Talking Abba

The all singing, all dancing movie version of hit stage show Mamma Mia has proven to be a huge hit and it's good news for the stage show producers too as the ticket sales for the West End show have gone through the roof.

One of the stars of the show, Melissa Jacques talked to us about the show, Abba and Meryl Streep. Throughout most of the week Melissa plays part of the ensemble but as the understudy to one of the lead characters on Monday she steps into the limelight to play Donna, the same role Meryl Streep plays in the movie.

We went to watch the show and found ourselves immediately uplifted and couldn't help but feel the cast members must leave the show with a buzz after every performance. “You're up there every night singing these songs over and over so you can't really be in a bad mood especially in a show like this where your always getting audience reactions, its great.”

What's impressive about both the show and the film is just how uplifting Abba songs can be. Despite the catchiness we thought there surely must be a point where you can't bear to hear another Abba song, Right? “No I don't think you can,” assures Melissa. “I do get asked by relatives to sing though. I was at a wedding the other day and I was asked to do karaoke, I sang Tina Turner and then switched to Dancing Queen and suddenly the dance floor was packed. It just goes to show it is one of the greatest pop songs ever written and people still remember it to this day.”

She's not exagerating. After the show we went to everyone was on their feet dancing to dancing queen. And it's not just older people. “What always surprises me is at the end of the show when people are on their feet you see 7 year olds singing the words,” says Melissa.

Despite the happy buzz the sheer amount of singing (it's almost non-stop) moving and action must be exhausting. Melissa tells us: “In the ensemble when we're not on stage, we're singing in the booth. During the show its all live, people are on and off, moving stuff around, changing costumes, but you still have to get up there and give 100%.