Mamma Mia! Review: A Fun-Filled ABBA Night

Last night I attended Mamma Mia at the Fabulous Fox Theather in Atlanta. I’ve seen many Broadway plays, yet somehow this one has always managed to escape me.

The story is simple. Sophie has invited 3 of her possible dads to her wedding. Her mother Donna has never told her who her dad is, and all she really wants is to have her real father walk her down the isle on her wedding day. When all 3 of the potential dads show up – Sophie takes a little time to get to know each of them – While Donna gets an unexpected visit from her old loves.

It’s a feel good story that has it’s share of naughty yet comical moments. The music is absolutely fantastic. Being an ABBA fan myself, I still have the songs on repeat in my head today. So of course, if you not an ABBA fan – you will probably not enjoy this. However, what I found really interesting was the fact that I disliked the movie – yet found the musicial quite charming.

Michelle Dawson really stole the show as Donna. Her voice was absolutely incredible. And John Hemphill also did a wonderful job as Sam. His voice provided a much sweeter sound than Pierce Brosnan’s did in the film. It was wonderful to hear that part be performed with the talent it needed.

Mamma Mia has a fair amount of adult humor in it which made it confusing to me to see so many children in the audience. The 5 year old sitting behind had me cracking up as she kept asking her mother what things meant. “What does dot dot dot mean… I don’t get it.”

ABBA fans will of course enjoy it for the obvious reasons, and it has a little something for everyone. That being said, this seems like the perfect play for evening out with your girlfriends. The show runs through Sunday, February 14th at the Fox. Get your tickets today!

Review By: Emma Loggins