New ABBA Musical

[Katurian2]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 9:34am

ABBA has a new musical in the works- Kristina. Any thoughts on how this might work out?

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 10:57am

It is not ABBA, but Bjorn and Benny from ABBA who wrote a new score for Kristina, which was already produced in Sweden several years ago. What has been in the works is an english-language translation to open in the US, but the mention of a US or London production has been rumored for quite some time. There have been a few threads about it already. Below is the most recent.
Kristina Fran Duvemala

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 11:02am

Would LOVE to hear the music from this show. These guys are extremely talented!

[mominator]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 11:10am

Loved Chess, had a ton of fun at Mamma Mia, and will most likely enjoy this one as well!

[FOAnatic]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 12:05pm

Over three hours though?

It's going to have to be cut down to have a successful Broadway mounting.

LOTR is different because of its hardcore fans, but I doubt the average theatregoer would stick around for this whole production.

Posted: 3/17/06 at 12:18pm

I'm threading jacking, but there needs to be a Golden Girls musical.

I'd love to play Dorothy.

[Anastasia_Beaverhausen]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 12:22pm

Here is another site I have bookmarked from several years ago:

http://www.duvemala.com/

[FOAnatic]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 12:22pm

Ms. Arthur has already promised that part to me.

I'm her protege. She's training me.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 12:25pm

yeah, they have some talent for writing a good catchy melody. can't wait for this show.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 2:17pm

My darling voice teacher - Patti Cohenour - has been a part of the workshop. I haven't seen her in a while because of it. But when I return from London next week, I'll be seeing her. I'll be sure to post the buzz about it.

Last time I spoke to her she said it's a beautiful piece, but INCREDIBLY difficult.

[keggss23]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 2:20pm

"I'm threading jacking, but there needs to be a Golden Girls musical.

I'd love to play Dorothy. "

AMEN!!! I have to be Rose.

[tophertilson]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 2:29pm

I have the CD's of the Swedish production. The music is beautiful, but I doubt it would fly on Broadway. The story is turgid and melodramatic. Unless the translation is a complete overhaul, I can't see it working.

TT

[BrianWilsonFan]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 2:30pm

Kristina Fran Dulemela, an astonishing set of 3 discs that runs the musical gamut from Classical to Country to Big Ballads...

I'm so happy to see this work from 1996 get the recognition it so richly deserves. If this is done well it should go to the toppermost of the poppermost...

[The8re phan]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 2:33pm

They've been writing this musical 4-evah.

The ABBA classic 'Thank You For The Music' (now featured in Mamma Mia!) was written & intended for this piece back in the seventies

[BrianWilsonFan]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 2:37pm

Thank You For The Music, the acoustic version aka The Doris Day version now that was a revelation...

Updated On: 3/18/06 at 02:37 PM

[Phantom2]

Posted: 3/17/06 at 11:59pm

Very excited about this musical.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 12:30am

Loved both Mama Mia & the Chess recording so this would be of definite interest

[ben1986]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 12:46am

Instead of bring Kristina to broadway I would love for them to please bring back Chess. i love this musical.

[Kai]

Posted: 3/19/06 at 12:14pm

The8re phan wrote:
The ABBA classic 'Thank You For The Music' (now featured in Mamma Mia!) was written & intended for this piece back in the seventies

That is totally incorrect. Thank You For The Music was part of a mini-musical that ABBA performed at their 1977 concerts, the other songs were I Wonder (Departure), I'm A Marionette and the unreleased 'Get On The Carousel' - a taste of the mini-musical can be found on the DVD of ABBA - The Movie.

Kristina från Duvemåla (as Kristina was originally known) opened around 1996 in Sweden and has only just now been earmarked for a US opening. It is the most succesful musical ever to run in Sweden, where over 1,000,000 of the population saw it.

It tells the story of Swedish immigrants on their journey to America to start a new life in Minnesota and the trials and tribulations encountered. It bear no relation whatsoever to Mamma Mia! and is not that similar really to Chess (apart from both shows sharing an amazing score and rich, sumptuous arrangements). The rock/pop elements of Chess are largely replaced by folk elements in Kristina.

It is an absorbing piece of musical theatre if you can get in touch emotionally with the source of the story. The fear is that not many people outside Sweden, actually will. Also there is the added factor that this type of epic musical's time has been and gone and doesn't appear to have come around again.

[The8re phan]

Posted: 3/19/06 at 2:08pm

Thanks for clarifying Kai

I recall seeing a documentary (not ABBA - The movie) that mentions the song being intended for a musical. They mentioned the title, couldn't recall exactly what it was, but thought it may have been Kristina

MY BAD -- this round of cocktails is on me

[Kai]

Posted: 3/20/06 at 1:17am

No worries The8re phan! We all make mistakes! Like I should have mentioned that the name of the mini-musical that Thank You For The Music was part of on the ABBA Tour, was called 'The Girl With The Golden Hair'.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/20/06 at 3:36am

Another great site below!

Has more info, including a longer list of cast members.
http://www.icethesite.com/kristinanews.htm

[tophertilson]

Posted: 3/20/06 at 8:31am

It's very, very, very Swedish and needs to be tilted to the American immigrant point of view if it is to work on these shores. The immigrant experience is a tricky one to get right. Witness RAGS. When it does work though (Tateh's story in RAGTIME), it's a doozy!

TT

[dotvmike]

Posted: 3/21/06 at 10:25pm

I am DYING to hear some of the music from the show and I already tried going to those websites to find that the clips were not playing for me. I even downloaded and updated my Real Player and it still didn't work. Are there any other sites that have music clips or would anybody with the CDs send me a couple songs as just files (if you can't send me them, if you could tell me where to get the CDs from Sweden that would work too)? Thanks ALOT!!!

[Kai]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 11:01am

I think that there is still a fair amount of wishin' and hopin' involved in bringing Kristina to Broadway but that it's undeniable that plans are being laid. The plans now being officially confirmed by Benny and Björn's spokeswoman, as well as by Andersson himself.

I mean, until one is actually able to buy a ticket, anything could happen. It is nonetheless exciting for people that are looking forward to seeing the show in English, that a decade after the original show went on and after years and years of waiting, it is apparently getting closer.

I think that people in love with the original show need to get over the fact that this will be a smaller, shorter and scaled down production and that cast members and indeed characters are going to be cut. I mean, what's the choice? Have a smaller, more financially viable version of it in English or dine out on the original's glory (that very few people have ever heard of)forever more?

I know which one I'd prefer and I'm damn fed up with dining out on it!

This is a huge risk for Benny and Björn, no - let's make that HUGE RISK! But for a chance to get this musical to a broader audience, they are doing what is necessary whilst reducing the chances of a financial catastrophe.

Remember Chess on Broadway? It was one of the Great White Way’s biggest theatrical financial disasters of the 1980s. It seemed to gather almost entirely horrendous reviews. It closed after three months. And yet, Chess came hotfoot from London’s West End where it covered its backers’ investments and was a reasonable success. It also spawned a Billboard Top 10 single and came with good word-of-mouth. Regardless of Trevor Nunn ruining the London production for Broadway, it was still a better bet for Broadway success than Kristina is.

And yet, if the scaled down production of Kristina features sublime performances, tugs at the heartstrings, grips the audience, is not totally devoid of humour and is as glorious to look at as the Swedish production was, I still believe that it can pull it off in a minor way.

What I am trying to say is that a 3-hour production (and let's face it, that's not exactly short) with a smaller cast and a few songs missing from the original score does not automatically mean that watching it will be a horrendous experience and that everyone will be pining to see the Swedish original because it was meant to be so much better. In fact, it will help ensure that it's more right for Broadway (and the West End for that matter).

The only people thay may potentially feel that they are being sold short are the folk that saw the production in Sweden and come on, let's face it, it's not going to be aimed at them (and that includes me).

What's the betting that Mr. Andersson and Mr. Ulvaeus won't come up with a few new songs that can each encompass and thereby tell the story told in three or four songs from the original score? Only a guess, obviously but I wouldn't be surprised! As for characters cut, well we know there will be some and along with them, their songs i.e. The Pastor? Was he vital to the plot? The Norwegian trapper and his friends? Vital? Probably not. Were they given great songs in the original - hell, yeah but if you miss them....put on the original CDs!

This is going to be a new Kristina and I'm putting my faith in Andersson/Ulvaeus and Rudolfsson to leave intact the many comendable attributes of the original but the new show needs to be taken on its own merits. And believe me, that's exactly how the Broadway critics *will* take it!