Mamma Mia! celebrates 23 years in London and extends booking into March 2023

(l-r) Josie Benson, Mazz Murray and Gemma Goggin in Mamma Mia! at the Novello Theatre, London. Picture: Brinkhoff Moegenburg

Multi-award winning feel-good musical Mamma Mia! marked its 23rd birthday in London by announcing a new booking period at the Novello Theatre, taking the hit show up to 5 March 2023.

Celebrating the latest milestone in the show’s success story, producer Judy Craymer said: “When we opened the show back in 1999, I never imagined we’d still be here 23 years later! It shows the love the public hold for this feelgood musical set on a sunny Greek island. It is joyous and positive – something we all need right now. Mamma Mia! is the original Girl Power musical about four amazing, strong females – and with a creative team to match!”

The current London cast is headed by Mazz Murray as Donna, Josie Benson as Tanya, Gemma Goggin as Rosie, Richard Trinder as Sam, Neil Moors as Harry, Stephen Beckett as Bill, Emma Mullen as Sophie, Jack Danson as Sky, Tegan Bannister as Ali, Sophie Matthew as Lisa, Michael Nelson as Eddie and Alexandros Beshonges as Pepper, with Natalie Langston playing the role of Donna at certain performances.

Also in the cast are: Natasha Agnew, Chloe Ames, Gemma Atkins, Chloe-Jo Byrnes, Nicole Carlisle, Angus Good, Natalie Jayne Hall, Lauren Hampton, James Humpleman, Morgan Jackson, Frankie Jones, Grace Moorhouse, Jodie Nolan, Dan O’Brien, George Olney, Michael Storrs, Kyle Turner, Michael Tyler, Simon Willmont and Alex Woodward.

Craymer’s inventive re-working of the hits of Swedish supergroup Abba, Mamma Mia! has been seen live by 65 million people in 50 different productions in 16 different languages grossing more than $4 billion at the box office. In 2011 it became the first Western musical to be staged in Mandarin in China.

The show originally opened in London at the Prince Edward Theatre in 1999, before moving into the Prince of Wales Theatre in 2004, and then reopening in its new London home, the Novello Theatre in 2012.

The London production has been seen by over 10 million people, played over 9,000 performances and has broken box office records in all three of its London homes.

With music and lyrics by ABBA’s Benny Andersson and 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.

Mamma Mia! is produced by Judy Craymer, Richard East & Björn Ulvaeus for Littlestar in association with Universal.

Angela Thomas