Mamma Mia!

The Grand Theatre, Leeds

THE story of Mamma Mia has become so synonymous with Meryl Streep being fabulous in dungarees that it's easy to lose sight of the show that was around long before the movie came along.

I first saw this musical shortly after it opened in the West End back in 1999 and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't just a load of Abba hits strung together, jukebox-style. Each song told a story in itself, but also slotted well into the context of the show. It was a lively breath of fresh air, a brand new musical for a new millennium, and its happy, sunkissed vibe was infectious.

Two decades later, Mamma Mia! is still a joy to watch - and it's in Leeds for six weeks! From the opening scene, when you can almost hear the moonlit water lapping against the shores of the Greek island taking centre stage, to the glorious finale, this is a fabulous production that left us basking in a feelgood glow.

For Abba fans, it's a must-see - but it offers so much more too. The much-loved songs are all there - Super Trouper, Waterloo, I Had A Dream, Chiquitita and the show-stopper, Dancing Queen, to name a handful - but they're not just there for the sake of it. These songs help to tell the story of Sophie Sheridan, a girl desperate to discover the identity of her father on the eve of her wedding, and they move the action along at just the right pace.

In Slipping Through My Fingers, Sophie's mother, Donna, is gripped by melancholy as helps her daughter into her wedding dress. Feeling the pain of an empty nest, she sings the line: "I watch her go with a surge of that well known sadness, and I have to sit down for a while."

And when Donna confronts Sam, a man she last saw 21 years ago and has never forgotten, the lyrics from Winner Takes It All capture the scene perfectly.

The light and shade of Abba's music create the poignancy, and the joy, of this show. As well as the bittersweet strands - the girl with three potential fathers, the mother facing up to her past, the middle-aged reflection on the spontaneity of youth - there are lovely comic touches throughout.

And with scenes that are absent in the film, including the entertaining dream sequence to Under Attack, the stage show retains its own identity.

A terrific cast is led by Helen Hobson, giving a beautiful performance as Donna. In turn she's bemused and frazzled, trying to organise her daughter's wedding and run her ramshackle island hotel while fending off unwanted visitors from her past; independent and feisty, catching up with the friends of her youth; and vulnerable and wistful, as she considers what might have been. Donna is the beating heart of the show, and Helen gave a fabulous performance, particularly when required to sing three emotionally-charged numbers back to back. A class act.

Lovely performances too from Emma Clifford and Gillian Hardie as Donna's pals, Tanya and Rosie. Clifford's slick performance of Does Your Mother Know was a highlight of the show, and Hardie's Take A Chance On Me was a comic gem.

Lucy May Barker was a delight as Sophie, while Jon Boydon, Jamie Hogarth and Christopher Hollis were great as the 'three dads', Sam, Harry and Bill.

An impressive ensemble cast did Anthony Van Laast's fabulous choreography proud, whipping the action along as scenes segued together seamlessly.

This show celebrates friendship, and it celebrates age. Last night's audience ranged from children to grandparents, and everyone was on their feet towards the end. It made Dancing Queens of us all.

Runs until July 8.