They say getting married to your soulmate is a dream come true, but imagine getting married to your soulmate 3,000 times! For Sara Poyzer (Donna Sheridan) and Richard Standing (Sam Carmichael), two talented stage veterans who make up the leading couple of what’s possibly West End’s most exhilarating theatrical, this is the reality they have been living for over a decade. 

The world has seen many instances of thespians going from fellow co-actors to partners, but for Sara and Richard, the stage is where their story unfolded, and continues to unfold, curtain call after curtain call, as the duo navigates a remarkable life on the go – one filled with music, love, laughter, and a happily ever after that’s still being written.   

Here is an excerpt from our conversation with the couple, tracing the most memorable parts of their journey in India. 

Q: How long have you been associated with the production?  
Sara: I think it has been over 13 years, but with the number of shows we’ve done, it feels like a lifetime!  

Q: And is MAMMA MIA! where you met?  
Sara: No. We did a Shakespeare play together, where we played lovers on stage. 

Richard: But we didn’t get together until the end of the tour. The key was that we just got to be really good friends, and we’d rehearse a song together every day. Inevitably, we got together.   

Q: You guys have said I do to each other about 3000 times. Are you still keeping a count?  
Richard: When people ask me, I'll say, 10,000 times, because it feels a lot like that.  

Sara: But in all honesty, I think it's about 3,300 times.  

Q: And what about the real one? How long since you have said “I do”…for real?? 
Both: We have been together for 20 years and married for 13-14 years.   

Q: What do you remember the most about the day Richard proposed? 
Sara: I remember it so vividly. We were in Paris at the Eiffel Tower, and it was my birthday – it was very romantic.  

Richard: She knew that I had the ring all along, because I made it very evident by touching my pocket the entire time through our train journey. And then, she lost that ring! But fortunately, insurance bought us the exact same one. 
 
Q: For a generation obsessed with destination weddings, would you like to share your experience of getting married around the world so many times? Sara: Our actual wedding was on a farm in England. After that, thanks to the show, we've got married all around the world. We've also celebrated our wedding anniversaries at a lot of these places.  

Richard: I remember, for our actual wedding, we were on top of a big hill in the middle of the countryside. The guys had to walk up and the girls hopped on the back of a tractor. It was kind of rustic, nothing like Donna and Sam's wedding that you see on stage. That said, if I could get married anywhere in the world, it would be Paris. 

Sara: Maybe we could renew our vows there!  

Q: Which country or audience have you enjoyed the most so far? 
Sara: We've performed in about 40 different cities, so that's a really difficult question. I feel like we really invest all our energies in the place that we’re in. So right now, Mumbai is my favourite place. But when I'm in Johannesburg, that becomes my favourite place. Because everywhere we go, there's always so much to look forward to.  

Richard: It's like saying who's your favourite child. Nobody wants to say it, even though they all know. But jokes apart, the fun part is that the things they (the audience) enjoy keep changing – which keeps it fresh.  

Q: How has the response of the Indian audience been? 
Sara:  Each place we go, it does feel like the same show, but within a very different context. At NMACC for instance, we have got great laughs at lines we've never had (laughs at) before! That's what's really interesting for us, and what helps us keep doing what we do for 13 years.  

Richard: Yes, Indians love the “The father would normally pay for the wedding” line, because weddings are obviously so big over here. I think it gets the biggest laugh of the show!  

Q: How has your experience been performing at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, The Grand Theatre, and in India? 
Sara: We were immensely looked after at the NMACC! Right from when we arrived.  

Q: So which place have you enjoyed the most in India?  
Richard: We arrived early and went from Delhi to Rajasthan, and even explored Goa before coming to Mumbai. With what I witnessed during that journey, I’ve got to agree with Gandhi ji when he said, “India lives in her villages”. We celebrated Diwali at an old fort in a tiny village with a family and rode through the bylanes of Jaipur on a bicycle early in the morning – which was amazing! To us, India has been such a big-hearted country. The people are very warm, and more importantly, they are real.  

Sara: Before this tour, I never got the chance to see many of India’s iconic landmarks and experienced its cities like a true local. But thankfully, now I’ve not only been to the Gateway of India, but I’ve also been on an autorickshaw ride, and met so many wonderful people.  

Q: And what's been your favourite food so far?  
Sara: It’s got to be butter chicken! Somebody had once said to me that when you leave India, you’ll put on a few kgs, and it's true (Laughs). In England when you say you like Indian food, it can mean a lot of things. But me, I love it all. Be it North Indian food, the delicious dishes of Mumbai, or the coastal cuisine we tried in Goa. Just bring on the Indian food!   

Richard: We also really loved the kachoris and samosas. England has a deep love affair with Indian food, but they certainly don't make it like here.  

Q: What do you think makes MAMMA MIA! such an iconic musical? 
Sara: The first is the music. ABBA’s music is timeless. They write such beautiful, storytelling songs. Somebody asked me if I ever get tired of hearing it, and the answer is no. Even after all these years, when I hear it on the radio, I tap my feet. Also, wherever you're from, whatever your religion, your gender, your age, MAMMA MIA! is a story that resonates with everybody. I remember having an off the other night, so I decided to come see the show thinking that it is going to feel a lot like work, since I’ve been doing the show for so long. But no, I was up, I was weeping,  and I was so proud of being part of this show!  

Richard: I think in the end, what MAMMA MIA! conveys is that love is the answer to all problems. And the best part about love is that it doesn't exclude anybody. So as the plot thickens and culminates into its epic finale, one realises that family can be anything, as long as we try to get along.