Review: Unsurprisingly, this touring version of the original jukebox musical is more mechanical and road-tested than the charming production that opened in London�s Prince Edward theatre a decade ago.

Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow
***
Unsurprisingly, this touring version of the original jukebox musical is more mechanical and road-tested than the charming production that opened in London's Prince Edward theatre a decade ago. It also takes an age to get out of first gear and is only really firing on all cylinders by the time Dancing Queen makes its appearance towards the end of the first half.

In the end, however, Phyllida Lloyd's show proves a more than reliable little runner, partly because it is not burdened by any grand design or overall ambition (although this is the work of the same team that created last year's superb Peter Grimes for Opera North).

Mamma Mia! must be the most domestic musical and Catherine Johnson's clever script is full of recognisable people. As nothing particularly virtuosic is required of the performers, when the rights become available it is sure to become a favourite with amateur dramatic societies.

Frozen in time in 1999, it is already a bit of period piece and its construction is immaculate. Everything exists in threes - bride-to-be Sophie and her two chums, her mum Donna and her old "backing singers", the three men who may be Sophie's dad, and fiance Sky and his mates - and the skill with which Johnson has incorporated the Abba songbook not only invented but exemplifies the genre. There was no such label as "jukebox musical" then, of course, and rather this is a Lego musical: solid, simple and satisfying.

The sparkle comes from the cast, with Haley Flaherty an utterly captivating Sophie and Carolanne Weidle equally perfectly cast as Donna. Her moments with soul sisters Rosie and Tanya inevitably steal the show.