Mamma Mia! Abba back together again
IT was probably a case of knowing me, knowing you.
For the stars of pop phenomenon Abba last night made a rare appearance as a group – for the first time in eight years.
Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad posed obligingly for the cameras at the opening of a new restaurant in Stockholm – where diners will be entertained by a show based on their songs.
The Swedish group were last pictured together in 2008, when they walked the red carpet for the premiere of the film version of Mamma Mia!.
The musical on which it was based features the band’s hits between 1972 and 1982, including Dancing Queen, Take A Chance On Me and Money Money Money.
The stars were reportedly reluctant about the creation of the show, which premiered in 1999 before going on to run for 14 years on Broadway. But they now hope to replicate its glowing reception with their live restaurant experience, called Mamma Mia! The Party.
It is staged at the Niko’s Taverna, a Greek restaurant designed to emulate where the film was made. For around £109, guests can expect Mediterranean food and several Abba-themed acts, complete with ‘flirty waiters’.
Abba formed in 1972 and topped the charts from 1975 to 1982. They won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974, and were the most successful group ever to take part in the competition.