There’s something very special about leaving a theatre and immediately wishing you could turn around and go back in.
Amra-Faye Wright as Donna Sheridan. (Image supplied)
That was my feeling after watching the latest South African production of the much-loved musical Mamma Mia!, currently at Artscape.
The local production has all the ingredients you would expect: Abba, romance, comedy, a Greek island setting and a story about family and friendship. But seeing it all come together on stage is what makes it such a good night out.
It is the kind of show where you spend half the night looking at the person next to you because you cannot believe how much fun you are having. You nudge your friend during a particularly good number, laugh together, catch each other getting emotional and, before you've even left the theatre, you're already saying, “Everyone has to come see this.”
And yes, you will probably be dancing in your seat.
A little trip to Kalokairi
Written by Catherine Johnson, Mamma Mia! follows Sophie Sheridan as she prepares for her wedding on the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi. After discovering her mother's old diary, she invites three men from Donna's past to the island, hoping to find out which one is her father.
Michelle Juncker, Leah Mari and Jordan Rogers. (Image supplied)
If you've watched Mamma Mia! before, you already know the feeling the story is trying to create. It is sunny, romantic, slightly chaotic and full of Abba, with the kind of escapism that has made the film and musical such enduring favourites.
The production captures that feeling beautifully.
The set gives the stage its unmistakable Greek-island look, while the lighting shifts with the story, from softer and more intimate moments to the bigger, brighter musical numbers. The costumes and choreography add to the sense of fun, and together the production design makes it surprisingly easy to forget you are sitting in Artscape.
Then, of course, there is the music. Hearing songs like Dancing Queen, Voulez-Vous, Knowing Me, Knowing You and I Have a Dream woven through the story is a huge part of what makes the production so enjoyable, particularly when the audience starts recognising those opening notes and quietly singing along.
For fans of Mamma Mia!, it feels familiar in the best possible way. The production doesn't simply recreate what you already know from the film. It captures the spirit of it and gives you the chance to experience that world from a theatre seat.
A cast that brings it all together
The 2026 production is led by Amra-Faye Wright as Donna Sheridan, with Samantha Peo as Tanya and Lindy Abromowitz Sachs as Rosie.
Image supplied.
Wright brings an impressive international career to the role, having spent 23 years playing Velma Kelly in Chicago: The Musical on Broadway. She is joined by Peo, who previously performed alongside Wright in the South African production of Chicago, and Abromowitz Sachs, with the three forming Donna & the Dynamos.
Their chemistry is one of the highlights of the production, particularly as the three friends navigate Donna's complicated history with plenty of humour and personality.
Leah Mari stars as Sophie, with Paul du Toit, Tiaan Rautenbach and Matt Newman as Sam, Bill and Harry, respectively.
Tiaan Rautenbach, Paul Du Toit and Matt Newman. (Image supplied)
Jock Kleynhans plays Sky, while Adriano Carlos and Daniel Conradie take on the roles of Pepper and Eddie, with Jordan Rogers and Michelle Juncker as Ali and Lisa.
The ensemble brings plenty of energy to the bigger numbers, with the choreography giving the cast room to fill the stage and keep the momentum going.
It is a production where the cast, music and design all feel like they are working towards the same thing: making sure you have a very good time.
The gift that keeps giving
Hazel Feldman of Showtime Management describes Mamma Mia! as “a gift that keeps on giving”, and after seeing the production, it is easy to understand the sentiment.
It is not one particular element that makes the show so enjoyable. It is the combination of everything: the Abba soundtrack, the colourful costumes, the lighting, the set, the choreography and a cast that clearly knows how to have fun with the material.
You leave wanting to tell people about it. Not in a “you should probably go if you have nothing else to do” kind of way, but in the very specific way where you immediately think of the friend who loves Mamma Mia!, the friend who knows every Abba lyric and the friend who somehow still hasn't watched the film.
It is the kind of show that sets the tone for the rest of your evening and then somehow follows you into the next day. You are still thinking about the songs, the funny moments and the parts that caught you off guard emotionally.
That is probably what makes it such a good night at the theatre. You don't simply enjoy it while you're sitting there. You leave wanting everyone else to experience it too.
Mamma Mia! The Musical runs at Artscape Opera House until 11 October, before moving to Montecasino's Teatro in Johannesburg from 16 October to 22 November.
