Disappointed . . .COULD have been so amazing!

As a 30th birthday present from my husband we went to the West End yesterday to see the much hyped Mamma Mia. I LOVE the film and had heard such good reviews that we were both expecting great things. Expecting to leave the Theatre singing and on a high we actually left feeling a little flat at the 'ok' show.

We were expecting a much bigger supporting cast - bigger songs & dance routines, more 'Greek Local' characters. The actors were good - well the 6 older ones were at any rate - giving natural, eperienced performances. The younger characters, especially the dreadful Sophie (a hyperactive 35- looking year old playing a 20 year old character) and her two friends gave performances that seemed as though they were straight out of stage school with no theatrical experience what so ever. They were too melodramatic and ott compared to the rest of the cast, or faded in to the background, and failed to provide convincing characters.

The highlight was the end of the show when all the characters came on to stage to sing and dance - the audience was on its feet! Why didn't they do this throughout the show?? Why half heartedly sing & perform the songs when they could have been fantastic.

Maybe pre-movie the stage show was brilliant but I think the producer now needs to look at the success of the film and step up the stage version several notches. It is not a film but anyone who loves the movie will go in and compare the two and possibly leave a little disappointed like we did.