The world class Matt Ward Entertainment presents Mamma Mia! The Musical performing at The Star Gold Coast from June 19 - July 11. The performance was filled with beautiful set design, stunning costumes and a talented cast that closely resembled the actors seen in the live action Mamma Mia! Film. It was an enjoyable experience for the whole family and I would highly recommend this musical for those in Gold Coast looking for a fun night out!
Madeline Grice took the stage as Sophie Sheridan and although a little shaky to begin with she eased into her role in no time at all. I thoroughly enjoyed Grice’s performance of The Name of the Game and it was a pivotal moment for Sophie as she looked to a father figure for answers. Lakota Johnson gave a lot of energy to the role of Sky and was a perfect match for Grice. Jayde Westaby expertly played Donna Sheridan and her talent really shone through in The Winner Takes It All. Emily O’Keeffe and Leah Howard did well to accompany Westaby in Dancing Queen as Donna and the Dynamos, and the little we heard from Maddi Coleman was simply outstanding.
The first song we hear bride-to-be Sophie sing is Honey Honey as she starts to read from her Mother’s diary. Sophie grew up on a Greek island with a hardworking mother but never knew what it was like to have a father in her life. Sophie invites Sam (Sam Carmichael), Bill (Sandro Colarelli) and Harry (James Shaw) to her wedding to see if she can figure out who her father is. When all three rock up to the island at the same time Sophie isn’t entirely sure what to do next. Westaby’s reaction to Sam, Bill and Harry rocking up is quite hilarious meanwhile Sophie hides from her Mother. Another notable performance from Westaby is Money Money Money as she runs around the hotel trying to fix everything herself.
O’Keeffe and Howard bring on the cheekiness and join Donna to make the perfect trio to bring back the magic of the Dynamos. After getting to know the reason for each of the men to arrive to the island Sophie settles on the fact that she doesn’t know who her father is and she doesn’t need to know. The background dancers bring a lot of vibrancy to the set in between songs and Coleman’s talent as a vocalist has not gone unnoticed. Grice decides it is far better to have a third of each of these men than to have just one of them and the performance ends with a bang as the crowd starts singing along to the classic Waterloo.
The set design was gorgeous and it matched the set as seen in the live action Mamma Mia! Film. This was a stunning performance from start to finish and well worth the ticket entry. I recommend bringing your friends and family for the ride of a lifetime as you get to relive the hits of ABBA one more time.