Mamma Mia! (promoted as Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus' Mamma Mia!) is a jukebox musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on songs recorded by Swedish group ABBA and composed by members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. The musical's title is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia". Ulvaeus and Andersson were involved in the development of the show from the beginning, while singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad was involved financially in the production and also appeared at many of the premieres around the world.
The musical includes hits such as "Super Trouper", "Lay All Your Love on Me", "Dancing Queen", "Knowing Me, Knowing You", "Take a Chance on Me", "Thank You for the Music", "Money, Money, Money", "The Winner Takes It All", "Voulez-Vous", "SOS" and "Mamma Mia". Over 70 million people have seen the show, which has grossed $4.5 billion worldwide since its 1999 debut."Facts and figures" judycraymer.com. Retrieved 17 October 2019 A film adaptation starring Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski, Stellan Skarsgård and Julie Walters was released in 2008.
As of 2024, the show has productions in London's West End, where it is the fifth longest-running show in West End history and the third longest-running musical, as well as various foreign productions. Its Broadway incarnation closed on 12 September 2015 after running for nearly 14 years, making it the ninth longest-running show in Broadway history.
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.'Mamma Mia' listing london-theatreland.co.uk. Retrieved 6 February 2010" 'Mamma Mia!' review", Billboard, 10 April 1999. Retrieved 7 February 2010
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.
In September 2026 the musical was licensed to schools and universities in the United Kingdom and Ireland for the first time, through Music Theatre International.
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,Winn, Steven. "Mamma's' a guilty pleasure for ABBA fans despite its weaknesses", The San Francisco Chronicle, 18 November 2000, p. B1"Time Out; Fyi", Contra Costa Times (California), 30 December 2000, p.D01 moving next to Los Angeles, California, at the Shubert Theatre from 26 February to 12 May 2001,Welsh, Anne Marie. "Pop musical takes a chance on Abba, and it works", The San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 March 2001, p. E2 and finally to Chicago, Illinois, at the Cadillac Palace Theatre from 13 May to 12 August 2001."B.O. off; 'Monty' suits up", Variety, Legit Grosses; Road; 4–10 June 2001, p. 30
Broadway run 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."Broadway's 'Mamma Mia!' Will Transfer to The Broadhurst Theatre" Playbill. Retrieved 18 April 2013 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." 'Mamma Mia!' to Play Final Performance at Winter Garden Theatre on October 19; Begins at Broadhurst on November 2" broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 15 July 2013
It was announced on 9 April 2015, that the show would close on 5 September 2015."Broadway Record-Breaker 'Mamma Mia!' to Close" Playbill, 9 April 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."Broadway's Mamma Mia! Will Close Later Than Expected" Playbill, 21 April 2015
2025 Broadway revival 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! opens at Toronto's Royal Alexandra" Playbill, 23 May 2000"Long-running Toronto Mamma Mia! to close" Playbill, 18 March 2005
Mamma Mia! played in Las Vegas, opening at the Mandalay Bay in February 2003 and closing on 4 January 2009.Weatherford, Mike. "Musical 'Mamma Mia!' rate high in camp value", Las Vegas Review-Journal, 21 February 2003, p. 4JGans, Andrew."Vegas Mamma Mia!, with Johnson, Extends to January 2009" . Playbill. 7 January 2008 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. "Mamma Mia! to conclude farewell tour at the Fabulous Fox" broadwayworld.com, 13 June 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.
The show has had (and in some cases, still has) permanent productions in London, Toronto, Melbourne, New York, Hamburg, Tokyo (later transferred to Osaka, Fukuoka and Nagoya), Las Vegas, Utrecht, Seoul (later transferred to Seongnam and Daegu), Stuttgart, Madrid (later transferred to Barcelona), Stockholm (later transferred to Gothenburg), Antwerp, Moscow, Essen, Berlin, Oslo, Mexico City, Milan (later transferred to Rome), Copenhagen (later transferred to Aarhus), Paris, São Paulo, Shanghai, Buenos Aires, Vienna and Helsinki.
Since its premiere in Dublin on 9 September 2004 (with Helen Hobson as Donna) the international tour been seen by 5 million people. In addition there have been several touring productions worldwide, including Asia, Australia, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, and United Kingdom.
The Dutch actress Lone van Roosendaal has played Donna in three different countries: Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
In the Original Danish Tivoli Copenhagen Cast it was actually Kristine Yde Eriksen as Sophie and Nadia Barbara Abrahamsen as Ali. But when the production moved to Aarhus Stine, Louise Henriksen took over for Kristine Yde Eriksen as Sophie and Nadin Reiness took over for Nadia Barbara Abrahamsen as Ali. Stine Louise Henriksen was actually Kristine's understudy in Tivoli, Copenhagen, and so was Nadin Reiness for Nadia.
The South African tour, conducted at the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town on 11 August 2010, and three months later at The Teatro, Montecasino in Johannesburg, featured an all-local cast.
The first Chinese production opened on 11 July 2011, at the Shanghai Grand Theatre and closed on 18 January 2012, at Shanghai Cultural Square after a small tour, marking the first time that a blockbuster contemporary Western musical was presented in Mandarin in Shanghai (there was a previous Mandarin production of Beauty and the Beast in Beijing in 1999). It was seen by 250,000 people across six venues, with a total of 190 performances. Two Chinese actresses, Tian Shui, and Shadow Zhang both played the role of Donna in turn. In the following years, the production toured around China from time to time, performing 100~150 shows per year, until 2017. A revival of this production is now touring in China again, with the role of Donna played by Adia Chan Chung Ling, a Hong Kong actor and pop singer famous in the 1980s and 1990s.