Theatre Review: Windsor 2019

Reviewer/ Photographer: Don Boshart
What: #TheABBAShow
Where: Chrysler Theatre, Windsor, Canada
Publication: 519 Magazine
Original Source: CLICK HERE

Australian ABBA tribute ABBAsolutely fABBAulous returned to Windsor’s Chrysler Theatre this past Tuesday (June 4) to kick off their Canadian tour and brought fans a pretty close replication of an ABBA show from the 70’s. About the only thing missing in Windsor’s show was a giant disco ball, but the set and costumes more than made up for it.

This show is the whole package, with not just great sounding music that if you closed your eyes you would be hard pressed to tell the difference, but also accurate costuming and stage props, and even the Swedish accents. This production works hard at it to the point of studying old footage of ABBA shows on their days off to perfect the stage moves and the voices. The accents and stage banter sounded a little corny to me at times and I’m not sure if that was intentional, but the fans didn’t seem to mind.

During the first half of the show they began playing Dancing Queen then abruptly stopped, asking the crowd the name of the song and saying, “It’s not called Sitting Queen, get up here and dance”. There were several costume changes by the ladies during the show and the Bjorn Ulvaeus character used a copy of the star guitar that Ulvaeus was famous for.

The show is designed to get the audience involved and during the second half they asked the crowd if there was a Man After Midnight in the crowd. After walking up one of the aisles they coaxed a gentleman from his seat and brought him on stage, put a pink hat and boa on him and had a little fun dancing with him and having him do a limbo under a mic stand.

The four main performers are backed by a very tight sounding four piece backup band featuring a bassist, drummer, Sax player/keyboardist and backing vocalist/guitarist.

The set covered all the big hits you would expect and a few only diehard fans would know. Considering the average age of the audience looked to be 50’s to 60’s I imagine most of them were those diehards. One group of four women, who obviously have seen this show before, came dressed in matching capes and furry boots, prepared to dance the night away.

I would highly recommend seeing this show if they make a return to the 519 area. Whether you’re a big ABBA fan or just love good music and a fun night out, ABBAsolutely fABBAulous delivers on all counts.

Theatre Review: Windsor 2019

Reviewer: Robert Tuomi
What: #TheABBAShow
Where: Chrysler Theatre, Windsor, Canada
Publication: Eyes on Windsor
Original Source: CLICK HERE

In the 1970s, Sweden, the small Scandinavian country between Finland and Norway, becomes a superpower on a number of fronts. Safety-conscious accountants love its Volvos. Air forces delight in its SAAB jet fighters. Its iconic furniture store, Ikea, introduces the globe to new words to describe its ever increasingly popular products.

Surprisingly one of its most beloved exports had disco dancers around the world singing songs with a Swedish accent. And that’s really what set of a night of outstanding, high-energy entertainment Tuesday inside a packed Chrysler Theatre at downtown’s St. Clair Centre for the Arts.

Out of a dark centre stage, Australia’s The ABBA Show tribute band’s Hannah Pocock as Agnetha Fältskog and Jenna Ball as Anni-Frid Lytngstad (Frida), the two female singers in the acclaimed singing group ABBA, introduce the audience to the opening lines of Slipping Through My Fingers. A poignant song, it talks of a mother realizing her daughter is growing. With decided Swedish accents, Pocock and Ball, both from Britain, start the show off with: “Schoolbag in hand, she leaves home in the early morning.”

They never look back, putting their unbridled chemistry together to unhinge the audience who spend the night alternatively standing with their arms in the air or swaying in their seats. ABBA is in the house, or as close to in the house as possible with four highly talented tribute musicians and singers taking Windsorites on a journey through every popular song ever published by the Swedish dynamic quartet. Those who missed it missed one of the best Tribute shows to reach the city in quite some time.

Slipping, was written by ABBA’s guitarist Björn Ulvaeus about his observations of his wife Agnetah and their growing daughter Linda. The two other group members Frida and keyboardist Benny Andersson were also married.

Without question, disco reigns supreme with ABBA and its most popular song of the night is nothing less than its disco era number one hit, Dancing Queen.

Other memorable songs include, but are not limited to, Winner Takes All, Super Trouper, Fernando and Thank You for the Music, a tribute to ABBA’s members sung under a slide show of actual group photos during their heyday.

When the band starts with the recognizable notes of Knowing Me Knowing You, Pocock playing Fältskog, throws it all into an even higher gear, if that was even possible. She brings the audience into the song. And why not, judging by the abundance of grey hair, the lyrics are no mystery. Later Ball, as Lytngstad, pulls a man named Darcy out of the audience to participate on stage. He surprises all and seems one step ahead of Pocock and Ball in the dance moves department.

Some of the audience members dress like it is still disco time and seem to be having a lot more fun than they should. Those who were without ABBA type clothing kept Lee Middleton busy at the souvenir stand. The resident of South Pool, England tells Eyes on Windsor his most popular item are the t-shirts he has on offer. Other items include fancy hats, trinkets and posters.

After the concert the four artists sign the merchandise for their new fans and, as Middleton says, hopefully will be in a Windsor hotel by midnight to catch some shut-eye before doing it all again on Wednesday in Kitchener.

This is Showtime Australia’s The ABBA Show’s second performance in Windsor after an initial outing in 2015. Johnny Van Grinsven, company chief executive and The ABBA Show director, sums up the popularity of the Swedish group’s music as, “a true phenomenon. It’s just something that never seems to die down, people just never tire of this show wherever it goes.”

No where could this be truer than Windsor on a Tuesday night.

Theatre Review: Adelaide 2019

Reviewer: Dale Anninos-Carter
What: The ABBA Show
Where: Thebarton Theatre
Genre: Music/Theatre
Duration: 2+ hours

Mamma Mia – what a show! This has got to be one of the most vibrant theatrical performances in the business.

The Thebarton Theatre itself makes you feel like you’ve gone back a number of decades in time, and with the addition of The ABBA Show, you will feel like you’ve been sucked into a time machine.

As the show begins, you’ll be greeted with When I Kissed The Teacher in true ABBA style complete with knee-high white boots, replica costumes and wigs. And that’s when you’ll realise this is no ordinary tribute show.

‘Bjorn, Frida, Benny and Agnetha’ are accompanied on stage by a live band – forget sound tracks, there’s even a saxophone in full swing, along with a white piano which SWIVELS! The impeccable sounds produced by the singers and band alike will have you questioning whether they are all miming. The voices of ‘Agnetha’ and ‘Frida’ are extremely similar to those of the real deal, making for a perfect reenactment. On top of that, the four performers put on Swedish accents, which I’m not sure is more comedic or serious, but the crowd was loving it.

Expect five outfit changes during the show, which again are replica costumes complete with diamantés, flares and silk. The bedazzled outfits live-out their glory days following impersonated dance moves from real ABBA shows – I am honestly so impressed by the high level of energy cast by Agnetha and Frida with the constant dancing whilst signing. Girl power!

Now bedazzled costumes need a platform upon which they can shine, that’s where the giant freakin’ disco ball illuminating the entire theatre comes in handy. I was mesmerised…and kinda felt like I was hallucinating at the same time from the sheer vibrantly beautiful patterns being strewn across the theatre. Which brings me to one of the focal points of the show – the lighting design. Never have I see such a dazzling, dynamic array of radiant beams of light. Every shade of the rainbow is cast across theatre in a messy, but satisfying display of the 70’s.

As the crowd is invited to stand and dance in the aisles, it becomes a night of twistin’ and shoutin’. You’ll dance with your seated neighbours and rock out to classics with the young, the old, and the in between.

Alas, the night must come to an end, as The ABBA Show seeks a man after midnight from the crowd. As the lights dim, the performers sing ‘thank you ABBA for the music, for bringing it to me’, which has the crowd sayin’ “aawwwh” – a rollercoaster of emotions, if you will. There is no doubt in my mind that you will leave the show feeling utterly impressed and in the mood to go out to town, have a boogie and dance in the streets – rain or sunshine. ABBAsolutely no regrets attending this show – I would recommend it to everyone and I would 100% go again. Thank you The ABBA Show for the music, and taking me back to the era in which I wish I was born.

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Theatre Review: Melbourne 2017

Reviewer: Nikki Lee

This groovy foursome were undoubtedly one of the biggest phenomenons in their heyday in the 70’s and early 80’s.

While the original members of ABBA no longer tour and perform, fans of the group can still see and hear the magic of ABBA by seeing “The ABBA Show”, currently playing at the Athenaeum in Melbourne.

The music, the singing, the costumes – the whole performance is just a wonderful thing to see.

The show opened with the classic ABBA hit ‘The Name Of The Game’ and followed with so many ABBA favourites including ‘Chiquitita’, ‘Knowing Me Knowing You’, ‘Money Money Money’, ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘Honey Honey’, ‘Rock Me’ and ‘Does Your Mother Know’.

There was a 20-minute interval half way through the show, then the second half began with another costume change and more hits performed including’ Super Trouper’,’ Fernando,’ ‘Why Did It Have To Be Me’, ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)’, ‘Voulez Vous’, ‘Mamma Mia’, ‘Ring Ring’, ‘Thank you For The Music’, ‘Waterloo’ and ‘So Long’.

The encore of ‘The Winner Takes it all’ was absolutely amazing.

The show then finished with the ABBA medley mix of songs, ‘Thank ABBA For The Music’.

All in all, this show was a wonderful tribute performance to ABBA and a great way to dance the night away. There was singing, some humour, crowd participation and of course the dancing!

After the show, the performers of ‘The ABBA Show’ met fans in the foyer and even had a few photos taken. There was also a merchandise table selling ABBA-related goodies!

Theatre Review: Melbourne 2017

CONCERT / TRIBUTE SHOW  

Produced by Showtime Australia 

Reviewer: Kate Herbert  on Dec 15, 2017

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Talk about enthusiastic! The Melbourne audience members at The ABBA Show were as involved and effervescent as the performers, leaping to their feet, dancing in their seats, waving their arms and singing along like kids at a Wiggles concert. 

Even ABBA lookalikes send fans of that 1970s, Swedish pop phenomenon into uninhibited, joyful frenzy when they hear such distinctive hits as Dancing Queen, Waterloo, Fernando, Super Trouper, Money Money Money, Gimme Gimme Gimme, Ring Ring. Doesn’t ABBA love repetition?

This tribute show delivers 20 ABBA songs and replicates the glitzy costumes, 70s hairdos, signature choreography and even the on-stage relationships between Agnetha (Hannah Pocock), Frida (Jenna Ball), Björn on guitar (Cameron Charters) and Benny on keyboard (Brent McMullen).

Their Swedish accents may be dodgy and their banter decidedly cheesy, but the foursome sings with gusto and Pocock and Ball capture the spirit, glamour and sensuality of Agnetha and Frida as they stamp their knee-high boots, flick their hair and sing with passion and flair.

The ABBA Show includes original video of the real ABBA performing, but this concert has no narrative and any dialogue is used merely to introduce songs or encourage fervent fans to sing and dance.

Director, Johnny Van Grinsven, focuses the show on Benny and Björn’s music played by a tight, three-piece band of bass (Zach Coombs), drums (Ben Harper), synth and saxophone (Hayden Baird).

Ball brings an audience member on stage as ABBA’s ‘man after midnight’, and vivacious volunteer, Jack, becomes a show highlight, donning a feather boa and sequined hat before outdancing Agnetha and Frida.

The ABBA Show is delightfully daggy, and witnessing middle-aged blokes wiggling their bods and flailing their arms to Mamma Mia is a delicious pre-Christmas treat.

The ABBA Show

Direct from Australia, and following more than 5000 international shows, the world’s premier live ABBA tribute – The ABBA Show – is coming to town!

Far from being ‘just another cover band’, The ABBA Show is a full-scale theatrical production featuring 2.5 hours of live musical performances, a live backing band, replica costumes, theatrical lighting and effects and all the dancing an ABBA fan can handle.

Starring incredibly detailed performances from internationally acclaimed impersonators ABBAsolutely fABBAulous, The ABBA Show gives fans of all ages a chance to re-live the ABBA concert experience, celebrate the music of ABBA and dance the night away!

Return of The ABBA Show

Showtime Australia is proud to announce the return of The ABBA Show. Hot off the heels of a sold out season in Johannesburg,South Africa, The ABBA Show returns to New Zealand as the next stop on the 2012 revival world tour.

With a discography spanning eight albums, 42 singles and an unrivaled industry longevity that has captured half a century of global fans, ABBA has become a modern musical marvel that’s influence seems to be unstoppable.

The ABBA Show is a stunning musical biography that captures the essence of the Swedish pop phenomenon with flawless musicianship and breathtaking theatricality. With over 3000 international performances in 23 countries, 2011 sees the return of The ABBA Show to stages across the world.