Mamma Mia at The King’s Theatre, Southsea: ‘What a night’ as performance proves the show must go on | Review

While I am yet to dip my toe into London’s West End, I couldn’t pass up a trip to The King’s Theatre when I heard Mamma Mia was bringing its international tour to Southsea. Growing up, Abba songs - including ‘Dancing Queen’,‘Waterloo’ and ‘Take a Chance On Me’ - boomed through my childhood home so it was only right I saw the songs brought to life with the stage production.

Mamma Mia is set on a picturesque Greek island and tells the story of Donna and Sophie Sheridan (played by Sara Poyzer and Jess Michelmore respectively). Throughout the show, Sophie is longing to find her father, inviting three mystery men to her wedding which could, of course, only end in chaos.

While the acting in Mamma Mia may be cringeworthy in places, the cast made up for it with the show-stopping numbers and their impressive dance moves. However, one of the songs really blew the audience away as five minutes into the second act, the smoke machine flooded the floor while Michelmore belted out ‘Under Attack’.

An alarm then went off and the main lights were switched on, bringing the musical to a halt as an overhead announcement said the show had been temporarily paused.

After a couple of minutes, the lights were once again dimmed for the production to continue, proving the show really must go on. Despite the hiccup, the cast resumed their characters with poise and the alarm was soon forgotten as Tanya (Sarah Earnshaw) and Pepper (Jaden Oshenye) performed the hilarious and crude ‘Does Your Mother Know’ tune.

The audience were soon up on their feet for the finale, grooving to Abba’s hits as the cast donned their glittering flares and shockingly high platform boots for ‘Mamma Mia’, ‘Dancing Queen’ and ‘Waterloo’. The performance ended with a deserved standing ovation and as I looked around the room, people of all ages were inside the venue, proving Abba’s music will live on for generations to come.

Until May 27. Go to kingsportsmouth.co.uk.