MAMMA MIA! is Back—Here’s Your Guide to Essential Pre-Show Viewing

Here we go again! In just weeks, Mamma Mia! will make its long-awaited return to Broadway, and it’s finally time to get back into the Dancing Queen spirit. It's been almost a decade since the beloved musical concluded its initial run on Broadway and we're here to help you brush up your Mamma Mia! knowhow with this ultimate pre-show watchlist...

ABBA: Super Troupe (2019)

Start your watch journey where it all began- the music that made the muscial. This documentary unpacks ABBA's decades in the music industry. Few bands have been able to dominate the industry in the same way as ABBA. Bursting onto the scene at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, ABBA took the world by storm, going on to sell over 300 million albums and singles and give birth to the billion-dollar franchise Mamma Mia. But their fame didn't come without pain. Behind their lyrics were honest signs of true heartbreak. Since announcing their break in 1982, ABBA have continued to welcome new fans, generation after generation. Follow their journey to celebrity stardom, through archival interviews and performances from ABBA, with added inside knowledge from leading industry professionals.

ABBA Forever: The Winner Takes It All (2019)

Want more ABBA? ABBA Forever: The Winner Takes It All similarly goes in depth on the band's rise to stardom. 

Mamma Mia! on Broadway (2001)

In the early 1980s, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus met theatre producer Judy Craymer who was inspired by their 1980 song "The Winner Takes It All" to suggest a musical that featured ABBA's repertory. A decade later, she commissioned playwright Catherine Johnson to write the book for what would become Mamma Mia!. The musical eventually premiered in London in 1999 (where it is still running) and on Broadway in 2001. The full stage show is not available to watch, but you can still go down a Mamma Mia! Youtube rabbit hole with highlights from the musical's epic run all over the world.

Mamma Mia! (2008)

Now that you've dipped your toes into the ABBA-verse, jump into the full Mamma Mia! experience with the big screen version of the musical. Almost a decade after the West End premiere, the hit musical was turned into a movie, starring Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Dominic Cooper, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, and Julie Walters. The movie was a huge box-office success, grossing $611.4 million worldwide on a $52 million budget, becoming the fifth highest-grossing film of 2008. The movie is now available to stream on Netflix or to rent or buy on Prime Video. 

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)

It doesn't stop there! A sequel, titled Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, was released on July 20, 2018, with much of the cast returning, in addition to Cher, Andy Garcia, and Lily James. Both a prequel and a sequel, the plot is set after the events of the previous film, and is intersected with flashbacks to Donna's youth in 1979, with some scenes from the two time periods mirroring each other. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is available to rent and buy on Prime Video.

Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream (2023)

That's not all! ITV released a competition series to find the West End production's new stars for the show's 25th Anniversary. Set within the beautiful backdrop of the idyllic Greek islands, viewers had front row seats as the contestants were judged and mentored by guest industry stars, including Alan Carr, Jessie Ware, Amber Riley, and Samantha Barks. The 8-episode series is available to watch in full on Youtube.

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