On a windswept rain-sodden summer night in Bournemouth, we were whisked away to the romance of a Greek island to enjoy what is undoubtedly the best summer feel-good show I have seen in Bournemouth in many a year.
MAMMA MIA!
International Tour 2016
Mamma Mia burst onto the Bournemouth Pavilion stage last night (2 August) with a 2 hour show of fun, frivolity, humour, song and dance bringing to life the music and brilliance that was ABBA.
The turquoise warming glow of the stage soon shut away the rain from outside and we were then absorbed into the tavern setting on stage. The set blended in well with the costumes which were a good accurate portrayal of Greek design and when needed, the glam-rock style of ABBA – complete with high heeled platform boots and sparkling high collar clothing were added to bring extra excitement on stage.
The music score was slightly different to the film version but t’s worth remembering that the stage show was launched long before the subsequent film. ‘SOS’, ‘Thank you for the music’ and ‘slipping through my fingers’ are all in there making one want to singalong to the whole performance but sadly most people only sang along towards the end of the show.
MAMMA MIA!
International Tour 2016
The choreography was superb especially the snorkel scene which I had wondered beforehand how it would be portrayed in the show. The beach hut scene set to the song “does your mother know” was equally worthy of a special mention.
The whole cast were superb, you can tell they were enjoying it as much as the audience and rightly so – they all fully deserved the rousing ovation at the end of the show.
So, did we get the unique ending to the show giving us all the opportunity for a the long-awaited good old singalong? Of course, and this alone just adds to the pure enjoyment of the show.
Mamma Mia is playing at the Pavilion Bournemouth through until Saturday 12 August with evening performances at 7:30, there are also a few daily matinees at 12:30 so please check the BIC website www.bhlivetickets.co.uk for booking details and availability
If you see one show this summer then make sure this is it!