Mama Mia! review: Audience says 'Thank You For The Music' after sell-out show at Sheffield's Lyceum Theatre

Running until November 5, West End smash hit Mama Mia! is touring the country and has stopped off at the Steel City for a two week run...and if there are any tickets left, you definitely need to snap them up!

A sell out appreciative audience lifted the roof off the Lyceum last night, with practically everybody up out of their seats dancing and in the aisles at the end – always the sign of a successful show.

On the one hand the musical tells the story of a young bride-to-be trying to discover the identity of her father so that he can walk her down the aisle.

On the other, it is a sensational tribute to Swedish supergroup Abba, with each scene set to their music, with the lyrics mirroring the storyline perfectly. It was almost like the songs had been written specially for the show, not back in the 1970s and 80s when Abba was topping the charts around the world.

Set on a Greek island, where bride-to-be Sophie was raised by her mum Donna, the lighting and blue and white colour scheme transports you from autumn in Sheffield to summer on the sunshine island where Donna brought up her daughter alone after falling pregnant during a hedonistic summer.

Never knowing who her father was, Sophie stumbled across her mum's diary, identified three possibilities and invited them all to her wedding without her mum realising – setting the scene for reunions, reminiscing and reflection.

At the core, the story is about love, family, relationships and friendships. But the jukebox musical does not take itself seriously and at times has a pantomime feel with innuendo and slapstick style comedy, which had the audience in stitches.

Key to these scenes were three characters in particular – taverna worker Pepper (James Willoughby Moore) and Donna’s old friends and former bandmates Tanya (Helen Anker) and Rosie (Nicky Swift).

Pepper was hilarious throughout and proved a real crowd favourite, with Tanya and Rosie equally as comical as a double act, with their chemistry lighting up the stage when they were together.

Both Jena Pandya as Sophie and Sara Poyzer as Donna deserved their applause at the end of last night’s performance, both producing some impressive vocals, but Sara had some powerhouse moments in her portrayal of Donna which were incredible, especially her rendition of The Winner Takes It All, which the audience acknowledged with with deafening applause.

She showcases her versatility perfectly in this show, with some moments of hilarity, such as when she was reunited with her ex-lovers for the first time while holding a cordless drill, to moments of pure emotion, including a touching scene with her daughter as she gets dressed on her wedding day. There were some in the audience left in tears at the moving interaction between the pair.

Sophie’s three potential dads Bill (Phil Corbitt), Sam (Richard Standing) and Harry (Daniel Crowder) each played their parts perfectly, combining to create some comical moments but also holding their own in scenes with other characters such as Harry and Donna reminiscing about a trip to Paris, Bill and Nicky realising they have a sexual spark and Sam imparting words of wisdom to Sophie ahead of her big day.

To sum up the overwhelming feeling of everyone at last night’s show … Thank You For The Music!