The stars of Mamma Mia (including Delia Hannah, Jackie Clarke and Minouk van der Velde seated around the table) during one of the musical's quieter moments. (Picture Brett Phibbs)
A local re-working of a musical that has achieved world domination is a big ask but Auckland Music Theatre and Amici Productions really hit the mark with a production that is all heart and avoids the trap of trying to replicate the razzamatazz of a mega-budget extravaganza.
The show is
anchored around Delia Hannah who displays remarkable vocal prowess and an actor's instinct for honing in on key emotions as she delivers an epic rendition of The Winner Takes It All, while Richard Neame finds a melancholy tone in songs like Knowing Me Knowing You.
At Hannah's side, Jackie Clarke brings an exuberant sense fun to the whole enterprise with goofy physical theatre and a hilarious turn as an aggressive cougar on Take a Chance on Me.
Director Grant Meese has skillfully integrated the drama and dance as Teesh Szabo's simple but effective choreography elicits plenty of sexy sizzle from a young, good looking chorus - with a hugely popular display of male flesh in the iconic flipper & snorkel number.
The sense of enjoyment has also infected the design team who deliver a garish psychedelic dream sequence while John Harding's set offers a picture postcard vision of a village on the Aegean coast.
