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A B O U T T O N I G H T
Really, it’s OK if you don’t remember the Swedish pop group ABBA all that well. Nor is it a musical
sin if the names of its quartet – Agnetha, Anni-Frid, Benny and Björn – don’t resonate as strongly
as George, John, Paul and Ringo. The Beatles ended their ten-year sprint in 1970, two years before
ABBA began its marathon in 1972. Although ABBA was a global phenomenon, wildly popular
throughout Europe, Japan and Australia, in the United States only one ABBA song (“Dancing
Queen”) reached the lofty #1 spot on the Billboard chart – and then only for one week.
When ABBA disbanded in 1982, Benny and Björn (who had composed most of the group’s songs)
turned their attention to theater. Together with lyricist Tim Rice (
Aida, Evita
) they wrote
Chess,
which opened in London in 1986. As
Chess
was being assembled, one of the show’s producers, Judy
Craymer, began to listen to ABBA music with fresh ears. She came to believe that “The Winner Takes
It All” had the resonance of a theater song.
In perusing the ABBA catalog, Craymer discovered that lurking beneath the pop sound, the lyrics
embraced a wide swath of emotions. In addition to exuberant tunes about young passion, getting
high on love and having the time of your life, there also were tales about cheating lovers, broken
hearts, jealousy, confusion and remorse.
Judy Craymer allowed the idea of an ABBA-inspired musical to gestate for several years. Then in
1997 she commissioned playwright Catherine Johnson to write the book. In essence, the songs
drove the plot. For instance, “Our Last Summer” references someone named Harry, so the musical
features a character named Harry. Johnson’s script also was influenced by the 1968 movie
Buona
Sera, Mrs. Campbell
starring Gina Lollobrigida and (as the three men who might be father to Gina’s
daughter) Peter Lawford, Phil Silvers and Telly Savalas. (This same resilient plot had already been
usurped in 1979 by Alan Jay Lerner for
Carmelina
, a Broadway musical that closed after three
weeks.)
Mamma Mia!
was an instant hit when it opened in London in April 1999. Seventeen years later, it
is still running in the West End. But producer Craymer was wary of Broadway.
Chess
, which ran for
nearly three years in London, had closed after six weeks in New York. Instead
Mamma Mia!
opened
in Toronto, then toured to San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago before coming to New York, where
it arrived with the impact of a very friendly steamroller.
Mamma Mia!
charmed Broadway audiences
for nearly 14 years and 5,758 performances.
And the gentle juggernaut continues. It has been suggested that, with constant productions around
the world, the sun never sets on
Mamma Mia!
More than 60 million people already have seen the
show. Not bad for an old pop group that called it quits 34 years ago. – Dennis Brown
To read more about “Mamma Mia!” – and about Alan Jay Lerner’s 1979 musical “Carmelina” --
go to “Dennis Brown Blog” on the Muny website at
muny.org.
About
Mamma Mia!