The new musical “Pippi im Zirkus” (originally: “Pippi på cirkus”) by Abba musician Björn Ulvaeus, which is based on the story by Astrid Lindgren and is staged with Abba songs, celebrates its premiere on July 1 in Stockholm.
Fusion of two Swedish export hits
Ulvaeus wrote the lyrics and is one of the writers of the show, which premieres in Stockholm on July 1, 2022 after a two-year delay due to the corona pandemic. Just like the pop band Abba, the children’s book series by the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren has immense appeal Ulvaeus:
“I guess Pippi and Abba are probably two of the most famous Swedish brands,” says Ulvaeus in the interview, “if you’re not talking about corporations like Volvo, Ikea or something like that, but about cultural phenomena.” “Our story is about the characters that Astrid describes in the circus, but the story is new,” the 77- year olds.
Abba colleague Anderson also on board
Abba band member Benny Andersson is also involved in the project and composed several songs for the musical. The songs are thematically consistent, says Ulvaeus. “But they all go together, they all have a circus element.”
On May 27, the “Abba Voyage” show will celebrate its world premiere in London. At the “Voyage” concerts, the real ABBA members will not be on stage, but their digital copies. Together with a live band, they will perform the Swedes’ greatest hits for 100 minutes.
Ulvaeus says he is happy about the upcoming projects: “As far as I know, there has never been a circus musical like this – and there definitely has never been anything like ‘Abba Voyage’. So it’s a great time for me.”