“Dancing Queen,” “Take a Chance on Me,” “SOS”—love them or hate them, ABBA (Agnetha Fältskog, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Anni-Frid Lyngstad) knew what they were doing. What other group could have 22 of their songs stitched together into what would become an insanely popular Broadway musical and later an equally popular Hollywood hit? (In my opinion, Queen could. But that’s just me…)
Assuming you’re like me and have a few too many uninhibited-dancing-while-singing-loudly moments linked to ABBA songs, you’ll be happy to know that you’ll be able to find your fellow disco queens and kings at the Orpheum Theatre tomorrow night through March 14, when Mamma Mia takes over the stage.
That’s probably news enough to get you excited, but just for fun, here are six things you probably didn’t know, don’t really need to know, but are fun to know, about Mamma Mia and ABBA. See you at the show.
- Mamma Mia (the movie) overtook Titanic in 2008 in the UK as the country’s highest-grossing film.
- ABBA is also the name of a Swedish canned-fish company.
- “Mamma Mia” (the song) was a #1 hit in Australia in 1975, which was the first place to release it as a single.
- Before ABBA, Björn Ulvaeus was in a Swedish folk group called the Hootenanny Singers.
- In 2000, ABBA was offered $1 billion dollars to reunite for a tour. They declined.
- ABBA’s playwright, Catherine Johnson, was anti-ABBA before writing Mamma Mia. Don’t worry, she came around.
Mamma Mia
April 24-March 14
$28-$93
Orpheum Theatre, 805 Hennepin Ave., Mpls., 612-339-7007
hennepintheatretrust.org
