Thank you for the music
Special Mamma Mia showing so dementia mum can sing along
A DEMENTIA sufferer was treated to a special screening of the new Mamma Mia! after having to leave another showing over complaints about her singing along.
Shirley Lewis, 68, who was diagnosed with early onset dementia 11 years ago, had gone to see prequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again as a birthday treat with daughter Rhiannon.
But as she started to shout along with the ABBA songs she remembered from years ago, other audience members started “huffing, puffing and tutting”.
Rhiannon, 40, said she “felt obliged” to remove her less than half way through at the Vue in Cwmbran, South Wales.
She added: “She can’t really sing any more but she shouts and calls out.
“A lady behind us made me feel really uncomfortable about that – she was moving around and huffing. My mum was really sad. She yelled ‘no’ when we tried to get her out of her seat and she fought every step on the staircase.
“To people who didn’t know, they must have thought my mum was drunk. But it was just the effects of dementia.”
A manager at the Cineworld in nearby Newport stepped in after Rhiannon ranted about it on Facebook.
He hosted a special viewing for Shirley, who brought husband James, daughters Rhiannon and Bethan and 100 friends and fellow sufferers so they could all sing along to their hearts’ content.
Rhiannon said: “The stress just melted away. People were free to move around, talking, and kids dancing in the aisles. It was a different experience. It means everything to see her enjoying herself.
“For those couple of hours she’s not confused and is just in the moment and not having to deal with this daily battle.”