World’s unstoppable hit back in Sydney
One of the most successful musicals ever staged in Australia returns this week.
Mamma Mia!, the global phenomenon, is poised to return Sydney with the 10th Anniversary Production premiering at Star City’s Lyric Theatre this Thursday, October 29.
Performances commenced on Friday, October 23 and to date 2000 people per performance have been reliving the magic of the original live experience on stage.
Inspired by the story-telling magic of ABBA’s timeless songs, writer Catherine Johnson’s enchanting tale of family and friendship unfolds on a Greek island paradise. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago.
Mamma Mia! had its Australian Premiere in June 2001 and the production played for four years to over 2.2 million people in eight cities across four countries. Record-breaking seasons were enjoyed in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. Mamma Mia! then played to sell-out crowds in New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore.
The musical enjoyed return seasons in Brisbane and Melbourne and closed after 1527 performances as the show celebrated its 4th Anniversary.
The 10th Anniversary Australian Tour reunites members of the Original Australian Tour cast reprising their critically-acclaimed performances. Anne Wood stars as mother-of-the-bride, Donna, Jennifer Vuletic as the much-married Tanya and Lara Mulcahy as the vivacious Rosie, a role she played on London’s West End following her time with Mamma Mia! in Australia.
Robert Grubb returns as Harry, Peter Hardy as Bill and joining for the 10th Anniversary Australian Tour is one of Australia’s brightest stars of the world’s stages, Michael Cormick as Sam.
The production will also debut a new star, Perth’s Suzie Mathers in her first leading role as the bride-to-be, Sophie.
Click the podcasts link on the right hand side to listen to our interview with Suzie Mathers.
From West End smash to global phenomenon, Mamma Mia! has been seen by more than 40 million people in over 200 cities across North America, Australia, Europe and Asia, faster than any other musical in history and has grossed over $2 billion at the box office worldwide.
The original London production opened in 1999 and has been seen by over 5 million people, grossing over £185 million at the UK Box Office. The International Tour is in its fifth year of touring, having been seen by over three million people in cities as diverse as Cape Town, Zurich, Dublin, Beijing, Taipei, Berlin, Paris, Lisbon, Pretoria, Dubai, Copenhagen, Tel Aviv, Riga, Shanghai, Helsinki, Bratislava, Prague, Glasgow and Budapest.
Last summer, Judy Craymer, Catherine Johnson and Phyllida Lloyd reprised their roles as producer, author and director respectively for a film version of the show, which has come the most successful movie musical of all time.
With music & lyrics by Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus, Mamma Mia! is written by Catherine Johnson, directed by Phyllida Lloyd and choreographed by Anthony Van Laast. The production is designed by Mark Thompson with lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Andrew Bruce and Bobby Aitken and musical supervision, additional material and arrangements by Martin Koch.
Once the show finishes its run at the Lyric Theatre, it will tour the country.
It is expected to be one of the most successful musicals of the year.