Mamma Mia!

Background

Mamma Mia! is based on the songs of ABBA, a Swedish pop/dance group active from 1972 to 1982 and one of the most popular international pop groups of all time, repeatedly topping the charts in Europe, North and South America and Australia. Following the premiere of the musical in London in 1999, ABBA Gold topped the charts in the United Kingdom again. Producer Judy Craymer met songwriters Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson in 1983 when they were working with Tim Rice on Chess. It was the song "The Winner Takes It All" that suggested to her the theatrical potential of their pop songs. Though unenthusiastic, the duo were not completely opposed to the idea.

In 1997, Craymer commissioned Catherine Johnson to write the book for the musical. In 1998, Phyllida Lloyd became the director for the show.

Various reviewers have noted a similarity in the plot between Mamma Mia! and the 1968 film Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell, previously adapted as the 1979 musical Carmelina, which is about a woman who does not know which of three men is her daughter's father. Critic John Simon speculated that Mamma Mia! is set in Greece and not Italy (which might have fit in better with the musical's title) to make the connection to the film less obvious. However, Johnson has denied being inspired by Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell.

Productions

Original West End production

The musical opened in the West End at the Prince Edward Theatre on 6 April 1999, and transferred to the Prince of Wales Theatre on 9 June 2004, where it played until it moved to the Novello Theatre on 6 September 2012. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd with choreography by Anthony Van Laast, the original cast featured Siobhan McCarthy, Lisa Stokke, and Hilton McRae.

The show closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, and reopened at the Novello Theatre on 25 August 2021. On 17 July 2024, Mamma Mia! celebrated its 10,000th performance in the West End.

Original North American productions

The first North American production, opening in Toronto at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in May 2000, played for five years. The US debut followed in San Francisco, California, at the Orpheum Theatre from 17 November 2000, to 17 February 2001, moving next to Los Angeles, California, at the Shubert Theatre from 26 February to 12 May 2001, and finally to Chicago, Illinois, at the Cadillac Palace Theatre from 13 May to 12 August 2001.

The musical opened on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre on 18 October 2001, after beginning previews on 5 October. The director was Phyllida Lloyd with choreography by Anthony Van Laast. As of October 2017, it was the ninth longest-running Broadway show and the longest-running jukebox musical in Broadway history. On 18 April 2013, it was announced that Mamma Mia! would transfer from its home at the Winter Garden Theatre to the Broadhurst Theatre later that year to make way for the musical adaptation of Rocky. The show played its final performance at the Winter Garden Theatre on 19 October 2013, and began performances at the Broadhurst Theatre on 2 November 2013.

It was announced on 9 April 2015, that the show would close on 5 September 2015. On 21 April 2015, it was then announced that the show would play an additional week and would instead close on 12 September 2015. Mamma Mia! played 5,773 performances on Broadway before closing.

Mamma Mia! returned to Broadway for a limited six-month engagement from 2 August 2025 to 1 February 2026 at the Winter Garden Theatre, where it had played for twelve years previously before it transferred to the Broadhurst Theatre.

The production featured Christine Sherrill as Donna, Amy Weaver as Sophie, Carly Sakolove as Rosie, Jalynn Steele as Tanya, Rob Marnell as Harry Bright, Jim Newman as Bill Austin, Victor Wallace as Sam Carmichael and Grant Reynolds as Sky.

Foreign and touring productions

Mamma Mia! has been played in more than sixty countries in all six continents, including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Germany, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, and Venezuela, and has been translated into multiple languages. It has been performed in over 440 major cities and has been seen by over 70 million people worldwide, setting the record for premiering in more cities faster than any other musical in history.

The first city to produce the show after London was Toronto, where it ran from 23 May 2000, to 22 May 2005, being the North America premiere of Mamma Mia!. The original cast included Louise Pitre as Donna and Tina Maddigan as Sophie, who both of them later reprised their roles in first US Tour and Broadway premiere.

Mamma Mia! played in Las Vegas, opening at the Mandalay Bay in February 2003 and closing on 4 January 2009. In June 2005, Mamma Mia! played its 1,000th performance in Las Vegas, becoming the longest-running West End/Broadway musical in Las Vegas. The clothes and scenarios from this production are now used in Brazil. The show returned to Las Vegas on 16 May 2014, at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino, but announced its closing soon after on 22 July.

The first North American tour started in San Francisco, California, on 15 November 2000, and closed in Boston, Massachusetts, on 29 August 2004. A second national tour opened in Providence, Rhode Island, on 26 February 2002, and closed in Appleton, Wisconsin, on 26 August 2012. This was followed by a non-Equity tour that opened in Orange, Texas, on 28 September 2016, and closed in St. Louis, Missouri, on 30 July 2017. A 25th-anniversary Equity tour kicked off on 26 October 2023 in Elmira, New York.

The first non-English version of the show debuted in Hamburg at the Operettenhaus, where it ran from 3 November 2002, to 8 September 2007. With the productions of Stuttgart (2004) and Essen (2007), Mamma Mia! became the first major musical to play concurrently in three German cities.

Synopsis

Before the curtain rises, the orchestra starts playing the overture, which is a montage of instrumental versions of some of ABBA's hit songs.

Act I

On the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi, 20-year-old Sophie is preparing to marry her fiancé, Sky. She wants her father to walk her down the aisle but does not know his identity ("Prologue"). She discovers her mother Donna's diary and finds old entries that describe dates with three possible fathers: an American architect named Sam Carmichael, an Australian writer and adventurer named Bill Austin, and a British banker named Harry Bright. She sends each an invitation to her wedding without telling Donna. All three men accept ("Honey, Honey").

Donna reunites with her long-time best friends, Tanya, a rich woman who has been married and divorced thrice, and Rosie, an unmarried and carefree woman, at her taverna. The trio used to comprise a girl group called "Donna and the Dynamos". Donna laments about the struggles of running the taverna singlehandedly ("Money, Money, Money").

Later that day, Sam, Bill, and Harry arrive at the island. They meet Sophie who convinces them not to tell Donna that she had invited them ("Thank You for the Music"). Donna is astonished to see her ex-lovers and runs off in tears ("Mamma Mia"). Tanya and Rosie attempt to comfort Donna ("Chiquitita"), and convince her that she can still be the girl she once was ("Dancing Queen").

Sophie tells Sky about her confusion regarding her father's real identity, but still does not reveal that she had invited them. Sky assures her he will be the only man she ever needs, right before his buddies take him to his bachelor party ("Lay All Your Love on Me"). At Sophie's bachelorette party, Donna and the Dynamos don their old costumes and perform a song ("Super Trouper"). Sam, Bill, and Harry accidentally walk in on the party, and the guests persuade them to stay ("Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)").

Sophie is unable to find any concrete answers from talking to either Sam or Harry, however she learns from Bill that he has an aunt Sophia who once lived with Donna and funded the taverna's construction. This leads both to believe Bill is Sophie's father and he reluctantly agrees to walk her down the aisle ("The Name of the Game"). The bachelor and bachelorette parties converge, where both Sam and Harry respectively tell Sophie they believe they're her father and promise to walk her down the aisle the next day. Hopelessly confused, Sophie leaves the party, unsure whom to believe ("Voulez-Vous").

Act II

(Entr'acte) Sophie has a nightmare, involving her three possible fathers all fighting for the right to walk her down the aisle and wakes up distressed ("Under Attack"). Donna is confused as to why Sophie is so upset on her wedding day, while Sophie emotionally blames Donna for raising her without a father. Donna is left to reminisce on her past relationships ("One of Us"). She gets into an argument with Sam; despite their conflict, Donna and Sam still love one another and wish their relationship had worked out differently ("SOS").

At the beach, a worker at Donna's taverna named Pepper makes advances to Tanya, but she rebuffs him ("Does Your Mother Know"). Sky figures out Sophie's plan and feels betrayed that she kept it a secret from him. Sam tries to give Sophie some fatherly advice by describing his own failed marriage ("Knowing Me, Knowing You"), but Sophie is not consoled. Harry offers Donna to pay for the wedding, and they reminisce about their fling ("Our Last Summer").

Donna helps Sophie get dressed for the wedding, in disbelief that her daughter is going to be a bride ("Slipping Through My Fingers"). They reconcile and Sophie asks Donna to walk her down the aisle, since she's the most active parental figure in her life. Sam tries speaking to Donna again, and a bitter confrontation ensues as Donna tells Sam that he broke her heart ("The Winner Takes It All"). Rosie is making final wedding preparations when Bill expresses disappointment that Donna has been selected to walk Sophie down the aisle. Bill reaffirms his commitment to single life, but Rosie confesses she has grown attracted to him, and urges him to reconsider ("Take a Chance on Me"). They become intimate just before getting interrupted by the arrival of guests, leaving Rosie quite stunned.

The wedding begins, with Donna walking Sophie down the aisle. Donna interrupts the ceremony and acknowledges to everyone that Sophie's father is present. Sophie finally tells her mother that she had secretly invited the three men, and Donna reveals she is also unsure which one is her father. Everyone involved agrees that the identity of Sophie's biological father does not matter, and all three are happy to be "one-third of a father" and a part of her life at last. During this discussion, Harry reveals he's in a committed gay relationship. Just as the wedding is about to resume, Sophie calls a halt to the proceedings and Sky agrees they are not ready to get married yet. Sam seizes his chance and proposes to Donna to prevent the wedding preparations from going to waste. He explains that he always loved her, and years ago had ended his own engagement and returned to the island only to find Donna had gone off with another man (Bill). Donna accepts and the two marry spontaneously ("I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do"). At the end of the night, Sophie and Sky depart Kalokairi to tour the world together ("I Have a Dream").

Finale and encore

After their final bows to the audience, the ensemble performs a reprise of "Mamma Mia". A reprise of "Dancing Queen" follows, during which Donna, Tanya and Rosie are revealed wearing brightly colored ABBA inspired costumes. The cast ends the finale with "Waterloo", during which Sam, Bill, and Harry join the rest of the cast onstage in brightly colored costumes that match the leading ladies. The Dynamos and the dads often invite the audience to clap, dance, and sing along during the finale.

Musical numbers

Encore

"Mamma Mia" – Company

"Dancing Queen" – Donna, Tanya, Rosie & Company

"Waterloo" – Company

Notes on the music

During the preview period in London, the musical had the song "Summer Night City" just after the prologue. The "Summer Night City" scene was a wedding rehearsal and during the song, Ali, Lisa, Tanya, and Rosie arrived on the island. The song was removed, although a small instrumental part of it remains as underscoring to connect the end of "The Winner Takes It All" and "Take a Chance on Me". Several lines of "Summer Night City" are also heard in the "Entr'acte".

Donna hums a few lines of "Fernando" when she repairs the doors of the taverna just before she sees her three former lovers.

The song that Sky briefly sings before starting "Lay All Your Love on Me" varies from one production to another, including "King Kong Song", "Summer Night City", "Dum Dum Diddle", and "She's My Kind of Girl", a Björn & Benny song.

The wedding march that is played as Sophie walks down the aisle is a slower arrangement of "Dancing Queen".

The creators also intended to include "Just Like That", an unreleased ABBA song recorded in 1982. The song was apparently dropped just before the first public previews in March 1999, though it was listed in the program available during the preview period.

The last three songs, performed as an encore/finale by the whole cast are: "Mamma Mia", "Dancing Queen" and "Waterloo". The version of "Mamma Mia" used in the encore/finale is sung by the Company. The finale song "Mamma Mia" has been extended in theatres where Donna and the Dynamos had to go downstairs for taking the stage lift in Dancing Queen. Then, during the intro of "Dancing Queen", Donna, Tanya and Rosie join the Company (as the girl-power band "Donna and the Dynamos", wearing ABBA's 1970s-style colourful and flashy costumes). Sam, Bill and Harry join them during Waterloo, wearing male versions of the girls' ABBA's costumes. The Encore is included on the 5th Anniversary Cast Recording (commemorating said anniversary for the Broadway production).

Film series adaptation

Mamma Mia! was adapted as a film, produced by Judy Craymer and Gary Goetzman, written by Catherine Johnson directed by Phyllida Lloyd and with Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Benny Andersson as executive producers. Meryl Streep stars as Donna Sheridan with Amanda Seyfried as Sophie and Pierce Brosnan as Sam Carmichael. The movie also features Christine Baranski, Dominic Cooper, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård and Julie Walters. It premiered 18 July 2008, in the US. Most of the songs remained intact with the exceptions of "Under Attack", "One of Us", "Knowing Me, Knowing You", and "Thank You for the Music". "Knowing Me, Knowing You" was used as the wedding music and "Thank You for the Music" is sung during the second half of the end credits. The first half is occupied with a "Dancing Queen" reprise and "Waterloo", with a "Mamma Mia" reprise and "I Have a Dream" sung before the credits (though the latter is sung as Sophie mails the invitations at the start of the film). "When All Is Said and Done", a song not used in the musical, was added for the film sung by Sam, Donna, and the company. "Our Last Summer" was used earlier in the movie, with Sophie, Bill, Sam, and Harry singing it. "The Name of the Game", while filmed, was subsequently edited out of the film for the final cut. The song is included in full on the motion picture soundtrack – an abbreviated version of the song and scene appear on the DVD/Blu-ray as a supplement. In addition, "Thank You for the Music" is used as a hidden track, and is performed by Amanda Seyfried.

A sequel to the film titled Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again was released in 2018. It tells the story of how Donna met each of the three men who are potentially Sophie's father. "One of Us" and "Knowing Me, Knowing You" are both included in this film. A third film was in development as of 2023.

Awards and nominations

Response

Box office and business

On 15 May 2005, Mamma Mia! exceeded the original Broadway runs of The Sound of Music, The King and I, and Damn Yankees with 1,500 performances. On 6 March 2014, it surpassed Rent to become the 8th longest-running Broadway musical and 9th longest-running show of all time with 5,124 performances, then surpassed Beauty and the Beast's 5,462 performances that same year, on 14 December, to become Broadway's 7th longest-running musical and 8th longest-running show. The Broadway run ended, with its 5,758th performance on 12 September 2015. Two years later (16 August 2017) Wicked passed Mamma Mia! and moved it down one spot, in the list of longest-running Broadway shows.

When Mamma Mia! opened in Russia, it received a positive response. As of January 2008, Mamma Mia! became the longest daily running show in the history of Russian theatre.