Review: JAH’s Sojourn in Mamma Mia! The Musical Re-Run

Review by Nabila ‘Hana’ Hananti, editing by Rakaputra Paputungan.

In commemoration of International Mother’s Day, Jakarta Art House hosted its third yearly musical with Mamma Mia! The Musical Re-Run. Performed at Graha Bhakti Budaya, this show ran for two weeks from May 21st to June 1st in the year 2025, performing a total of 14 shows. For this re-run, they delivered a double cast for the pair of mother and daughter, facing three possible dads.

Amanda Auliasari and Yohana Nadya produced this show. Benedict Herdianus directed this show with his co-director, Bernardrio Justin. Windy Liem acted as the vocal director, and the band was led by music director Felita Kezia. The show was choreographed by Andita Mardhiaputri and Braxton Roosevelt. With the support of their three founders, Jakarta Art House was more than ready to bring this iconic play back to Jakarta. 

Mamma Mia! The Musical followed the same storyline as the movie starring Meryl Streep. It’s a well-known IP and would be Jakarta Art House’s second time tackling it. We from the Broadway World Indonesia team had the opportunity to watch their second show on May 23rd, with Mirabeth Sonia playing Donna and Giena Putri as Sophie. 

The story of the girl with three paternal candidates was delivered succinctly onto the stage. I found it very easy to follow the storyline, mostly due to the articulation of the cast and the marvellous technical aspects of the show. However, it was unfortunate that the energy of the cast seemed very low in the show I was watching, being the second one in their particularly long run. The centre stage lacked a presence that could help immerse the audience. Often, the ensemble was more engaging to look at than the person currently holding the mic. 

It eventually picked up its pace on the number “Super Trouper”, courtesy of Donna and the Dynamos’ incredible entrance. But the early parts were slightly disappointing to go through, and the energy only kept fluctuating till the end. It did reach its climax, however, on Mirabeth Sonia’s rendition of “Slipping Through My Fingers”. It had truly made me smile and reminded me of my own mother. Jakarta Art House lived up to its vision of celebrating Mother’s Day with this show. 

Still, the uneven energy impacted more things than it appears. Being a show in Indonesia, they didn’t miss the opportunity to localise some of the jokes. It landed a few times, but it mostly fell on being distracting because of the shaky delivery. There was a standout performance, though, in Albertus Raynaldi as Bill Austin. All of the scenes that had him succeed in being bright and funny. Especially at the end of Act 1, when he began to suspect that he might be Sophie’s father. It was hilarious. 

For a theatrical performance, JAH had brought a show full of stunts. This is widely shown at the opening of the 2nd Act, “Under Attack”, as Sophie (played by Maria Giena) is repeatedly launched into the air using sheets as a makeshift trampoline. And there were even moments like Donna throwing a banner over the set. The showmanship – courtesy of the cast’s athleticism – was impressive. 

There’s a comment I’d like to give in regards to certain directorial choices. While the show’s synchronicity and technical aspects were bold, the blocking of the play felt very detached from the set design. Sometimes, it made the characters feel like they were drowned by the large set. It doesn’t help that the set was located very deep within the stage. Certain blockings could’ve been executed better from an elevated position, such as at the song “Honey, Honey”, which began far too low at the beginning of the play and the steamy scenes on “Lay All Your Love on Me” that, while sensual, felt distant. Ultimately, this made the stage – Kalokairi – not feel ‘lived in’. It makes the set feel more like a beautiful background instead of an organic space for the story to unfold.

On the show I watched, they didn’t quite make themselves at home on the stage – perhaps they have settled in more later on during the long sojourn they had at Graha Bhakti Budaya. Still, it was a fun night out and I quite enjoyed watching Mamma Mia! The Musical Re-Run 2025. I’m looking forward to Jakarta Art House’s next production to see how much they’ll have grown.

Broadwayworld ID is a media partner of Mamma Mia! The Musical Re-Run