Sara Poyzer says “I do, I do, I do, I do, I do” to her husband Richard Standing every single night – because they are starring together in the West End smash musical Mamma Mia! which arrives at His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen this week.
Sara plays Donna in the Abba-tastic show while Richard plays Sam – one of the three possible dads of daughter Sophie – and their characters end up tying the knot as the hugely-popular show heads for its finale.
“Over 1,000 times now I’ve said yes,” said Sara. “I must be sure.”
But just how is it doing the whole romantic “falling in love” thing with your husband in every performance, watched by a theatre full of folk?
“I think there’s that added extra when we gaze into each other’s eyes, so I hope it’s got that extra frisson,” said Sara.
“Sometimes when we tell audience members they say: ‘Ah, we knew you were either married or having an affair.’ So the chemistry is there, which is good after 15 years of being together.”
Sara was Mamma Mia’s mum before Meryl Streep
“I would still say ‘I do’ in real-life… it would be awkward if I didn’t,” said Sara, laughing.
She is looking forward to coming to Aberdeen for the first time, when Mamma Mia! starts its two-week run at His Majesty’s from Tuesday March 15 – in a show which is packed full of hit after Abba hit as anyone who has seen the movie version will know.
Sara, though, was playing the part of Donna – which she describes as a responsibility and a privilege – long before the stage musical was adapted for the big screen.
“It used to be known as the mum role and now it’s kind of known as the Meryl Streep role,” said Sara, adding the director of the stage version recently said she had a “look of Meryl Streep” about her.
“I think there is an expectation now from the audience. They know they are not coming to see the film, yet for many, the film is firmly imprinted in their brain.
“So, to be honest with you, Meryl Streep is an Oscar-winning actress, so I watched the film and nicked some ideas… why wouldn’t you,” said Sara, laughing again. “That’s a really good way of doing that… I’m going to steal that.”
“But there is that kind of added pressure now that somebody so fantastic has played the part, albeit in a different medium.”
Abba’s music is the secret to Mamma Mia’s success says Sara
Mamma Mia! – which has become a feel-good global phenomenon with some 70 million people around the world having seen the show, yet it still packs theatres where ever it goes.
Sara thinks the secret of its success is fairly straightforward.
“First and foremost, it’s the music of Abba,” said Sara. “I have heard a lot of people who work in the music industry – quite famous musicians – say Abba write brilliant pop songs. They’re memorable, they’re harmonious, the lyrics are great, the melodies are great.
“Then Catherine Johnson has written what feels like a very simple plot device to weave these songs in, but what she has done has captured so many different elements of what it is to be human.
“I know they are not the same and Shakespeare does it in a very different way, but what they both do is represent real, core human emotions – love, forgiveness, strength, jealousy, vulnerability. There is something everybody can identify with.”
Mamma Mia carries emotional punch along with its feel-good message
Sara is often aware of people in the audience crying as she sings Slipping Through My Fingers – about a mum letting go of her child as she grows up – which underlines the emotional punch Mamma Mia carries as a counterpoint to the upbeat feel-good nature of the show.
It is that clap and singalong aspect which gives Sara one of her favourite moments in the show.
“I really like the finale, I think it feels like a real pop concert,” she said. “We sing the Eurovision Song Contest winner, Waterloo, that catapulted Abba into this global phenomenon.”
Sara is loving being back on the road after the Covid-enforced break that saw theatres go quiet forcing her and Richard to both take on different jobs. She became a volunteer vaccinator, part of what was dubbed “Jabs Army” south of the border, while Richard became head gardener at a country estate.
Sara reckons Mamma Mia is the show people want to see in these troubled times – especially having waited so long for it to arrive.
How to get tickets to see Mamma Mia at His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen
“There are many other things going on in the world, not just the pandemic as we all know. There are some dark times in our lives,” she said.
“What I hope people get when they come and see it is two-and-a-half hours of pure escapism, listening to songs they know, having a good time, maybe crying a little bit, but mostly laughing.”
Mamma Mia is at His Majesty’s Theatre from Tuesday March 15 to Saturday March 26. For tickets and information go to aberdeenperformingarts.com