MAMMA MIA! – February 28- March 25, 2017

The arrival of the first ever UK tour of MAMMA MIA! in Norwich is now just six weeks away and will be bringing with it a very welcome dollop of warm Mediterranean sunshine and a feel-good holiday vibe.

On stage at Norwich Theatre Royal for four weeks from February 28 to March 25, this much-loved sunny and funny tale of family and friendship combined with ABBA’s iconic and timeless music has now been seen by over 60 million people worldwide.
MAMMA MIA! is producer Judy Craymer’s ingenious vision of staging the story-telling magic of the songs of 1970s/80s ‘Super troupers’ ABBA, and she promises a show with “a big heart”. “People love it so they return. In the audience sometimes, one member will turn to the other and say ‘Is this your first time?’. It’s like ‘welcome to the club’,” she said.

Set on a Greek island paradise, writer Catherine Johnson’s story features a daughter setting out on the eve of her wedding to discover the identity of her father and in doing so, she brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago.

Cleverly and seamlessly woven into the storyline are hit after hit from the ABBA songbook – Chiquitita, Does Your Mother Know, I Have A Dream, Knowing Me Knowing You, Lay All your Love On Me, Mamma Mia, One Of Us, Our Last Summer, Super Trouper, Take A Chance On me, Slipping Through My Fingers , and many more.

From West End to global phenomenon, the London production of MAMMA MIA! has now been seen by more than 10% of the entire UK population and is one of only five musicals to have run for more than ten years both on Broadway and in the West End. In 2011, it became the first Western musical ever to be staged in Mandarin in the People’s Republic of China and to-date, there have been some 50 productions of MAMMA MIA! in 16 different languages, while MAMMA MIA! The Movie – which starred Meryl Streep, Julie Walters, Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan – is the highest worldwide grossing live-action musical film of all time.

With a strong creative team with music & lyrics by ABBA songwriters Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus, directed by Phyllida Lloyd and choreographed by Anthony Van Laast, it’s no wonder this juggernaut of a show, which is still pulling in the crowds more than 17 years after it first launched in London in 1999, has wowed theatregoers around the globe.

In common with audiences around the world, theatre-goers enjoying the show as it tours the UK can’t wait to get up on their feet to dance to Waterloo and Dancing Queen, sung by Donna and the Dynamos in wonderful Seventies spandex outfits in the show’s finale.

Judy Foster, of Norwich Theatre Royal, said: “We’re thrilled that this huge smash-hit musical is coming to Norwich. Everyone needs a little joy and escapism in their lives and Mamma Mia! is one of those wonderful shows that gives you an inner glow and you leave the theatre walking on air. Plus you really can’t argue with those amazing ABBA songs – they have stood the test of time and still have the ability to stop you in your tracks.”

Listing:
MAMMA MIA!, Tuesday, February 28 to Saturday March 25, 2017. Eves 7.30pm, Mats 2.30pm on Thur 2, Sat 4, Tues 7, Thur 9, Sat 11, Thur 16, Sat 18, Tues 21, Thur 23, Sat 25. Tickets £8-£55. Discounts for Friends, Over 60s, Under 18s, Groups. Caption Performances: Thur Mar 9, 2.30pm, and Thur Mar 16, 7.30pm. Audio Described Performances: Sat Mar 18, 2.30pm, and Sat Mar 25, 2.30pm. Signed Performance: Sat Mar 18, 2.30pm. BOX OFFICE 01603 630000. For more info or to BOOK ONLINE www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk