Saw this production Sat 11th Aug 2012. Really disappointed, especially by the singing! It was at best average, in fact some of the lead characters were very VERY out of tue and it felt like a school play rather than a West End show. It actually reminded me of lots of drunk women at a wedding. The girl who plays Sophie had an especially weak voice. Overall disappointing. Wicked, Ghost, Les Mis ina different league.

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.

RUBBISH AND ONLY RUBBISH NO ONE IN MY 47 PARTY WOULD RECOMMEND IT at all RUBBISH

Mamma Mia was the first musical I ve been to and I originally liked Abba songs a lot so i was a bit scared to be disappointed about that but actually the actors were all very good and they could sing very well. The atmosphere was very nice, and u leave the place with a very nice feeling.The main actress and her mum were very good, both acting and singing.
Definitely worth going, for all ages.

we saw Mama Mia just before Christmas on the 21st Dec. 2010 (matinee performance). Having seen several other shows in the West End, all of which were excellent, we were very disappointed with this production. There were 4 understudies taking the major roles, the acting and singing was mediocre at best, and the overall impression was that of an amateur production. It was certainly not of the standard of any of the other West End shows we have seen. Maybe we were just unlucky?!

I was very disapointed. Already the movie was so bad. Spoiled the memories that I had of ABBA in the 70s when I was a child.

utter rubbish, poor acting and even worse singing the scottish guy who played sam had the worse voice ive ever heard.
Saw Billy elliot and Hairspray the same week these were brilliant and professional, this was amateur dramatics at its worst.

A night full of surprises. I attended the November 26th performance of Mamma Mia with some trepidation. After all, I made no secret of my suspicion that the decision to cast Niamh Perry as Sophie was partially influenced by myopic commercial "TV Land" considerations, considerations I still don't feel were in her long-term interest nor in the interest of the West End. This is why the reader should assign double weight to what I am about to write.
I doubt anyone with his or her eyes closed listening to Niamh could honestly guess her age?
The richness of Niamh's tonal palette combined with the maturity of her phrasing, creates a cognitive dissonance between what your ears register musically, and your eyes register chronologically. It's as if her voice is an amalgamation of reincarnated divas with a freshness not yet coarsened by the ravages of time. They say that youth is wasted on the young, yet somehow Niamh has managed to cheat the vocal Gods. Her performance left me both mesmerized and saddened. Mesmerized by vocals interpretively well beyond her years and saddened that a more lucrative recording career has not yet materialized for her?
Sally Ann Triplett as Donna was simply stunning. The breadth and depth of her vocal, dramatic and comedic ranges were blended to absolute perfection. The uniquely original mixture of her giddiness, confusion and anger upon seeing Sam for the first time in 20 years, made her rendition of Mamma Mia truly unforgettable. I thought I had already gleaned some hint of Sally Ann's vocal facility from a recent outdoor performance in Hyde Park, but I was wrong. Outdoor acoustics left me woefully unprepared for the true depth of her virtuosity.
The seamlessness with which she married her stunning technique to her equally insightful emotional interpretations of Slipping Through My Fingers, One of us and The Winner Takes it All, rendered them, and her, positively electrifying.
Leanne Rogers played a convincing Rosie with vocals that are simultaneously disciplined and expressive. With the Role of Rosie, less is often more, And Leanne selflessly understates her character for the good of the show when necessary. In some ways, the characters of Donna and Tanya are, and should be, bigger than life; this makes Leanne's restraint, all the more commendable.
One would think I would eventually run out of praise for Jane Gurnett; think again. Jane has found a new synergy with Sally Ann, convincing me they are genuine old friends. During Chiquitita, my entire torso began a kind of involuntary spastic movement that I initially interpreted as a combination of indigestion and hiccups only to realize that my entire upper body had been set to "chuckle," not unlike a "Tickle-Me-Elmo" doll. For about 15 seconds I was actually concerned that I would not be able to stop. The only other time I experienced anything like that was when I worked nights at a peach packing plant and became so sleep deprived that I started laughing at a joke and continued uncontrollably for approximately 20 minutes. It was a temporary but very real psychotic episode brought on by sleep deprivation.
So thank you Jane, your physical comedy and expert timing caused me to lose control of my laugh reflex. You really should come with a medical warning. Sam Carmichael as played by Norman Bowman was excellent. He possesses an exceptional voice and uses it to genuine dramatic effect. Without a believable Sam, Donna's job becomes much more difficult which, thankfully, is not the case with Norman Bowman.
The other dads were more than just believable, they were authentic. Well done Paul Ryan as Harry Bright, and Bill Austin's stand in, Anthony Topham. A brief note on demographics. One of the nicer things about Mamma Mia historically, has been the general level of civility in the audience, typically a bit older, better heeled, dressed and spoken than your average beer-swilling Wicked audience member. I have now detected a definite slide toward the "Wicked end" of the gene pool, and actually don't blame "TV Land" nearly as much as "Movie Land." So for all of you hen party gals who got lost on the way to the ABBA Sing Along, do all of us a huge favor, stay home and watch Mamma Mia the Movie projected onto the giant plasma TV mounted on your cave wall.

Think about it:

1. it's much cheaper than a theatre ticket,
2. it saves you the agony of trying to find fake fur-lined Eskimo boots to match your fake fur-lined, standard-issue Vicky Pollard neoprene coat,
3. you can really get blasted without having to pay 4 pounds for a cheap champagne served in even cheaper plastic glasses,
4. You can reduce carbon emissions by drinking directly out of the bottle not to mention the general improvement to the aesthetics your absence will bring to the city,
5. You can sing along as loudly as you wish with Meryl Streep, which ironically, will probably make you both in tune with each other,
6. If you start your party early enough, you may have time to catch X Factor where you can spend, voting for your favorite act, what you would have spent on a theatre ticket even though it will no doubt be your second choice in light of Jedward's recent exit,
And finally, if you still feel compelled to grace the big city with all your refined charms and urbane elegance, you can always go to the brand new and much anticipated production of "Dumb and Dumber, the Musical," starring, you guessed it, Jedward where you will actually be encouraged to sing along, out of tune, and hence, in tune, with those equally charming twins.
Speaking of X Factor, if TV Land casting it is indeed a new economic, and inescapably necessary evil to ensure West End survival, then I'd like to nominate another Lucy for the next Sophie, Lucy Jones!
Since so many cave dwellers seem to have gotten lost on the way to the Mamma Mia sing along, the absolute minimum courtesy the pathetically impotent theatres could do would be to make an announcement asking the fake fur-lined audience members to please refrain from singing until the very end. Last night I actually had a nightmare where I was surrounded by a chorus of fur-lined celebrity riff-raff led by Katie Price and Jedward singing spectacularly off-key in my ear. It was called "I'm a critic, get me out of here!"

Timothy Winey

P.S., at the risk of angering the Gods, the Pantheon has now been expanded. Make room for Sally Ann!

I went on 21st Nov. The singing was at best mediocre. The chemistry and acting was poor. The costumes showed very little imagination or innovation. Extremely disappointing. Wouldn't recommend it.

I liked mostly all of it. The worst thing i hated was when they got on the boat and the lady opend her basket and there was a horrible fish inside. I loved the honey honey song.

Very good actors and singing. The show made it seem like you were watching a real life drama being played out. Also, Linzi was great, I plan on seeing it again. I saw the movie but thought they left out some good songs like Under Attack.

The songs were all really good separately. However, the plot was very loose, unexciting, and the songs didn't seem to mesh with the story. I would buy the soundtrack, but I won't go see the show again!