Jalynn Steele, Jessica Crouch & Carly Sakolove Jessica Crouch in Mamma Mia! 25th Anniversary Tour | Photo by Joan Marcus
Mamma Mia! is 25 years old now. It’s beloved. The world long ago embraced this ABBA-centric Greek island fantasia that sees a young woman invite to her wedding three men from her mother’s past to suss out who should give her away. Though I have seen the movie, this return engagement, presented by Mirvish, is my first experience of the original show.
It’s exactly as I imagined, unabashedly what it is, and what you know it to be. Do you really need my opinion? I don’t know what to tell you other than… it’s fine. It does feel a little tired though. Underneath the giddy antics, I can feel the creaky, well-worn tracks in which both the minimal scenery and the performers dutifully run their course.
The thin storyline introduces us to Sophie Sheridan (Juliette M. Ojeda), a 21-year-old getting hitched to a good-natured guy name Sky (Grant Reynolds), and her mother Donna Sheridan (Jessica Crouch) hosting a destination wedding on the Greek island where Donna runs a resort. Without telling her mother, Sophie tries to manage three of her mother’s old flames—Harry Bright (Rob Marnell), Bill Austin (Leland Burnett), Sam Carmichael (Victor Wallace)—and sort out which is her father. Hijinks and ABBA songs ensue.
Catherine Johnson’s book is an uninspired, utilitarian collection of hokey set-ups and payoffs that awkwardly press-gangs ABBA songs into its flimsy plot. Its neither elegant nor clever, but it does provide enough structure to showcase Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus’ familiar songs without it feeling too blatantly like a concert (until, of course, those post curtain call encores).
I don’t really care about Donna, Sophie or the hapless men who might be her father—that trio I found especially tiresome. Everyone here gives decent performances, but I never felt invested in anyone beyond an awareness of beats being hit. The closest I got to an emotional involvement was Donna’s heartfelt reconciliation with her daughter and her big solo, “The Winner Takes It All,” in which Crouch is suitably stirring. The rest of this is frivolous confection with moderately compelling camp appeal. Your milage may vary.
Anthony Van Laast’s choreography, especially in larger ensemble numbers, provides plenty of visually compelling revelry. I am absolutely not a fan of the dream sequence (“Under Attack”) that opens the second act, which is an aesthetic outlier and sort of a dud, though I like the song well enough. Generally speaking, the numbers are consistently fun. I couldn’t help grinning at the chorus of wet-suited men in flippers (“Lay All your Love on Me”) waddling and high-kicking their way across the stage.
As far as characters are concerned, the real standouts for me are Donna’s friends—the sassy cougar, Tanya (Jalynn Steele), and frisky nerd, Rosie (Carly Sakolove). The story plays up their middle-age and makes it abundantly clear they still got it. The one and only laugh out loud moment for me comes in their first scene together as a trio (“Chiquitita”), when Tanya and Rosie try to comfort Donna and, at a key moment, have a synchronized dive-bomb onto the stage.
Director Phyllida Lloyd’s production has some very persuasive Mediterranean tourist trap vibes. You can almost feel the balmy air as design elements, by Mark Thompson (production) and Howard Harrison (lighting), conspire. I rather swooned at the romantic vision of dappled light falling on whitewashed facades. The abstracted backdrop—seen above, around and through the gaps in the modular set—provides a convincing impression of sky and water. The projected moon, cheesy as it is, completes the magical atmosphere.
The production excels at ambiance and I found myself enjoying that, strangely enough, even more than the ABBA of it all. I don’t imagine my take on any of this will do much to enlighten, dissuade or convince you. You know how you feel about Mamma Mia! even if you’ve never seen it. Again, this isn’t a knock against any of the artists involved, but this 25th anniversary tour feels very by rote. But if it’s your jam (you know), that might not bother you all that much.
Mamma Mia!
August 4 to 30, 2026
Princess of Wales Theatre
(300 King Street West)
2 hours, 30 minutes (including intermission)
Grant Reynolds & the Company of Mamma Mia! 25th Anniversary Tour | Photo by Joan Marcus