GEORGE MADDISON talks career and MAMMA MIA!

Interviewer: Pat Hayward 4th March 2026

With the musical Mamma Mia! in its 27^th year in the West End, Overture’s Pat Hayward caught up with George Maddison who is the latest in the long line of musical theatre stars that have played the role of Sky. George is a Hampshire lad and he chats about his journey from school to the West End.

PH: George here you are today playing Sky in the West End production of Mamma Mia! How did you first get involved with Mamma Mia!?

GM: I think it was in 2022 that I first auditioned for the international and UK tour of Mamma Mia! I did about 6-7 rounds and ended up not getting the job, which is often the way that these things go. And then I was really fortunate, as you know, when they say one door closes, another one opens. Being available meant I could do the West End transfer of the Young Vic’s production of Oklahoma! in the Wyndham’s Theatre and that was a really formative job for me. So I was really glad I was available for that. And then that summer, I bumped into the associate director of Mamma Mia! in a shoe shop, he’s a lovely man, Stephen. And he just asked me how I was getting on and how the show was going and whatnot. And then he just said, do you happen to be around at the moment for next year. And I said yes, currently. He said, leave it with me. And then lo and behold, I had an audition come through about two weeks later and that booked the job. So I ended up doing the international tour for 18 months March 2024 to June 2025. And then I had 2-3 months at home just recuperating before starting in September again as Sky in the London production of Mamma Mia!, which was really cool.

PH: So where, where did the international tour take you?

GM: So predominantly the first leg was Asia. We did five months around mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. And then in September we were in Dublin for the 20th anniversary of the tour which opened in Dublin. We played the 3Arena to over 7,000 people a night. I think they had to do some contractual things with Nick Grace management and Littlestar and Benny and Bjorn, all had to agree, because I think the venue capacity was higher than what was previously agreed. But because it was an anniversary and they could sell the tickets, they managed to get sign off. So I think it was like over 42,000 people came to see us.

PH: That must have been quite an experience.

GM: Yes, that was pretty cool. And they were great crowds, lots of singing along at the end and phone torches on. And we had cameras as well because it was such a big venue. They could show the close-ups of our faces on the screens, which I think was really important. And then after Dublin, we had a couple of weeks off and then we went to the South of France. And from there we went through Europe and into Germany and Austria up until just after Christmas. And then we went to a slightly different schedule, sort of one week on, one week off. But it was all mainland Europe again, so places like Switzerland and Luxembourg. Then we went to Portugal, Italy, France and Norway. We finished in Abu Dhabi for two weeks, which was pretty amazing.

PH; And then then back to the West End, that must have been quite a different experience.

GM: Well, you could say it was and it wasn’t. I think that from being a man in my 20s having the opportunity to see as much of the world that I got to see was just phenomenal. But that being said, from a career standpoint, it’s been really cool to have been offered the opportunity because it doesn’t happen all the time. And myself and Ellie (Kingdon), who plays Sophie, who is just the most phenomenal actor and singer, we were offered to to come to town together for the year. And so from a professional standpoint, it was a really cool thing to have been asked and we considered it such a privilege. But sometimes I do miss the road, yeah.

PH: How do you find West End audiences compared with audiences on tour?

GM: It can be up and down, to be honest with you. I think you have a large number of tourists, so maybe sometimes there’s a language barrier. But then again, on tour, in a lot of venues, especially as we went through China, the whole show was subtitled. So there was a slight imbalance between the timing of jokes and the reaction. I will say that by the end of the show everyone is always happy, which is a real privilege. But Mama Mia! is a glorious jukebox musical that has stood the test of time and still to this day hasn’t changed since its inaugural performance. And still I think we sell out maybe 95% of seats across the week most weeks. The turn out is consistently incredible and that’s really fun to have consistently large audiences.

PH: So you’re definitely a theatre man now. What were you like as a little kid before you even went to school?

GM: Before I went to school? Oh, God. I was really sporty. My granddad was a huge football fan so I used to play football a lot and I didn’t really do theatre and drama as far as I can remember. I think that was definitely a later development in my life. I was quite academic at school and so I always chased after that sort of achievement and I love languages and those kind of things.

PH: Where did you go to school?

GM: Because my dad was in the military. I went to a private school in Dorset called Clayesmore, which is just outside of Blandford. So I went there from 2007 to 2015. It was 8 years, a long time. Thank you to the British military for the bursaries that they pay for the children so that they don’t have to keep moving around all the time, as a result I was given a great opportunity and a great education. I loved the sport. There was so much team sport. I was in a choir and musically I started to find myself learning the guitar and sort of trying to become, I guess at school you’d call it an all rounder. And it was kind of like the core subjects that I liked the least of the curriculum and things like geography and languages and sport and more creative things I started to really dip my toes into. And then when I went off to university, I ended up doing languages for a four year degree at Exeter. But that’s when I discovered how important music and theatre actually was to me and maybe that could be part of my future.

PH: So what happened during your time at Exeter that got you to make that decision?

GM: Well, there’s, there’s a great Society at Exeter that they’re still running called University of Exeter Footlights. And I auditioned on a whim for a production of The Addams Family for the reason that I had some friends from the show choir that I had joined, that were doing it. And I was hooked from then on. I loved it. I think I’d found my sort of people, as it were. And don’t get me wrong, I was not a polished performer when I started. And even when I went to the Royal Academy just after the pandemic, I was not, I mean, I’m still on learning day 1,000 of one million, so still have so much to learn. But the drive is still there and the passion is definitely still there. But I think that is the same for anyone that is true to a profession. You know, you never stop learning. From everybody you meet, there’s something to learn. And you never, never stop wanting to learn as well.

PH: So how, did you go about transforming your your initial love for music and theatre into something that was going to become your profession?

GM: Well, I was in my third year of a four year degree course and I was kind of starting to question whether I had made the wrong choice and was it what I want to do. I remember having quite a tough conversation with my mum actually, but she said finish this degree and then if you still want to do the the drama school thing, let’s give it a go. So I remember my final year of university, I auditioned for Mountainviews MA programme and I got my recall through, but I ended up not going, because I just didn’t think I was quite ready. And I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t just, you know, fighting on a whim to go do something. So I took what I would probably call my gap year in quotation marks, which just ended up with me working at my old school. Which got cut short as I lost the job to COVID. But when I was there, I really started to look at whether I still wanted to do theatre and keep checking that the passion was still there. I was like, I don’t want to be a teacher, I want to be an actor. And I was helping out in the school’s drama department and it was keeping me going. So I again in secret auditioned for Royal Academy Of Music and when I got my recall I had to do it online rather than in person unlike my first one. First one was it person. Then I was 23.

PH: So you went you went to the Royal Academy Of Music? How did you get on there?

GM: I loved it. I mean, it was better than school, I think it was so intense. I’m someone that definitely deals well under pressure and also someone that tries to do everything quickly. And so the amount of information I had to climb into, essentially a year’s training plus a winter lockdown, it was mental. We had all the restrictions still in place, so there’s social distancing and masks and classes and all of those things. But I wouldn’t have changed it. It was so formative. It’s unbelievably good training, especially in the acting and the acting through song department. I mean, some of the people that you get coaching are just awesome. We worked with some great directors and we did some good productions and I just think it shaped me out. But I left knowing I’ve still got so much to learn and it gave me tools to put into practice, but it never once made me doubt, never once pushed me away and said you are ready for this now. It gives you the coping mechanisms and kind of says these are your basics you’re now going to go out into the world and whatever job you do, remember your basics, but then take on board more from your experiences and you will build. I think that’s the key to longevity in a career,

PH: So once you stepped away from the Royal Academy, what was the next step?

GM: I worked front of house at a gym for about 3 or 4 months and then was lucky enough to get myself a part in the reopening of Heather’s The Musical at the Other Palace in the November of the year that I left. And that was an interesting job. I learnt a lot. I learnt a lot about dealing with people. It’s, such a cult, that show, unlike anything I’d ever experienced. I think for a young actor, I’m not sure if it’s great for the ego. In full transparency, I think when you get exposed to the kind of fandom that you’re not necessarily deserving of. You’re just in something that is so loved, it exposes you to so many people. And so many people get exposed to you that you suddenly think you’re like some kind of miniature celebrity. And you’re not, you’re just in a musical. But it’s such a phenomena what they’ve have managed to achieve. Paul and Andy and Laurence and Kevin that created the show and made it what it is. But it was intense. It was an intense 6 months and I don’t know if I learnt the best lessons from it or, or the worst, you know, but I went from there into Carousel at Kilworth House for Nick Winston, which still to this day holds such a special place in my heart. I loved that show. I loved the message that Nick was trying to convey about post traumatic stress following the war and maybe that’s because I think Carousel can be quite a divisive show on its subject matter anyway. But the music is so stunning and the choreography was incredible. And I think what we tried to do was create a piece where the main characters flaws, resonated on a slightly deeper level than just being a brute. So hopefully we pulled that off. But I had a summer in Leicestershire and it was really nice and we had a heat wave and it was really fun to be a part of that show. And then I had quite a bit of time off until I found out that I’d landed a spot in Oklahoma! as understudies for Curly Judd and Will. I played all three but I think I went on the least of all the understudies. But that’s what happens when you cover the performers who just come in and get it done. You know, you learn so much, but then you get stuck in the in the wing waiting. Because it was a short contract there’s no holiday which you would get on a longer contract. But again, I learnt so much. Daniel Fish was a phenomenal director to have worked with and people like Patrick Vale and Anoushka Lucas taught me a lot on that job. So it was a cool show. And every time he got to put the chaps on and carry the guitar out because it was acting musicians. Yeah, no feeling like it.

PH: The amazing thing here, George, is that the productions that you’ve been been in are absolutely top notch productions of world renowned shows, which is pretty incredible for somebody coming into the business. So, the future opportunities for you must be huge.

GM: I’ve got my eyes set on a few prizes and I’m really in. I’m learning that about myself now. Sometimes I think it’s really easy to kind of just say this is how I get on. And sometimes you need an outsider’s point of view. But, yeah, I’ve got my eyes set on some prizes that I would like. They include venues, people to work with, shows and roles. But I’m intrigued as to what will happen in September when my current contract ends. I’m intrigued to see what the next 10 years brings because it’s hard, especially as a slightly mid baritone singer. It’s a difficult world for a younger man. In terms of that vocal range, there’s not much out there. So it’d be interesting to see when my age matches and my casting bracket starts to age up a bit to see what opportunities could fall into my lap. But to be honest, I think I’m very, very lucky to have an incredible agent. And that’s important, he has managed to get me into some rooms, or get me tapes for things that I just would never in my wildest dreams have even considered as being a possibility. So I think I want to say that I’m hopeful for the future of my career, but I also have to be honest and say I think my priority in life is shifting slightly, not away from performing because it’s still my love and it will always be what I aspire to do professionally.

But I’m getting to an age where family and that side of my life is starting to rear its head in a way that it is becoming really important to me to be in a position to be able to settle down and, and start a life with someone and start a family. And so it kind of puts into perspective, like when you first leave drama school and you get the nose and you get close to things and you get to the finals and you go, Oh my God, I’m absolutely acing this. And then you get a ‘no’ and the rejection’s really hard. It can feel like a real bruise to your ego or to your ability. But as you get older and you work more and you realise that eight shows a week isn’t a luxury. It’s an honour and a privilege, but it’s not a luxury because it’s hard work. And mentally doing the same thing, some days twice a day, it can be really tiring mentally and you can feel like you’re constantly battling. And I think that’s we’ve got a few people on in the show right now where this is their first job. And it’s like seeing the youthful energy in them thinking I love this, this is so cool. I’m so lucky and it’s great because it reminds you that you’re lucky to be where you are. But in the back of your mind you’re thinking this job is going to hit you soon. And, and it’s something as simple as sickness, like my housemates, if they’re sick, they can still work. If they’ve got a cold, they can still work. It doesn’t matter if my voice goes, that’s it. I’m stuck at home. And then it becomes the constant battle of me versus my mind of what’s going to get better first, you know. And so I think as I move through my career and get older, I’ve learnt to just take each day as like that is what it is. And if tonight’s performance isn’t the best thing I’ve ever done, then that is what it is because it’s the best I could have done today. And I think each, no, is a step on life’s learning curve.

I’ve learnt so much recently because I’ve had some auditions for one of my dream jobs and I got very close to it last year but I didn’t get the job and it’s coming back round again. And you go, as long as I walk into that room, whatever stage it is, and I’ve done all the preparation that I can do. Mentally I’m will be ready. I had a great quote that was like, “I’m there to play, not to be perfect, you know?” And so if I can turn up and show my passion for the role, my ideas for a role, but also show my flexibility to take on whatever notes come in. It doesn’t matter if my voice cracks or it’s not spot on right now because I’ve done all the work I can do before that moment, right? A big thing I’ve learnt recently is just to walk away from that room and go, OK, whatever happens, it’s out of my hands now. There’s a million and one things that go through a casting team’s mind and whether or not you’re going to be in the 70th cast of Les Mis, it’s not down to you after that point.

PH: One of the things that I’ve always taken with me is that you never go back. There’s no point. It’s learn from what you’ve done. If you’ve made mistakes, make sure you don’t do the same thing again, but never look back and never go back. George, I have really appreciated the time you have spent with me today and sharing your incredible story.