Theatres have finally reopened and ABBA Mania is a joyful way to celebrate coming out of lockdown through a fun two hour musical celebration that entertains as well as supporting the Theatre industry. We went along on opening night and we’ve got three reasons you should go too.
The music
ABBA MANIA brings to life ABBA’s last ever concert in an exhilarating two-hour production celebrating the timeless joy of their songs. Watching Eurovision the night after only made the team realise how much the show has changed since 1974 when ABBA first performed Waterloo on the contest. The whole family will enjoy the irresistibly catchy songs on opening night the audience found themselves dancing in the aisles as well as their chairs. Children will love the atmosphere and the music whilst parents can enjoy in a bit of nostalgia.
The band
Although this is the theatre – it very much felt like we were at a family friendly concert – the two school aged children in front of us surprised us with their extensive knowledge of the lyrics and the brilliantly talented ABBA MANIA band brought the whole show together. Paul Gregory (The Book of Mormon, West End, UK and international tour; The Lion King, UK tour) lead on drums with Dan Hall (The Drifters, UK and Ireland tour; The Blues Brothers, UK and Japan tour) on bass guitar and Anders Rye (The Blues Brothers, UK and Ireland tour; Rat Pack, world tour) on guitar.
The costumes
Dust away your glad rags and get dressed up for this show. The fantastic costumes on the stage were very much rivalled by audience members sporting platforms, glitter and headbands galore on our visit. Children and their grown-ups can take the opportunity to dress up and party like it’s the 70s once more.
ABBA Mania is on at Shaftesbury Theatre until 6th of June with showings in the evening as well as family friendly daytime shows. Tickets start at £20 and more info and booking can be found here.