Mamma Mia! and the Aesthetics of the Twenty-First-Century Jukebox Musical

This chapter explores the aesthetics of the jukebox musical subgenre and, by taking Mamma Mia! as a key example, analyses the dramaturgy of the piece to show how its narrative and musical structure reflects the interlocking themes of the break-up of the nuclear family, mother–daughter relationships, and the problems of single mothers. By examining how Mamma Mia! evokes on stage the sunny atmosphere of a beach holiday on a Greek island, the article demonstrates the way in which the show exploits the jukebox format to express the utopianism of musical comedy through the pleasure derived from its artful deployment of ABBA’s greatest hits. The essay considers the jukebox structure of Mamma Mia! and compares it with other British examples of the subgenre, namely the jukebox musicals Our House (2002), Taboo (2002), Never Forget (2007), and Viva Forever (2013).