<img src="http://www.mamma-mia.com/html/photo_section/103.jpg" alt="" />
<small>ADAM BRAZIER and TINA MADDIGAN in "Mamma Mia"; image by Joan Marcus</small>

An update on this popular London show with choreography by Anthony Van Laast

Press release

THE SMASH-HIT MUSICAL "MAMMA MIA!"
AT THE PRINCE EDWARD THEATRE IN LONDON
CELEBRATES ITS FOURTH BIRTHDAY

LONDON AUDIENCES PASS THE 2 ½ MILLION MARK

MAJOR CAST CHANGES TAKE PLACE ON 17 MARCH

“MAMMA MIA!”, the smash-hit musical at the Prince Edward Theatre in London, celebrates its fourth birthday. "MAMMA MIA!", the musical based on the songs of ABBA, opened in London at the Prince Edward Theatre on 6 April 1999, following previews from 23 March, to rave reviews and smash business. The show continues to break all Box Office records at the Prince Edward Theatre. It has grossed over £80 million and sold over 2 ½ million tickets.

From Monday 17 March there will be major cast changes. Alexandra Jay and Samuel Board take over the ingénue roles of ‘Sophie’ and ‘Sky’. Kim Ismay will join the cast to play ‘Tanya’, and Olivier Award nominee Louise Plowright will continue to play the starring role of ‘Donna’, Myra McFadyen ‘Rosie’. Tim Wallers will join the cast to play ‘Harry’, Michael Simkins will return to play ‘Sam’ and Rohan Tickell will continue to play ‘Bill’.

Alexandra Jay won huge prominence as both the understudy and alternate for ‘Eliza Doolittle’ in the current “My Fair Lady” and subsequently played ‘Sally Bowles’ in “Cabaret” at Chichester Festival Theatre. Samuel Board makes his West End debut in “MAMMA MIA!”, and his previous stage work includes playing ‘Matthew’ in the national tour of “Jesus Christ Superstar”. Kim Ismay’s previous West End work includes “Sunset Boulevard” and “Torch Song Trilogy”, and she was recently in the tour of “Saturday Night Fever”.

There are now nine productions of “MAMMA MIA!” playing around the world. The show continues to break records in Toronto, Sydney, Hamburg, Tokyo and on Broadway and with two US touring companies, and a permanent production has just opened at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. In March 2002, “MAMMA MIA!” became the highest grossing show in North America, taking $3.7 million in a single week! To date, “MAMMA MIA!” has grossed more than $500 million worldwide.

"MAMMA MIA!" has music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. This original musical, which is a story of a mother and daughter set on the eve of the daughter's wedding, has a book by Catherine Johnson.

"MAMMA MIA!" is designed by Mark Thompson, with lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Andrew Bruce & Bobby Aitken and musical supervision, additional material and arrangements by Martin Koch. "MAMMA MIA!" is choreographed by Anthony Van Laast and directed by Phyllida Lloyd.

"MAMMA MIA!" is produced by Judy Craymer, Richard East and Björn Ulvaeus for Littlestar in association with Universal. The London production of "MAMMA MIA!" is officially sponsored by SEB (Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB) and SAS (Scandinavian Airlines).

“MAMMA MIA!” is currently booking until 28 September 2003, with ticket prices ranging from £18.50 - £40.00. Tickets are available from the Prince Edward Theatre Box Office on 0870 850 0393.

Visit the “MAMMA MIA!” website on www.mamma-mia.com

<small>[ 20 February 2003, 06:58 AM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

Mamma Mia!
Our Chief Pop Critic thanks Abba for the music that until now had made him cringe. By David Sinclair for The Times:


WITH productions currently playing in Tokyo, Broadway, Las Vegas, the Netherlands and elsewhere, a whopping ten million tickets have been sold since Mamma Mia! opened on April 6, 1999.
Ten million tickets to hear a bunch of old Abba songs folded into a wilfully implausible wedding yarn exploring the themes of middle-aged regret and puppy love? Surely some mistake.

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