Thank Abba for the Music

Tuesday 2nd August - 2022

l'm back for my daily update & critique of last night’s Mamma Mia the Jukebox Musical. It's been playing in London since 1999 making it the eighth longest running show ever and seen by over 9-million people.

l know that you will ask me if the show was worthwhile to see, here is my answer; ‘An Irresistibly Enjoyment Hit’.

l found Mamma Mia to be a light, sometimes silly, romantic musical comedy that featured gorgeous scenery, a catchy soundtrack, magnificent costumes, with the message that sometimes you must take a chance & risk everything in order to achieve your dreams like many of us do in our lives without realising it.

The musical runs for 2 hours & 35 mins.

The show has a strong feminist message, looking around the Novello Theatre l would has at a guess the audience breakdown would definitely be 80%-20% in favour of the fairer sex.

The last three songs performed were: Mamma Mia - Dancing Queen - Waterloo, Mamma Mia used in the encore/finale was sung by the Company.

At the end the whole audience was on their feet (including me) dancing away.

My wrap up of Mamma Mia the musical was a couple of hours of pure, unadulterated escapism, guaranteed to have you dancing in the aisles which it accomplished.

Unfortunately l could only give it a rating of 8 out of 10. Tonight l am off to see Musical No. 3. ‘Anything Goes’ at the Bibican Theatre.

That then leaves me with another 8 shows before l hit the road to Glasgow for my 12-day tour of Scotland commencing on Saturday 13th August.

Before l sign off on this email l would like to give you the so called experts opinion on their view of the Best top 10 Musicals in the West End, l do not necessarily agree with them as you will notice by the shows that l will booked to see in the next week or so.

Here is their list in order and the dates that I will see the shows:

1. Lion King. (No).
2. Phantom of the Opera. 8 Aug
3. Tina. 31 July
3. Mamma Mia. 1 Aug
4. Back to the Future. 4 Aug
5. Pretty Women. 10 Aug
6. Mousetrap. 6 Aug
7. Mary Poppins. (No).
8. Anything Goes. 2 Aug
9. Wicked. (No).
10. Kinky Boots. 9 Aug
11. Cabaret. 3 Aug

*Bob Marley 5/8. I have chosen to see Bob Marley purely for the reggae music.

The Novello Theatre, by-the-way, was where in 1987, Barry Humphries, alias the gladdie-throwing Edna Everage, set new box office records with over 200 sold-out performances of Back with a Vengeance!

That’s all for now until tomorrow’s review of tonight’s performance of ‘Anything Goes’

Cheers from your roving critique living the dream in London’s West End.

Warbo