Mamma Mia at The Bristol Hippodrome - November 2025
Posted on: 2025-11-13
Our rating:
There are some shows I will happily watch again and again, and Mamma Mia! is one of them.
Vivienne Kennedy reviews Mamma Mia!, playing at The Bristol Hippodrome until Saturday 22 November 2025
Mamma Mia!, the fabulous stage musical based on the songs of ABBA, feels like an excellent antidote to a very grey November day; like a Greek holiday but without having to fear the new EU Entry/Exit System at the airport.
Mamma Mia! tells the story of bride-to-be Sophie, raised by a single mother (Donna) on a small Greek island. She’s determined to find her father before her wedding and have him give her away.
It’s not quite that easy; when Sophie finds her mother’s old diary, written the summer before her daughter was born, it becomes obvious there are three possible candidates. She’s just going to have to invite them all… she’ll know her father as soon as she sees him, right?
There are some shows I will happily watch again and again, and Mamma Mia! is one of them. This is, if I’ve counted correctly, the fifth time I’ve seen it, but it still feels fresh, and I’ve noticed, or appreciated, different things each time.
Tonight’s stand out moment, for me, comes in Act Two, the day of the wedding, when Donna, played by Jenn Griffin, sings The Winner Takes It All (the way she belts out that final line, wow!). Act One’s dance routine to Lay All Your Love On Me, performed in flippers, is up there too; I particularly like a section that seems inspired by the Dance of the Cygnets from Swan Lake.
One thing that never changes is my reaction to Slipping Through My Fingers, sung by Donna to Sophie as she helps her get ready for her big day. It never fails to make my eyes wet, and I’d be surprised if most mothers of daughters don’t have a similar reaction to it.
As well as those three numbers, there are a further 19 ABBA classics, listed alphabetically in the programme. They’re all very catchy and I’m sure I’m not the only one in the audience singing along in my head from curtain up to finale.
A special shout-out to understudies Sarah McFarlane and Marisa Harris who take to the stage as Sophie and Tanya (one of Donna’s two best friends) for press night, and to the swings who will have stepped into their ensemble roles. You can’t tell they don’t play those characters at every performance.
Mamma Mia! gets five stars from me. It plays at the Bristol Hippodrome until Saturday 22 November. For further information, and to book tickets click for all upcoming Bristol Hippodrome shows.
Article by:
Vivienne Kennedy says she lives and works in Bristol but sleeps in Weston-super-Mare, which is where she’s actually lived pretty much all her life. During the day, she is Director of Operations at Bristol BID (Business Improvement District), supporting businesses across the city centre. Away from work, she’s been reviewing theatre, music and art in Bristol for more than 15 years and is rarely happier than when watching a good show at the Hippodrome or Old Vic.
