If you didn’t manage to get a holiday in over Easter, then a trip to see smash-hit ABBA musical Mamma Mia! might make up for it. 

Set on a Greek island, the show offers an escape from reality with its dazzling costumes, timeless music and infectious glee.

The story follows bride-to-be Sophie (Jena Pandya), who invites three men to her wedding in the hope that one of them might prove to be her father. For her mother, Donna (Sarah Harlington), Sophie’s invitation to the men means having to meet up with a trio of guys who’d been her lovers 21 years earlier.  

Both Sophie and Donna are helped along the way by their friends and fellow islanders, as well as a large helping of ABBA’s greatest hits.

The success of the 2008 film adaptation of Mamma Mia! makes it hard not to compare what’s happening on stage with the performances of Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and co, but the cast hold their own by delivering an enviable amount of energy and fantastic vocals. Plus, there are a few moments in the theatrical version that can’t be found in the film, such as Sophie’s surreal dream the night before her wedding - featuring some interesting fluorescent swimwear! - and the inclusion of ABBA’s 1981 hit, One Of Us.

Sarah Harlington’s Donna takes the audience on a nostalgic journey, with her best friends Tanya (Helen Anker) and Rosie (Nicky Swift) by her side as the perfect comedy duo. Rosie and Bill (Phil Corbitt) romping their way through a rendition of Take A Chance On Me just a few minutes before the wedding is a particularly hilarious moment.

And while Donna’s generation grapple with their love lives, Sophie tries to decide who’s going to walk her down the aisle - until things start to go wrong at her hen do. Featuring disco lights, glitter, and the popular numbers Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) and Voulez-Vous, this scene sees the audience tapping their feet in time to the impressive dance moves playing out on stage.

Other standout numbers include Super Trouper (during which the lycra jumpsuits and platform boots are out in full force) and Does Your Mother Know, which features some hilarious dancing and a beautiful tiger print sarong.

All of this culminates in a dazzling finale, which invites the audience to get on their feet for an electrifying ride through the last three numbers.

Mamma Mia! is a feelgood show full of fun, friendship and laughter that you can’t help but sing along to.

And while, as an audience member, it’s impossible not to be delighted by the on-stage antics, I suspect the cast were enjoying themselves even more!

Reviewed by Ellie Hutchings at Nottingham Playhouse on Wednesday 20 April. Mamma Mia! shows at Birmingham Hippodrome from Tues 3 - Sat 14 May. It then plays Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, from Tues 17 - Sat 21 May. The production then returns to the Midlands in 2023 to play Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Mon 17 - Fri 28 January.