Thank You For the Music: Mamma Mia! The Movie

Opening nine years ago at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Mamma Mia! has recently been transformed into a big budget movie with a host of Hollywood stars playing the leads. With all this added excitement, audience figures for the original stage show have gone through the roof

Featuring performances from such Hollywood legends as Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth, this big budget screen adaptation caused quite a stir in Leicester Square when it premiered at the Odeon there last week.

It seems, however, that the excitement hasn't stopped there. With such high profile artists speaking out about the music and the stage show in news reels and interviews, interest in the original Mamma Mia! has gone crazy.

One thing all the cast members of the film have talked about is their love for the stage show. When Meryl Streep saw the show on Broadway she personally sent a letter of thanks to the cast for cheering up the city after 9/11. When Pierce Brosnan went along to the production in the West End he said that after all of ten minutes he was "Enchanted by the thing." What's more, when the handsome young Dominic Cooper (who plays Sophie's fiancé Ash in the movie) went to see the show at the Prince of Wales Theatre after he was cast in the film, he said that he "couldn't believe the reaction the audience had". He described how it felt "euphoric, with dancing on the seats and screaming and singing"

Whatever people make of the screen version, the stage show Mamma Mia! has been a real favourite with West End audiences for the past nine years. Seamlessly incorporating some of Abba's best songs, the original 'juke box' musical shows no sign of slowing down just because a new silver screen rival has turned up.

As the cast of the movie are happy to testify, if people want to see a really fun and vibrant night out, then catch the original Mamma Mia! live while it is still playing in the West End

A full review of the current West End production can be found in our review section.

Published by: Nathan Brooker