Mamma Mia!

For producer Matt Ward 2020 was an endless list of frustrations which saw him thwarted many times over, and saw his hard fought for production of Mamma Mia! shelved because of Covid 19. Finally, 12 months or so down the track, we can finally say…it was worth the wait.

Anyone who doesn’t know about Mamma Mia! has been living under a rock for the last three decades. With songs written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, of Abba Fame, it tells the story of a naïve girl on a Greek Island about to get married without knowing who her father is, and so she invites the three possible papas to the wedding without telling her fiercely independent mother - once the lead singer of a pop group. That’s it in a nutshell. The show is carried by all those ABBA songs we grew up with, and by the casting which, in this case, is excellent.'

Director Tim Hill is confident in his blocking and gets the best from his exemplary cast, made up of seasoned professionals and talented and enthusiastic newcomers.

It’s hard to say enough about Jayde Westaby as Donna. This British theatre trained triple threat is nothing short of amazing. Her vocals, always pitch perfect, range from a sotto voce top register to a full-on belt that could shake any theatre (The Winner Takes it all  gave me goosebumps). Moreover, she has extraordinary stage presence and command, and understands (and plays) every emotional nuance. It’s obvious her West End experience is a boon to the production and I can’t wait to see what she does next (I suspect she has a great Rose in her for Gypsy - or perhaps a Velma Kelly in Chicago). I’ve seen five main stage productions of Mamma Mia! - plus the film - and she is by far my favourite Donna (sorry Meryl).

Tim and Matt have backed her up with the strengths of the one and only Leah Howard, another great triple threat who gives Rosie a warmth and comic edge which plays nicely against Donna’s stubborn angst and the brittle cougar persona of Tanya, played by Gold Coast Radio personality Emily Jade O’Keefe. She manages to find a different niche for Tanya after Rhonda Burchmore claimed the role as her own on stage, only to have it snatched back - with much ennui - by Christine Baranski.

The three would-be fathers are beautifully cast. I couldn’t help wishing there was a tap routine (even a 16 bar break) for the amazing multi-talented Sean Mulligan, another experienced West-End Performer (and I don’t mean West End Brisbane). He has classic leading man looks and bearing and a terrific musical theatre vocal range. Sandro Colarelli oozes stage presence and comic charm in a very different interpretation of Bill. Small wonder he’s a multiple award-winning actor. James Shaw’s Harry the Headbanger is a sheer delight of a performance and surely an inspiration to the younger performers he’s working with.

The juvenile leads Lakota Johnson (Sky) and Madeline Grice (Sophie) are beautiful young people and clearly talented, but they are still inexperienced and can only benefit from working with such seasoned professionals. Madeline could have been suffering nerves but there is a slight transition problem between her chest and head register which her singing teacher will no doubt help with.

And speaking of singing - vocally the show is just superb, with multi-Layered off stage backing vocals of harmonies and counterpoint which make every song sound so much richer. Special kudos to Maddie Colman, whose fabulous voice added extra colour at just the right moments, and to Kyra Thompson (Ali) for her infectious effervescence. She was delightful every time she was on-stage.

Joseph Simons’ choreography is impressive, precise and perfect for the level of his cast, and the opening of the second act is a major triumph. Kuki Tipoki’s stellar direction of the kick-arse band was integral to the success of the show and the only thing I would say is perhaps a little less volume on the bass drum would balance the band a little more.

The set (Brad Gardnir) and costumes (Jess Hansen) were far superior to anything we might have expected and lighting design by Wesley Bluff is exciting. Matt Ward and his team really should pat each other on the back for realising this production. Oh - and did I mention Jayde Westaby is a star!?

It’s a pity, we didn’t get to see this terrific entertainment at HOTA, which is supposed to be an ARTS centre for the people. But Thank You Star Casino. The season is limited, but we all need this feel-good night out - and regional Queensland needs this production.

Coral Drouyn