If you love Mamma Mia!, start with & Juliet, Jersey Boys and SIX, then follow whichever thread made you dance in the aisle: a jukebox of hits you already know, pure sing-along joy, or a story about mothers, daughters and the families we choose. Here are ten feel-good musicals that bring that same sunshine.
Mamma Mia! set the template for the modern jukebox musical. Built on ABBA songs by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, with a book by Catherine Johnson, it opened in London’s West End in 1999 and on Broadway in October 2001, and it returned to Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre in August 2025 (IBDB, Playbill). To revisit the hits, see our Mamma Mia! songs explained guide.
What makes a musical feel like Mamma Mia!?
A Mamma Mia! night is less about plot twists and more about pleasure. Most fans are chasing one of these feelings:
- Songs you already love. A jukebox or pop score that turns familiar hits into story.
- Sing-along joy. A show that sends you out humming, or dancing in your seat.
- A big heart. Mothers and daughters, old friends and found families at the center.
- Warm comedy. Characters who are a little ridiculous and very lovable.
Our ten picks, at a glance:
| Musical | Music by | Broadway opening | Mamma Mia! thread |
|---|---|---|---|
| & Juliet | Max Martin and collaborators | 2022 | Pop hits, a new ending |
| Jersey Boys | Bob Gaudio, Bob Crewe | 2005 | The Four Seasons’ hits |
| Beautiful | Carole King and collaborators | 2014 | A songbook and a mother’s love |
| Rock of Ages | 1980s rock hits | 2009 | Cheesy, joyful jukebox |
| Moulin Rouge! | Pop songs, re-mixed | 2019 | A spectacular mashup |
| Head Over Heels | The Go-Go’s | 2018 | A girl-group jukebox fable |
| SIX | Toby Marlow, Lucy Moss | 2021 | Pop concert energy |
| Hairspray | Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman | 2002 | Mother, daughter and dancing |
| Kinky Boots | Cyndi Lauper | 2013 | Pop score, found family |
| Waitress | Sara Bareilles | 2016 | Friendship and motherhood |
Which jukebox musicals are most like Mamma Mia!?
& Juliet. The closest cousin. David West Read’s book imagines Shakespeare’s wife, Anne Hathaway, rewriting Romeo and Juliet so that Juliet lives, set to Max Martin’s pop hits. Like Mamma Mia!, it threads chart songs into a new story with a wink. It began in the West End in 2019 and opened on Broadway in November 2022 (IBDB, Playbill).
Jersey Boys. Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice tell the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, with each band member narrating a “season.” It is more grown-up than Mamma Mia!, but the hit parade is irresistible. It opened on Broadway in November 2005 and won the Tony for Best Musical.
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Douglas McGrath’s book follows the young songwriter from the hit factories of New York to her landmark album Tapestry. The songs are a who’s who of pop history, and King’s mother is a steady presence in her story. It opened on Broadway in January 2014 and ran for more than 2,400 performances.
Rock of Ages. If you love Mamma Mia!’s cheerful cheese, this 1980s rock jukebox turns the dial up to eleven, with a narrator who keeps reminding you it knows exactly how silly it is. It opened on Broadway in 2009. Our Rock of Ages songs explained guide covers every power ballad.
Moulin Rouge! Baz Luhrmann’s film became a Broadway spectacle in which dozens of pop songs crash into each other in medleys. Opening on Broadway in July 2019, it won the Tony for Best Musical. It is more tragic than Mamma Mia!, so bring tissues along with the glitter.
Head Over Heels. This fairy-tale romp sets an Elizabethan pastoral story to the songs of The Go-Go’s, with a book by Jeff Whitty adapted by James Magruder. It played Broadway’s Hudson Theatre from July 2018 to January 2019. Few people saw it, so it is a fun deep cut for jukebox fans.
Which shows are pure feel-good fun?
SIX. Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss turn the six wives of Henry VIII into a pop concert, and the result is as euphoric as the Mamma Mia! curtain call, only from the start. Born at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017, it officially opened on Broadway in October 2021. If you like it, our musicals like SIX list keeps the party going.
Kinky Boots. Cyndi Lauper wrote the music and lyrics and Harvey Fierstein the book for this story of a struggling shoe factory saved by a drag performer named Lola. It is a celebration of acceptance with an uplifting finale. It opened on Broadway in April 2013 and won the Tony for Best Musical (IBDB, Los Angeles Times).
Which musicals have a big heart for mothers and daughters?
Hairspray. Tracy Turnblad and her mother, Edna, are one of musical theater’s great parent-child pairs, and their duet about timeless love is pure joy. The score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman is 1960s pop, and the show won the Tony for Best Musical after opening on Broadway in 2002. See our Hairspray songs explained guide.
Waitress. Sara Bareilles wrote the music and lyrics for this story of Jenna, a pie-baking waitress facing an unexpected pregnancy and an unhappy marriage, with a book by Jessie Nelson. Like Donna in Mamma Mia!, Jenna finds strength in her women friends and her child. It opened on Broadway in April 2016.
Mamma Mia! also has a found-family streak, with Donna’s old bandmates, Tanya and Rosie, at her side. For a peek at how that warmth is made, read behind the scenes on Mamma Mia!.
Where should a Mamma Mia! fan start?
Start with & Juliet if you want the same pop-song alchemy, Jersey Boys for a hit-packed true story, and SIX for pure concert energy. If the mother-daughter story is what got you, Hairspray and Waitress are your next stops. Check official show sites for current Broadway, tour and West End dates before you buy, because runs open and close often.
Frequently asked questions
What musical is most like Mamma Mia!?
& Juliet is the closest match. Like Mamma Mia!, it builds a brand-new story around existing pop hits, here the songs of Max Martin, and it has the same playful, feel-good spirit. Jersey Boys and Beautiful are also strong choices if you want a jukebox show built around one artist’s songs.
What is a jukebox musical?
A jukebox musical uses existing popular songs, rather than a new score, to tell its story. Some, like Mamma Mia! and & Juliet, invent a new plot around the hits. Others, like Jersey Boys and Beautiful, tell the real story of the artists who wrote or recorded the songs.
Are there other ABBA musicals?
Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus also wrote the music for Chess, with lyrics by Tim Rice, a musical about a Cold War chess match. It is more dramatic than Mamma Mia! and uses original songs rather than ABBA hits. Mamma Mia! itself also inspired two films, released in 2008 and 2018.
What should I watch after Mamma Mia!?
If you loved the film, try the movie musicals of Hairspray or Moulin Rouge!, which share the same color and energy. For live theater, look for & Juliet, SIX, or a touring production of a jukebox show. Our list above explains which part of Mamma Mia! each one picks up.
Is & Juliet like Mamma Mia!?
Yes, in spirit. Both take well-known pop songs and fit them into a new, comic story with a strong woman at its heart. & Juliet uses the hits of Max Martin and a twist on Romeo and Juliet, while Mamma Mia! uses ABBA’s catalog and a wedding on a Greek island.
