Show guide
Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia! is the joyful jukebox musical built entirely around the songs of ABBA, telling a warm hearted story of family and romance on a sunny Greek island.
- Broadway premiere
- 2001
- Music by
- Andersson & Ulvaeus
- Genre
- Jukebox
- Setting
- 1990s
Mamma Mia!: quick answers
What is Mamma Mia! about?
- Mamma Mia! follows Sophie, a bride-to-be on a Greek island who reads her mother Donna's old diary and secretly invites the three men who might be her father to her wedding.
When did Mamma Mia! open on Broadway?
- Mamma Mia! opened on Broadway on October 18, 2001, at the Winter Garden Theatre, later moved to the Broadhurst, and closed on September 12, 2015, after 5,773 performances. It returned to the Winter Garden from August 2025 to February 2026.
Is Mamma Mia! a jukebox musical?
- Yes. Mamma Mia! is built from ABBA songs by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, woven into an original story by book writer Catherine Johnson.
Where and when is Mamma Mia! set?
- Mamma Mia! is set in the present day on the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi, where Donna runs a taverna.
Has Mamma Mia! played in London's West End?
- Mamma Mia! premiered in the West End on April 6, 1999, at the Prince Edward Theatre and is still running, now at the Novello Theatre, where it passed its 10,000th performance in July 2024.
Is there a Mamma Mia! movie?
- The 2008 film, directed by Phyllida Lloyd, starred Meryl Streep as Donna and Amanda Seyfried as Sophie, with Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgård. A sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, followed in 2018.
The story of Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia! is set on a small Greek island in the 1990s, where a young bride to be invites three men from her mother's past to her wedding, each of whom might be her father. What follows is a lighthearted tangle of romance, reunion, and mother daughter bonding, all set against the backdrop of sun soaked island life.
The original stage story was written specifically to showcase the ABBA catalog, weaving familiar songs into new dramatic context rather than simply presenting them as a concert, which gives the show its distinctive jukebox structure.
The music and the makers
The score draws entirely from the songbook of Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA, whose pop hits from the 1970s and beyond were reworked into a book musical format. As a jukebox musical, Mamma Mia! stands apart from shows with original scores, instead building its narrative around songs audiences already know and love.
That familiarity is part of the show's magic: audiences arrive already able to sing along, and the songs are woven cleverly enough into the plot that they feel like they were always meant to tell this particular story.
Mamma Mia! on Broadway
Mamma Mia! opened on Broadway in 2001 and became one of the defining feel good hits of its era, helping to popularize the modern jukebox musical format for a new generation of Broadway audiences. Its accessible, celebratory tone made it a favorite for both longtime theatre fans and first time visitors.
The show's enduring popularity comes down to pure joy: it is designed as a party as much as a play, and audiences consistently leave the theatre dancing. That crowd pleasing energy has kept it a mainstay of Broadway and touring productions for years.
Mamma Mia!: frequently asked questions
When did Mamma Mia! open on Broadway?
Mamma Mia! opened on Broadway in 2001 and became a long running hit built around the music of ABBA.
Who wrote the music for Mamma Mia!?
The songs were written by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA, making it a jukebox musical rather than an original score.
What is Mamma Mia! about?
It follows a bride to be on a Greek island who invites three men who might be her father to her wedding, set to classic ABBA songs.
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