As the musical prepares to turn 25, Zoe Ball hosts a new talent show to fill the lead roles of Sophie and Sky
Get ready for some ABBA-tastic fun as new ITV1 talent show Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream begins this week. Leading up to 25 years since the musical opened in London’s West End, the eight-part series filmed in Greece sees 14 musical theatre stars of the future compete for the roles of Sophie and Sky in the production at the capital’s Novello Theatre. Here, Zoe Ball, who hosts the show, tells us more…
How does the show work?
We’ve taken seven boys and seven girls out of thousands who auditioned, and they’re then put through their paces by the Mamma Mia! gods: creator and producer Judy Craymer, choreographer Anthony Van Laast, musical maestro Martin Lowe, and casting supremo David Grindrod. They do singing and dancing, and acting workshops, and basically we’re seeing who’ll become the next Sophie and Sky as they’re whittled down, week-on-week.
Do you think filming the series in Greece gives the show that extra wow factor?
The setting is perfect. For our Sophies and Skys, they’re already in the beating heart of the place where this story is set. Each show opens with a fabulous song-and-dance routine on the streets or the beaches of Greece. It looks very much like Mamma Mia! the movie. The performances are in front of an audience in a beautiful villa setting. The creative team has done such an amazing job that you do feel at times you’re part of the story when you’re watching with the audience.
What was the weather like?
You fly out to Greece, and you think the weather’s going to be amazing, but it was awful for the first few days. Initially, we had torrential rain and some of the sets were blowing away. There was one show where the water was up to my knees! We had the audience under umbrellas, but then the sunshine came out.
The contestants are assessed by a panel of judges [right]. What was it like having to send people home?
It was tough. There were some nights where the decision took hours because they didn’t always agree. They had to take so many things into consideration. Some of the guys are in the industry so they know how it works, but it’s heartbreaking when they don’t get through.
What are the contestants like?
Some of them have had experience and some of them are just fresh out of college. It’s amazing to see how well they do considering the level that they’re all at. Sometimes, I thought, ‘If they don’t get this part, she would be great in this,
