Mamma Mia; in opening on the 6th of April in London’s WestEnd, the very day 25 years after ABBA’s Eurovision-victory with Waterloo in Brighton 

“I promise and swear, it was a complete coincidence that it turned out to be that very day”,  Björn Ulvaeus says with a laugh. 

It's a story about a mother and her daughter, and the part of the mother is to be played by Siobhan McCarthy who played Svetlana in Chess 

Björn Ulvaeus is co-producer of the show, which is being directed by Phyllida Lloyd. 

“I will be in London from the time the rehearsals start in the end of January and will travel home for the weekends”, he says. Furthermore, the musical Kristina från Duvemåla is being translated into English. “We're doing fine. We hope to be able to stage it in the year 2000, first in Minneapolis and then continue to Broadway”. 

Judy Craymer, who is producing Mamma Mia! with Richard East, told me she had always been passionate about doing something with Benny and Björn's music since she worked on CHESS.  “Their music is so theatrical and if you listen to the lyrics, they're small histories, about relationships, plus of course, they're very rocky and poppy.” Among the 28 songs in the show will be The Winner Takes It All. 
The story has been written by Catherine Johnson and is set on an unnamed Mediterranean island in the present day where Donna , a former wild child of the seventies who now owns and runs a restaurant is making preparations for her daughter Sophie’s wedding. 
It contrasts the different values of a twentysomething girl of the ‘90s, using ABBA songs – performed by a 28 strong cast, as an uplifting soundtrack. 
Björn’s fellow producer Judy Cramer, who worked with him on CHESS, said: ”It’s very exciting because people have tried to bring ABBA’s songs to the stage for a long time and it has never been allowed to happen until now” 
“It’s fully endorsed and supported by Björn and Benny who feel that the time is right and the story is right, with the lyrics providing the underlying material to tell the story. And their music has always been very theatrical” 

She stressed: ”It is not a seventies revival show. We hope it will cross all generations and all theatre-going audiences. There is a whole new generation of ABBA fans who were not even born when they first came to fame.” 
The shows director, Phillida Llyod has her own take on the musical, regarding it as “a musical they wrote a few years ago but wanted to release a few singles first” 

A new musical based on the songs of ABBA to open in London at the Prince Edward Theatre on Tuesday 6 April 1999. 

MAMMA MIA a new musical based on the songs of ABBA, will open in London at the Prince Edward Theatre on Tuesday 6 April 1999, following previews from 23 March. 

MAMMA MIA  has music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. This original musical, which is a story of a mother and daughter set on the eve of the daughter's wedding, has a book by Catherine Johnson. 

MAMMA MIA will be designed by Mark Thompson, with lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Andrew Bruce and musical supervision by Martin Koch. 

MAMMA MIA will be choreographed by Anthony Van Laast and directed by Phyllida Lloyd. 
MAMMA MIA  will be produced by Judy Craymer, Richard East and Björn Ulvaeus in association with PolyGram. 

The production of 
MAMMA MIA will be officially sponsored by SEB (Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB) and SAS (Scandinavian Airlines). 

The Box Office for 
MAMMA MIA ! at the Prince Edward Theatre will open on Sunday 15 November, and bookings can be made on +44 (0) 171447 5400.