WHO needs a Greek island when you have the spectacular backdrop of Harewood House on a starlit summer evening?

Mamma Mia! is at the Yorkshire country estate until the end of August - the first time the show has been staged in the open air. And these are the first performances of Mamma Mia! in the world since theatres closed due to the pandemic.

So it felt very special to be sitting on a fold-up chair, beneath the sky, watching the mother of feelgood musicals. The Harewood grounds setting includes a stage, two video screens showing the action, and a food and drink village.

This was the first live theatre I’ve seen in 18 months - and what a joy it was! After such a bleak time for the theatre industry, it was quite moving to see this fantastic cast on stage, diggin' the Dancing Queen.

Set to the much-loved music of Abba, Mamma Mia! is the story of Donna, who runs a ramshackle guesthouse on an idyllic Greek island where the wedding of her daughter, Sophie, is about to take place. When Donna is reunited with her old flames - three possible dads Sophie has secretly invited to her wedding - it all gets "very Greek" as past and present collide.

The show rests largely on Donna and Sara Poyzer was excellent as the feisty free spirit. With a fabulous voice and an earthy, northern charm, she held us in her palm. In three scenes that segued into each other - fond memories of a brief romance, a melancholic ode to her child and a heartbreaking confrontation - she sang Our Last Summer, Slipping Through My Fingers and The Winner Takes It All, and there wasn't a dry eye in the field.

She was funny too, not least with her old pals the Dynamos - lovely performances by Nicky Swift as fun Rosie and Helen Anker as cool Tanya. Richard Standing, Daniel Crowder and Phil Corbitt were great as the 'three dads', Sam, Harry and Bill, each putting their own stamp on three very different men, and Lucy May Barker lit up the stage as Sophie. This character's sweetness can be a bit grating, but Lucy gave her a more likeable vulnerability, and Toby Miles was a charismatic Sky. It was a treat to see the talented young ensemble in action, and I loved the quirky 'Greek chorus'; one of my favourite elements of the show.

Of course the score, by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, is the biggest star - the crowdpleasers came thick and fast, not least Money Money Money, Super Trouper, Dancing Queen and Mamma Mia. A fabulous return to the stage.

* Mamma Mia! at Harewood House until August 30. Visit mamma-mia.com or call 0344 338 800.