MAMMA MIA! Bursts Back Onto Broadway | On The Scene Report

When no less than 40 pink boas are lined up outside the Winter Garden, it can really only mean one thing. Mamma Mia! is officially back on Broadway, and thank goodness. 

Now the investigative journalist in me has been waiting ever since arts journalist Baz Bamigboye reported back in early 2023 that Mamma Mia! may be back on the boards this year, so for the past 27 months, I have been very patiently biding my time, and that all ended this past weekend when the dulcet tones of ABBA could be heard throughout Midtown. 

The beloved jukebox musical first hit the scene in 1999 in London when theatrical producer Judy Craymer asked Catherine Johnson to write a book for the Swedish pop group’s catalogue. Phyllida Lloyd joined as director, and the rest is history. The musical, which is still running in London, celebrated its 10,000th performance last summer. 

The Broadway run opened at the Winter Garden Theatre in October of 2001; it transferred to the Broadhurst in 2013 and ran for almost 14 years, becoming the longest-running jukebox musical in Broadway history. 

As we entered the Winter Garden on Saturday night for their first preview, there was almost a wave of calmness before the show began. Eerily quiet, as I think everyone was self-internalizing that they were about to witness Mamma Mia! back on Broadway, and it hadn’t fully clicked. 

From the first stroke of the downbeat of the overture, the screams that erupted envied that of any major concert at Metlife. The musical forged on, and the actors and audiences shared that special bond that makes up the magic of theatre. They were giving everything they could to us, and boy were we giving everything right back. 

What made Saturday so immensely special was that this production celebrates 25 Broadway debuts, most of which were made on Saturday evening officially. Look, the curtain call megamix is always going to be thrilling, but when you see actors giving it their all with tears in their eyes realizing dreams are coming true right before you, it’s a specialness one will never forget. 

During intermission, I noted a mother-daughter duo with bags, and I mean bags, of merch headed to their seats. They flew to town for Gracie Abrams at the Garden and when they heard Mamma Mia! was headed back, they extended their trip just to be among the first to catch the show. They are ABBA super fans and purchased one of everything at the merch stand—I am not joking. 

This show is a juggernaut, with numerous productions playing all around the world every day of the year. The music is so infectious, it’s hard not to have an incredible night out. The question I get all the time as a theatre journalist is “where can I just go have fun” and boy is Mamma Mia! the answer. The show officially opens August 14 here at the Winter Garden and is currently on sale through February 2026, but if I had my way it would never leave us again.  

So grab your girlfriends, and your boyfriends, hey grab anyone and go catch Mamma Mia!, truly the most fun you can have on Broadway right now. 

For tickets and more information, visit here.