Most theatre nights end with polite applause and a walk to the tube. Mamma Mia! The Party ends with everyone on their feet on a dancefloor, which is exactly the point of an experience built to blur the line between a show and an actual night out.
A New Story, Written by Sandi Toksvig
Rather than restaging the film, the experience is built around an original English book written by comedian Sandi Toksvig, set at Nikos’ family-run taverna on the Greek island of Skopelos. Characters named Nikos, Kate, Adam, and Konstantina navigate an evening of family life and blossoming romance right around the tables, performed in a detailed taverna setting that echoes the look of the original Skopelos filming locations. It’s a genuinely different story from the movie, using the same warmth and setting rather than retelling the same plot beat for beat.
A Four-Course Greek Feast Before the Dancing Starts
Chef Debbie’s menu leans fully into shared Greek dining rather than individual plated courses. Dinner opens with a traditional mezze of breads, dips, and olives, followed by a Greek salad with spanakopita, then braised lamb stifado and slow-cooked beef served alongside garlic-roasted potatoes and vegetable briam. Dessert is a trio called poikilia glyko, including orange ravani cake and baklava, before tea or coffee closes out the meal. Vegetarian and vegan guests get their own full alternative menu rather than a single substitute dish, and a sharing cheeseboard with Greek and Irish cheeses is available as an add-on.
ABBA, Performed Live
Once dinner winds down, the taverna transforms into a full disco, with a live band playing through ABBA’s catalog rather than a backing track, a signature moment of Mamma Mia! The Party that guests consistently mention. The band pairs with the ABBA story itself, tracing the group from a 1970 holiday performance for UN soldiers in Cyprus through their breakthrough at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, all the way to nine UK number ones and more than 385 million records sold worldwide. That history sets up the live set as something closer to a genuine tribute than a themed backdrop.
A Purpose-Built Taverna Inside The O2
The whole Mamma Mia! The Party experience takes place inside a purpose-built Greek taverna constructed within The O2 in London, complete with a recreated town square, tourist office, and souvenir stands built to sell the illusion of Skopelos before the show even starts. It’s easily reachable from central London, whether that means the Tube, a boat along the Thames, or the Emirates cable car, so the “flight to Greece” framing doesn’t come with an actual travel headache attached.
What the Critics Have Said
The reviews back up the party-first framing. The Times described a night out with ABBA as an ideal escape from everyday life. The Daily Mirror summed the whole evening up as pure fun in a few words. Smooth Radio’s take was even simpler, noting they had rarely seen a crowd enjoying themselves this much. Guest reviews on TripAdvisor echo the same theme, consistently pointing to the combination of food, music, and atmosphere rather than any single element carrying the night alone.
Worth Booking for a Group
Between the original story, the full Greek dinner, and a live band playing straight through ABBA’s biggest hits, Mamma Mia! The Party is built for groups who want more than a passive night out. It’s less a show to watch quietly and more an evening to actually be part of, which tends to make it a stronger fit for a birthday, a hen do, or a reunion than a typical night at the theatre.
