moved to England where he trained with many touring theatre companies. Katy Secombe plays Rosie; she trained at both Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and Manchester University. Harriet Thorpe plays Tanya; her training includes the Central School of Speech and Drama. Christopher Hollis plays Bill Austin; his training includes Webber Douglas Academy. Norman Bowman plays Sam Carmichael; training includes the London Academy of Performing Arts awarded by scholarship.

The creative team for Mamma Mia in London includes: music and lyrics- Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, book- Catherine Johnson, director- Phyllida Lloyd, choreographer- Anthony van Laast, set designer- Mark Thompson, and the lighting designer- Howard Harrison.