Christmas holidays. Dont you just love 'em. All that time off work and a chance to sit back, relax and watch others still grafting away, i.e. the cast of Mamma Mia.

These reports are more generally related to the shows, rather than specific to Sophia, and may contain spoilers if you haven't seen Mamma Mia!

23rd December matinee

I had no intention of doing Mamma Mia twice over the holidays, but a late chance to get to London just before Christmas was too good to resist, and with plenty of seats at the box office for the Friday matinee, where else could I head to apart from the Prince of Wales Theatre.

It's increasingly difficult to find things to write about the show and keep it interesting (OK, who said it stopped being interesting long ago?!) having reviewed Sophia's performance, the show, the cast, the band, Donna's diary etc. The first noticeable thing about the theatre on 23rd December was the lack of Christmas decorations. Now, I know health & safety being what it is probably wouldn't allow a tree in such a small foyer, but any chance of a bit of tinsel here and there? Full marks to the staff in the circle bar for their attempts, but that pile of plastic glasses just didn't look like a tree at all!

Incidentally (rant coming), why do they sell the programmes and brochures as a £10 set in the foyer and only separately once you get past the first line of sellers and into the theatre. Yes, I know it makes marketing sense, but it's still a little bit underhand!

Anyway, the show. Lucy Harris was on as Donna, with a full cast including Simon Slater as Sam. Whenever I've been recently Simon's been off and it's been John Alastair as Sam so it was good to see him back. I love the on stage rapport between Lucy and Sophia especially during Slipping Through My Fingers, which reduced a nearby lady to tears. What more can I say. Another great show. I particularly noticed Fergus March making a conscious effort to avoid stepping on Sophia's wedding dress (back in October, I'm sure he nearly pulled her head off when he stood on the bottom of it!) and the way Lucy excitedly blurted out "I do, I do, I do etc" straight away, instead of the usual wait. Shame only about half a dozen people in the circle got to their feet for the finale.

Todays random thought - Where can I get one of those nice tasteful luminous shirts like Andy Couchman wears for Voulez-Vous?

27th December

Two shows in four days. Who says I'm getting obsessed? This was the show I'd originally planned to see until just about everywhere was advertising it as sold out. A last chance look at the Whats on Stage ticket service finally provided what I wanted - a ticket! Up in the circle again, but a ticket nonetheless.

It was freezing in London, so the idea of a pre-show visit to the stage door was quickly abandoned (the headline "Dukinfield Man Found in Ice-Block" didn't seem too appealing).

Show time, and tonight it was Vivien Parry as Donna, again with a full principal cast and again a great show. Sophia seemed to have captured the heart of one particular young man about ten seats away who kept commenting every time she appeared on stage. I think you have a new fan there, Sophia. Interval time, and my usual rush to the bar on the final note of Voulez-Vous was interrupted by several burly minders escorting this young man and his family out of the auditorium before anybody else. Only on their return, again accompanied by the same burly minders did I recognise the young man's parents as a Mr & Mrs Beckham (he's a footballer, so I'm reliably informed). At the finale, the FOH staff, for some reason were extra busy clamping down on photography, which is a shame, as I'm sure my picture of the England football captain dancing to Waterloo would have brought me a small fortune 

Iain

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