The Winner Takes It All: Mamma Mia! Tops London’s Best Musical Poll
MAMMA MIA! is London’s best West End show, according to a survey of the capital’s international students.
Research by Kaplan International English, a leading provider of English language courses, revealed that the stage musical, based on the songs of ABBA, is London’s most popular West End show beating the likes of The Lion King and The Phantom of the Opera.
Kaplan surveyed 535 students from its language schools in Covent Garden and Leicester Square to discover what they love about London.
London’s top five West End shows:
- MAMMA MIA!: (27%)
- The Lion King: (18%)
- The Phantom of the Opera: (18%)
- We Will Rock You: (13%)
- Les Miserables: (8%)
The team behind MAMMA MIA! said: "We are delighted that Kaplan International English students have voted us the best musical in London's West End. MAMMA MIA! has been performed to over 54 million people worldwide in 14 different languages and the music of ABBA is loved around the world, it is great to hear that the original production is so popular among international students."
The original West End production of MAMMA MIA! is now in its thirteenth year and has celebrated over 5,000 performances in London since opening at the Prince Edward Theatre. It has now transferred to the Novello Theatre after a period at the Prince of Wales Theatre.
Helga van de Kar, president of the Official ABBA Fan Club, said: “MAMMA MIA! has the best music combined with a great, fun story. You can watch it over and over again because it leaves you with such a happy feeling. The songs of ABBA are so recognisable and appealing. It’s no wonder that international students love MAMMA MIA!”
The results of Kaplan’s “What to do in London” survey have been published as a videographic. Visit the motiongraphic page to describe your dream day in the capital.
Kaplan surveyed students aged between 18 and 59 from 48 countries. All survey respondents had studied in London for at least four weeks between 2007 and 2014.
The students were from Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, and Zimbabwe.
Earlier this year, Kaplan discovered that The Lion King was the most popular Broadway musical among its New York students. For the results of the next “What to do in …” videographic series, subscribe to the Kaplan blog.