If you love Abba – and who doesn’t?, you’ll have such a special experience at Mamma Mia! The Party. This is a theatrical dining experience located at The O2 in London, and since opening in August 2019, it has welcomed over half a million guests – with a large swathe going to it from Ireland. It’s easy to get there from Cork, so you can go over in the morning, like I did, and enjoy the matinee, or make a night of it and stay over. I travelled with Keith Prowse, which has some brilliant packages available.
That it is so popular with Irish visitors is no surprise, as it’s such a joyful experience, with everything from the singing and dancing to the food and set being top-class. Created by Abba’s Björn Ulvaeus,Mamma Mia! The Party doesn’t share the storyline or characters of the stage show and film – the plot really only exists to patch the Abba catalogue together into a show. That doesn’t matter in the slightest, and you’ll be too caught up in the stunning music, cheesy jokes and riveting special effects to care what’s actually going on.
The plot centres around a couple who met during the filming of the original Mamma Mia! movie. She’s a Welsh make-up artist called Kate who fell for local restaurateur Nikos when she was working on the film, and ended up staying on the island to be with him. In this show, Nikos’ daughter Konstantina falls in love with a boy called Adam who isn’t from the island, which doesn’t go down well with her dad and various other people – and so the fun begins.
The taverna is gorgeous, with bougainvillea climbing up the walls and a fountain in the middle of the room. The venue holds 500 people and while there are people seated on various levels around the room, my group was very lucky as we got to sit in the courtyard, so we were right in the middle of the action.
We were served our four-course Greek meal, which was superb and included a delicious traditional Greek salad and lemon cake dessert, as the ensemble cast of performers and musicians (and wait staff) performed around us, so it was a truly immersive atmosphere.
This was the Tier A location, along with the Platinum Package, which gave us half a bottle of wine per person, and five minutes to meet up with the performers and take a group picture. It may be pricer, but if you want the best experience or are going for a special occasion, I’d highly recommend it. Even if you for one of the less expensive options, you’ll have a very immersive experience as cast members perform all around the room and from various balconies.
As the story unfolded, we were treated to 34 Abba songs, including classics like Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen, Fernando and Waterloo, as well as pyrotechnics, an aerial dancer, and stunning lighting displays, including a really moving candlelit display. Some of the exquisite solos brought us to tears, while we were up on our feet waving our napkins and dancing two minutes later. The actors and dancers are all amazing, and the camp, flamboyant nature of the show is incredibly fun.
When the show was over, the cast returned dressed in spectacular costumes and sang Abba’s hits from a stage swiftly assembled on top of where the central fountain had been, and we all sang and danced along. When that was over, Abba’s songs were blasted out and we were on top of the stage ourselves, being the ultimate dancing queens and having the time of our lives.
It was honestly one of the most fun experiences I have ever had, and if you like Abba and having the disco party of your life, you will have an absolute ball. I can’t wait to go again!
Performances of Mamma Mia! The Party run from Wednesday through to Sunday at 6.30pm, with matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 12pm at The O2, London. Tickets start at €130 per person, but Irish travel agency Keith Prowse has great deals on tickets and accommodation and will make the whole thing seamless for you.
See www.keithprowseattractions.com/product-category/london-theatre-breaks/mamma-mia-the-party/
