Dance rehearals for Mamma Mia. Photo / Supplied
After 10 years of waiting, the Thames Music And Drama theatre company is finally putting on Mamma Mia! - and it's already sold out.
The show starts on May 28 and will play its eight shows to full houses.
Director Diane Connors says the group has been hoping to stage this musical for 10 years, but has had to wait for the performance rights to become available.
"I kept writing every year and going, when can we get the rights?"
The show is a jukebox musical featuring songs from iconic pop band ABBA.
It follows the story of Sophie and her quest to find out which of the three possible men is her true father.
Connors described it as a "high-energy, lots-of-fun, positive" musical.
"People know the music in it - most people love ABBA, I mean, you can't hate ABBA.
"It's a rollercoaster of emotion ... and we hope that people enjoy that rollercoaster."
She said it was "very exciting" to be sold out so quickly - all the tickets were gone six weeks ago.
"It's great for the cast, and the crew, and everyone involved."
The cast are accompanied by a live orchestra playing the music, which Connors said is playing "nearly every second" of the show.
She said there was some pressure in taking on such a beloved play.
"We went into this knowing that we weren't going to do a half-pie job; we were going to do it to the best of our ability, and make people really excited about what they're seeing and hearing on stage. I think we're delivering that pretty well."
Connors said the return of live theatre was a welcome relief after Covid-19 had wreaked havoc on the industry.
"For the last two or three years, a lot of professional shows have been cancelled, or even the big community city theatres have had to cancel shows."
She said live theatre would bring back the unique experience of sharing a show with an audience, rather than binge-watching while home alone.
"There's a real value for you when you're going through this emotional rollercoaster with 150 other people.
"When you're looking at live theatre, these are three-dimensional characters ... so I think that the audience will really connect with these people because they are so close ... they can see the anguish on their faces, they can see the joy.
"I think that that's kind of what people need right now is that connection with human emotion that we've kind of had to put aside for so long, when we were isolated from people."
Connors said their show has sold tickets to people from up further north than Auckland, as well as in Hawke's Bay, Taupō, Hamilton and others.
Given the risk that Covid-19 posed to the production, the company had understudies in the cast for the first time so they could cope with any sudden isolations.
"We have been plagued with a bit of Covid ... there's always somebody missing [from rehearsal]."
She said virtual rehearsals had kept things on track, with the creative team filming sequences to help the cast learn from home when needed.
She said Mamma Mia! was exactly the kind of play people needed right now.
"It's a tough time at the moment - I mean, it's been two and a half years with Covid, everyone's feeling it.
"We feel like we needed a show that people could and lose themselves, and have a good laugh, have a good cry, and just release some emotions.
"Everyone needs a Mamma Mia! right now."