| What: Mamma Mia When and where: September 3 to October 11, 2026 at Artscape in Cape Town and then from October 16 to end of November 2026 at the Teatro at Montecasino in Johannesburg Bookings: Ticketmaster.co.za Cast includes: Amra-Faye Wright (Donna Sheridan), Samantha Peo (Tanya), Lindy Abromowitz (Rosie), Paul du Toit (Sam Carmichael), Tiaan Rautenbach (Bill Austin), Matt Newman (Harry Bright), Leah Mari (Sophie Sheridan) and Jock Kleynhans (Sky) Director: Janice Honeyman Ensemble: Jemma-Claire Weil, Angelica Hattingh, Yethu Kibi, Nicolette Fernandes, Liyabuya Gongo, Shannyn Fourie, Tshego da Silva (and Dance Captain), Claire Boswell, Logan James, Bradley Smith, Dylan du Plessis, Nkosinathi Mazwai, James Mc Phail, Kenneth Meyer and Jonathan Raath Choreography: Duane Alexander Set and lighting design: Denis Hutchinson Technical Director: Alistair Kilbee of Gearhouse Splitbeam Associate Producer and Resident Director and Choreographer: Darren Greeff Sound Design: David Classen Costumes: Birrie le Roux Wigs: Frances Moerdyk Music director: Daniel Geddes Company manager: Peter Taylor Technical Director: Alistair Kilbee of Gearhouse Splitbeam Producer: Showtime Management |
Mamma Mia South Africa 2026 is on in Cape Town, at Artscape, September 3 to October 11 and will then transfer to the Teatro at the Monte Casino in Johannesburg. I loved this stunning production. It’s joyful. It is fun. Astounding performances by the cast under the inspired direction of Janice Honeyman. Superb staging – choreography and design (sound, set, costumes). In this production – fun, joy and celebration exist in tandem with pathos and tenderness. It is an emotional story about friendship, mothers and daughters relationships and most importantly about family and what it means – or could mean. This resonates, with families becoming increasingly non-nuclear and blended.
Mamma Mia, the musical was conceived by producer Judy Craymer, after she worked on Chess, with Tim Rice, which featured music by ABBA. She wondered what it would be like to create a musical around ABBA songs, which she reckoned were theatrical. She approached ABBA. The group agreed. She then worked with writer Catherine Johnson to write the book.
The musical began its life as a jukebox musical, but it has is gone beyond being a compendium of songs with a story stringing songs together, which is how many jukebox musicals pan out. The songs are great. We love them. We love singing to them. But they often don’t gel as stories.
I loved Mamma Mia, when I first saw in 2005. It was fun was enjoyable. The cast was having a great time. However, the story did not hold my attention. That was an international touring production. The first production with a South African company was staged in 2010.
Fast forward to 2024. Showtime South Africa produced a new version of Mamma Mia for South Africa, directed by Janice Honeyman. It blew me away. Story telling is core to Honeyman’s diverse body of work which includes protest theatre, children’s theatre, panto, opera and drama. Seeing Mamma Mia 2024, I was entranced by the deep integration of music song, dance and narrative, cantilevered around the delicious song Mamma Mia. The expression “mamma mia” – “my mother” in Italian is an expression of exasperation – omg – which is so relatable.
Now, in 2026 Showtime, has revisited the 2024 production and it is even better. Janice Honeyman is again in the director seat. There have been numerous cast changes and some additions to the creative team. A significant difference is the costume and the sound design.
There is sheer brilliance in the casting with the central friend trio: Amra- Faye Wright as Donna; Samantha Peo as Donna’s Bestie, Tanya; Lindy Abromowitz as Rosie. In their youth, they were formed a girl band, Donna and The Dynamos. Now we see them together on the Greek island where Donna has made her home. Donna’s daughter, Sophie is getting married. Unbeknownst to her mother, Sophie has gone through her mom’s diaries to try and find out who her father is and solve the “Whose your daddy question”. She has invited three men who could be the father, to her wedding.
Theatrically and dramatically the narrative arc sets set up a dynamic interaction between Donna and her friends and the three men from their youth. Spliced between the two groups of three, Sophie is getting married at age of 20, much to the horror of her mom her two friends. That pans out with the development of her relationship with fiancé Sky.
Under Janice Honeyman’s direction, there is an alchemy between the songs and the narrative, which take it into the realm of rousing theatre. I’ll give you an example: ABBA’s song Chiquita is intensely emanated on stage. We see Lindy Abromowitz as Rosie approaching Donna who is lying on a bed. Donna is gobsmacked by having three men from her past arriving at her daughter‘s wedding. Rosie pauses. She huddles on the bed. Those of us that are familiar with the musical hold our breath. We know that Chiquitita is coming. The song is about comforting a friend who is going through a hard time. The brilliance of this production, of the direction of the acting; is the timing. The pause; the space, before the mighty release, of song. It’s a sublime climax, with the glorious voice of Lindy Abromowitz, prodding Donna along, gently, like a little bird.
Chiquitita, is a Spanish term for a “little one” and has an interesting history. On its website, it is noted that ABBA recorded this song for a benefit concert for UNICEF in January 1979, in New York, to raise funds for hunger programmes and to celebrate the start of the International Year of the Child. “There was also the idea that each of the participating artists should contribute a special song, donating the royalties for that song to UNICEF. The song was inspired musically by Simon & Garfunkel‘s version of El Cóndor Pasa (If I Could). ABBA wanted to use Latin elements of Latin American folk into the track and it led ABBA to “achieve a convincing breakthrough in South America, where they hadn’t enjoyed much success up to that point.“
A lot of what they went through personally was reflected in their songs. When the band was formed, they were two couples. Then they got married and they got divorced. They did not start off as a brand. The ABBA name is an acronym of their first names. The “spectacle” of their performances, with zany and OTT costumes came about because in Sweden, there was a tax loophole. If your costumes were crazy, mad and unwearable, there was a tax break. The costumes for this production are zany and wacky but are flattering. Costumes are by Birrie le Roux, who is s new to the team. The costume aesthetic is one of respect and style. If you saw this production in 2024 I would say a key change is the aesthetic of costumes which do not make these characters look silly. They don’t look like a parody; a joke.
The trio of performers who play Donna, Tanya and Rosie bring gravitas to their roles. Tanya played breathtakingly by Samantha Peo is not a riff off Joanna Lumley’s Patsy in the sitcom the British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, flirting with younger men looking ridiculous. She is fabulous, without being a joke; a woman who is tired of being alone. That is not easy to do because her lines are so yummy. The brilliant Amra-Faye Wright brings a yearning and glowing wistfulness to Donna. It is thrilling to see Amra-Faye Wright and Samantha Peo, back on stage together. They dazzled us in Chicago, the musical and the reunion of the protagonists is amplified by their reunion professionally. And of course, they also have terrific voices and are sensational dancers. Talking of returning, it is wonderful to see the return to musical theatre, of Lindy Abromowitz as Rosie. I have already mentioned her glorious rendering of Chiquitita. Rosie is a character with scrumptious lines. She can be a farce. Abromowitz nails her emotionally, as well as theatrically and conveys huge fun in the dancing.
Terrific performances by the three dads: Paul du Toit as Sam; Tiaan Rautenbach as Bill and Matt Newman (Harry). Loved their fleshing out of their characters – beyond stereotypes and their comic, dramatic timing and dance.
The younger contingent of performers are also a sensation. Leah Mari plays Sophie. Jock Kleynhans plays Sky. There is a palpable chemistry between Fleur du Cap award winning Mari and Kleynhans. Mari is enchanting as Sophie who rebelling against her mother, intent on getting married young, wanting to like her own love story. Kleynhans brings huge empathy as her fiancé trying to hold space for her, in her quest for her parenthood. Again, these are roles which can come across as silly and vacuous. It is a joy to see these two young actors together. It was a revelation for me to see Kleynhans in this production. I know him from Shakespeare and drama. I had no idea that he can dance and sing.
The ensemble is amazing. I single out Nicolette Fernandez and Shannyn Fourie. They are magnetic.
Everything has been sharpened and heightened in this production. Duane Alexander’s choreography is intricately crafted – with so much consideration to timing and pauses, which I think gives time to reflect on the narrative. His surfer-athletic choreo is inspired. The lighting has been sharpened and articulated. Superb sound design by David Classen, who is new to the creative team. Fine balancing between solo and choral vocals, with a wonderful upbeat band. Johan Lingenfelder is musical supervisor, Daniel Butcher-Geddes is the musical director and on keys.
Focusing on the lyrics in preparation for watching this production, I was amazed that beyond the fun and the commercial veneer of the songs, as upbeat party songs, the songbook is layered and nuanced with stirring narratives. Janice Honeyman has got to the heart of that. This beautiful, sublime production has made me want to go deeper into the ABBA songbook. Bravo to Showtime and all those involved in this production.
