Mamma Mia! set to turn 25 in the West End next month
Mamma Mia! will celebrate its silver anniversary next month.
The show, which opened in the West End in 1999, will mark 25 years on stage on 6 April 2024. The production has been presented in 16 different languages – grossing more than $4 billion at the box office over its quarter-century lifespan (not including its two titanic films).
Opening first on 6 April 1999, the ABBA-laden musical ran at the Prince Edward Theatre, before moving to the Prince of Wales Theatre in 2004 and the Novello Theatre, which it currently calls home, in 2012.
Judy Craymer, creator and producer of the show, said of this landmark anniversary: “The success of Mamma Mia! is extraordinary and a joyous occasion to celebrate. The West End production is still the global flagship and it’s wonderful to be able to acknowledge such a momentous anniversary with our incredible casts and crews, our original creative team, and all the fabulous audiences we’ve had in London over the past quarter of a century.
“Back when we opened on 6 April 1999, we never dreamt that in 2024 we’d be celebrating our 25th Birthday on the very same day ABBA mark 50 years since their Eurovision win. It’s simply magnificent that Mamma Mia! continues to be loved and to resonate with audiences today. Here’s to many more years!”
The London production stars Mazz Murray as Donna, Kate Graham as Tanya, Nicola-Dawn Brook as Rosie, Haydn Oakley as Sam, Christopher Dickins as Harry, Stephen Beckett as Bill, Stevie Doc as Sophie, Tobias Turley as Sky, Jessie Odeleye as Ali, Olivia Brookes as Lisa, Chay Wills as Eddie and Arcangelo Ciulla as Pepper, with Natalie Langston playing Donna at certain performances.
Also in the cast are Aaron Archer, Amy Barker, Matthew Barrow, John-Paul Birss, Daniel J Brian, Sinéad Courtney, Izzy Cross, Ellis Dackombe, Lauren Dawes, Léa Desjacques, Lawrence Guntert, Samantha Ivey, Jennie Jacobs, Luke Jasztal, Nicole Lupino, Flyn Mullins, Hayley-Jo Murphy, Bradley Perret, Jacob Ritzema and Ella Tweed.
With music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, the show is written by Catherine Johnson, directed by Phyllida Lloyd and choreographed by Anthony Van Laast.
The production is designed by Mark Thompson, with lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Andrew Bruce and Bobby Aitken, and musical supervision, additional material and arrangements by Martin Koch.
Doc and Turley won their roles following the major ITV talent show Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream, which ran late last year. Last month, it set a new record for the highest ever weekly gross in the musical’s history.
The show will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a special silver jubilee performance on 6 April 2024 at the Novello Theatre. It will become the third musical in the history of the West End to reach the figure – after Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera. It will be the first musical written and directed by a woman to reach the milestone.
