The new touring production of MAMMA MIA! doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it doesn’t need to, and delivers exactly what audiences have come for.

There’s a very strong chance you know about MAMMA MIA!, the jukebox musical bursting with ABBA songs. It first opened in the West End in 1999 and has enjoyed extended runs there and on Broadway. It even inspired a hit film adaptation starring Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, and more. And even if the musical itself has somehow passed you by, the music of ABBA certainly hasn’t. Their songs have been part of pop culture since the seventies.

The new touring incarnation, which settles in at Mayflower Theatre for over two weeks, is a faithful recreation of the original production. Sophie (Lydia Hunt) grew up never knowing her father, and her mother, Donna (Jenn Griffin), has consistently refused to talk about him. She discovers that her father could be one of three men - Bill (Mark Goldthorp), Sam (Luke Jasztal), or Harry (Richard Meek) - and invites them all to her upcoming wedding, on a Greek island that Donna has spent most of her life renovating. It is, of course, a pitch that defies realism or logic - the idea that all three men would cross the world for a wedding invite without explanation strains belief - but MAMMA MIA! succeeds precisely because it doesn’t take itself too seriously. The elaborate web of miscommunication and secrets exists mainly to string together ABBA songs in ways that vaguely make sense, but that’s part of its charm. The story is fluff, but it knows it’s fluff.

MAMMA MIA! thrives by embracing its manic, wine-soaked, party vibe, channelling the sheer exuberance of ABBA’s music to delight audiences without promising anything deeper. That’s not a criticism, it’s silly, campy, and joyfully self-aware, which is precisely why it works. It’s an accomplishment that can’t be offered to Chess, the other musical featuring the music of Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, which, even with the new book on Broadway, has wild mismatches of tone and effect.

One slight criticism is that the performances sometimes feel a little perfunctory, with the focus squarely on the songs rather than the characters. The exception is Jenn Griffin as Donna, who earns a well-deserved show-stopping moment in “The Winner Takes It All”, met with rapturous applause. The men are notably underserved, particularly Bill, who feels like an afterthought next to the more defined Sam and Harry.

The comedy numbers are consistently successful, particularly “Does Your Mother Know”, which is raunchier than expected and features excellent physical comedy from Sarah Earnshaw (Tanya) and the ensemble of young suitors. The biggest laugh of the night, however, came from an ensemble member wrapped in a shawl during the early scenes. Her exaggerated, high-legged exit after placing a prop was so unexpected that her absence in Act Two was genuinely felt.

The highlight of the night was “Voulez-Vous”, which perfectly encapsulated the show’s ridiculous charm as all three potential fathers declared themselves Sophie’s dad while the hen night dissolved into raucous seduction. The ensemble is electric here, and the energy never dips. The show closes in full concert mode, with an encore of ABBA’s biggest hits that has the whole theatre on its feet, and it’s impossible not to leave smiling when the music is this good and the cast this committed.

Ultimately, MAMMA MIA! remains irresistible because it never forgets that the ABBA music is what everyone comes for, the rest is just dressing. This new touring production doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it doesn’t need to, and delivers exactly what audiences have come for.

MAMMA MIA! runs at Mayflower Theatre until the 8th of November. You can buy tickets at https://www.mayflower.org.uk/whats-on/mamma-mia-2025/.