Antony Costa calls Mama Mia! The Party 'the best job I've had outside Blue'
Antony Costa has branded his starring role in Mama Mia! The Party 'the best job outside of Blue I've ever had.' The boyband star, 44, is appearing as patriarch Nikos the co-owner of Nikos Taverna on the Greek Island of Skopelos in the hit show.
Since opening in August 2019, Mamma Mia! The Party London has welcomed over 600,000 guests, delivered over 1500 performances, and has been visited by guests from 110 countries for an evening of dancing, dining and singing to some of ABBA's greatest hits.
As the sun sets in Skopelos, guests take their seats at Nikos' family-run taverna where they enjoy a delicious four-course Greek feast, while an action-packed love story unfolds around them.
Following the performance, which is filled with timeless ABBA anthems such as Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen and Waterloo, guests are encouraged to get up and sing and dance the night away as the taverna transforms into a glittering ABBA disco.
"I absolutely love it because you just don't know what you are going to get from one night to the next," says Antony. Every audience is different. When you're in it, there's you can do other than just let go and enjoy yourself."
Antony began entertaining crowds in the show in 2023 and said it was a no brainer to return. "When I got the call to come back I literally jumped at the chance. I was like, "Yep, I'm around Let's do it. Let's go!"
The party also has the seal of approval from Abba royalty, including Björn Ulvaeus who helped mastermind the show. Antony says: "Bjorn's team had this idea of creating this immersive show because he said when you go and see Mama Mia! the West End show people are itching to get up and dance. You can't help it with Abba and that's where the idea for Mama Mia! The Party started," explains Antony.
"There's something about ABBA songs that no matter how many times you've heard the songs, you still just want to get up and dance. I mean you look at the crowds we have and it's children with their parents, there's teenagers with their parents, adults with their mums and dads, older people just dancing and singing away.
"It is a testament to Abba as a pop group, 50 years ago they came out with Waterloo and we're still belting it out," says the boyband star.
As well as paying homage to one of the greatest pop groups of all time, Antony's role in the show also allows him to reconnect with his Greek roots.
'I based the character on my late grandfather, his mannerism and characteristics, and, yeah, it was it was a lovely part to sort of get my teeth into. I had to do my homework don't get me wrong, but it was easy preparation to do as it's not a character I didn't know," says Anthony. "It's about getting the little elements right like how he pronounced words and the broken-in English he spoke in. He came over from Cyprus as a young lad supporting his family, my dad and his and sisters."
Antony gets so into character during his performance that he even refuses to acknowledge fans who mention his boyband background. "We had a guy in who had come down from up north and he was like, 'oh my God, I'm a massive Blue fan, and I'm seeing you guys in Manchester!', and I was like, 'Sorry, who are Blue? I have no idea what you're talking about.' He was very confused but while the show is on we are on the Greeks island of Skopelos where the Mamma Mia! films are filmed."
The 02 venue is transformed so that as soon as audiences walk through the blue doors they immediately feel as though they've stepped foot in balmy Greece - with incredible attention to detail bringing the space alive - as well as the actors working their way through the tables.
"It looks like a village I would have seen as a small boy," says Antony. "It still freaks me out to this day that I walk in every night, you know, and think this is my place of work."
While Antony is having a ball every night, the immersive elements of the show have not been without their fair share of incidents.
"I've tripped over, I've fallen, I've slipped - trust me I've done it all," laughs the star. "When something like that happens you've got to make it look as if it's happening here and now. Even though I've done hundreds of shows over the years, you've still got to make it as if it's that night is the only night.
"If I trip over I pretend to have a go at the waiters because that's the sort of thing my character would do. If a drink spills we can make it work. It's all in jest. It's not real but it's a real for that moment.
"When we hear a plate smash we all shout out 'Opa' which is you would do that in a Greek restaurant anyway. It keeps things authentic!"
Antony has the seal of approval from his Greek family who have been to see the show four times. "They love it especially my dad, who came over from Cyprus in 1961. After my dad saw it he said, 'You based that on my dad didn't you?' It meant a lot that he noticed."
Antony joined the boyband Blue, with members Lee Ryan, Simon Webbe and Duncan James, in 2000 and are celebrating their 25th anniversary.Mamma Mia! The Party originally opened in Stockholm in January 2016. The O2 London arena tickets including admission, a four-course set meal and a welcome drink.
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