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original creatives
MUSIC AND LYRICS BY
BENNY ANDERSSON
MUSIC AND LYRICS BY
BENNY ANDERSSON
Born 16 December 1946 in Stockholm. 1952: Received accordion lessons from his father and grandfather. 1964-1968: Member of the Hep Stars, Sweden’s most popular rock band in the 1960’s. During this time, he began composing music. “Sunny Girl” and “Wedding” were huge hits for the Hep Stars. 1972-1982: ABBA. 1982-1984: Composed the music (together with Björn Ulvaeus and Tim Rice) for the musical, Chess. 1987: Began collaborating with Orsa Spelmän. Recorded three albums deeply rooted in Swedish folk music: Klinga Mina Klockor, November 1989 and Fiolen Min. In 2001, this collaboration led to the formation of Benny Andersson’s Orchestra, a 16-man constellation with vocalists, Helen Sjöholm and Tommy Körberg. Thus far, this has resulted in five CD albums and several summer tours. 1990-1995: Composed the music to Kristina from Duvemåla. Premiered in October 1995. 1995: Received the title of professor from the Swedish government. Inducted to in the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 2007. Appointed Honorary Doctor of the College of Humanities at Stockholm University in 2008, and at Luleå University of Technology in 2012. Benny Andersson is married to former TV producer, Mona Nörklit. They have one child, Ludvig Andersson. Benny Andersson also has two children from a previous marriage, Peter Grönvall and Helene Odedal. He has five grandchildren: Charlie, Felix, Fabian, Malin and Viola.
MUSIC AND LYRICS BY
BJÖRN ULVAEUS
MUSIC AND LYRICS BY
BJÖRN ULVAEUS
Björn Kristian Ulvaeus was born in Gothenburg on April 25, 1945. When he was six years old the family moved to the small town of Västervik, and this is where Björn grew up. In the mid-fifties Björn fell in love with rock’n’roll and skiffle. By the early sixties he was a member of a folk group called the West Bay Singers. In 1963 they entered a talent contest arranged by Swedish radio. This led to discovery by songwriter and publisher Stig Anderson and his partner, Bengt Bernhag. Stig and Bengt had recently started a record company called Polar Music. The band acquired a new name, the Hootenanny Singers, and quickly became one of Sweden’s most popular groups of the sixties. In 1966, Björn had a chance meeting with Benny Andersson, himself a member of Sweden’s number one pop group, The Hep Stars. They hit it off and wrote their first song together, “Isn’t It Easy To Say”. Björn recorded a couple of solo singles in the late sixties, at which point he also started concentrating more on his collaboration with Benny Andersson. In 1970 the pair started releasing records as a duo and also staged a cabaret show together with their fiancées, Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. On July 6, 1971, Björn and Agnetha got married. From 1972 and a decade onwards Björn was occupied by his work with ABBA. In 1983 Björn and Benny started writing the musical Chess with lyricist Tim Rice. A concept album was released in the autumn of 1984, and in May 1986 the musical opened in London’s West End. In 1988 Chess received its Broadway première. A reworked version of the musical opened in Stockholm, Sweden in 2002. By 1990, Björn and Benny had decided to write a new musical. This time they wanted to write exclusively in Swedish, and they chose the Emigrants novel series by author Vilhelm Moberg as basis for their work. The musical Kristina från Duvemåla (Kristina From Duvemåla) opened in October 1995. The show ran for three and a half years at various theatres in the Swedish cities of Malmö, Gothenburg and Stockholm. Björn and Benny’s most recent musical is Hjälp sökes (Help Wanted), a collaboration with playwright Kristina Lugn and Kristina director Lars Rudolfsson. Björn writes many of the lyrics for the Benny Andersson Orchestra, and has involved himself in the stagings of MAMMA MIA!, as well as the 2008 movie version. In 2016, MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY opened in Stockholm in January 2016, with Björn as one of the producers, followed by the film sequel to the original musical MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN in 2018 to worldwide acclaim.
BOOK BY
CATHERINE JOHNSON
BOOK BY
CATHERINE JOHNSON
Theatre credits include: Rag Doll, Renegades, Suspension (Bristol Old Vic), Too Much Too Young (Bristol Old Vic and London Bubble), Boys Mean Business, Dead Sheep, Little Baby Nothing (Bush Theatre, London), Shang-a-Lang (Bush Theatre and national tour), Through the Wire and A Letter to Lacey (NT Connections) and MAMMA MIA! The Musical (worldwide). Catherine also wrote the screenplay for MAMMA MIA! THE MOVIE, released in July 2008. Television credits include: Casualty, Byker Grove, Love Hurts, Gold, Linda Green, original screenplays for Rag Doll, Where’s Willy? (both HTV), Sin Bin (BBC), the series Love in the 21st Century (Channel 4) and Dappers (BBC3). Catherine worked as a Creative Consultant on ABBA the Museum in Stockholm. Catherine has won the Bristol Old Vic/HTV Playwriting Award, Thames Television’s Writer-in-Residence Award and Thames Television’s Best Play Award and was nominated in 2002 for a Tony® Award for Best Musical Book for MAMMA MIA! The Musical.
Originally Conceived By
JUDY CRAYMER
Originally Conceived By
JUDY CRAYMER
Judy Craymer graduated from the Guildhall School of Music in 1977 and has since worked extensively in the theatre, film, television and music industries. Judy originated the idea of MAMMA MIA! The Musical and, in 1996, formed Littlestar Services Limited with Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Richard East to produce the stage musical in London. Since then, she has produced 50 productions of MAMMA MIA! The Musical in 16 languages around the world. In 2002, Judy was presented with a Woman of the Year Award in recognition of her international success with MAMMA MIA! The Musical. In the Queen’s birthday honours list of 2007, she was honoured with an MBE for her contribution to the music industry. In 2008, Judy produced MAMMA MIA! THE MOVIE, starring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan. That same year, she was honoured with the Women in Film ITV Achievement of the Year Award. MAMMA MIA! THE MOVIE also garnered Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations, and Judy was personally nominated by BAFTA for the Carl Foreman Award for Special Achievement. In 2010, The Breast Cancer Research Foundation presented Judy with its Humanitarian Award for her commitment to raising breast cancer awareness and research funding around the globe with MAMMA MIA! The Musical and through the sale of the specially created Rock Chick Supremo T-shirts. Ten years after MAMMA MIA! THE MOVIE grossed more than $600 million around the world, Judy has produced an all-new movie musical based on the songs of ABBA for Universal Pictures. MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN, written and directed by Ol Parker, and featuring Cher, Andy Garcia and Lily James alongside the returning cast of the original movie, was released in July 2018. Judy has a passion for all things equestrian and is an Ambassador to British Showjumping. Judy also produced VIVA FOREVER!, an original musical based on the songs of the Spice Girls. Judy was awarded a CBE on the Queen’s Birthday honours list in 2020 for her services to theatre and charity. From September 2021 to January 2023 Judy served as Chairman of the Board and Independent Non-Executive Director of Universal Music Group. In 2022 she was honoured with the Variety Club Silver Heart Award for Outstanding Global Achievement in Cinema, Theatre and Music.
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL & ARRANGEMENTS BY
Martin Koch
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL & ARRANGEMENTS BY
Martin Koch
Martin runs a successful music production company and recording studio with colleague Nick Gilpin, which undertakes television, film and audio projects. Currently working on the film Consider Yourself for Mob Films and PTL, a musical written by Sir Elton John. Training: Royal College of Music (Scholar). Theatre credits include: in London as Musical Director – Chicago (Cambridge Theatre), The Pirates of Penzance (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane), The Boy Friend (Albery), Blondel (Aldwych) and Follies (Shaftesbury). International (Musical Supervisor) – Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, Oliver!, MAMMA MIA! The Musical and Billy Elliot the Musical. Orchestrations include: Just So, Moby Dick, Which Witch, Tutankhamen, MAMMA MIA! The Musical, Jerry Springer the Opera, Billy Elliot the Musical, Bad Girls, Kombat Opera, Shoes and VIVA FOREVER!. Additional credits include production for Shirley Bassey, Charles Aznavour, Jennifer Rush, Michael Ball, Sir Elton John, Anastasia, Denise Van Outen, Jamelia, John Barrowman, Emeli Sandé, Lesley Garrett, Vanessa Mae, Will Young, Beverley Knight, Birdy and John Newman. Recordings cover more than 30 albums including: Les Misérables (original cast and symphonic), Miss Saigon, Oliver!, Hey, Mr Producer!, MAMMA MIA! The Musical, Jerry Springer the Opera, Billy Elliot the Musical, Bad Girls, John Barrowman – The Album and Shoes. Film and television credits include: Sam, written and directed by Nick Brooks, the Olivier Awards from 1993-2001 (Composer, Arranger, Musical Supervisor), the Royal Variety Performance 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008 (Composer, Arranger and Musical Supervisor), BAFTAs 1995-2003 (Composer, Arranger and Musical Supervisor), Sports Personality of the Year 2006-2014 (Composer, Arranger and Musical Supervisor), Kombat Opera (five mini operas for BBC TV – orchestrator) and Music Live (Composer, Arranger and Musical Supervisor). Conducting includes: London Philharmonic, Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, Metropole Orchestra, SWF German Radio Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra. Other credits includes: Music Supervisor for Cameron Mackintosh Ltd 1988-1999, Eurovision Song Contest 1998 (composed the opening and closing titles, and as Music Supervisor), Commonwealth Games Handover in Delhi 2010 (Composer, Orchestrator and Music Supervisor), London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Ceremonies (Music Supervisor to all four ceremonies and Composer to the Paralympic Opening). Awards and nominations: Grammy® and Tony Award® nomination 2002 for MAMMA MIA! The Musical, Tony® and Drama Desk Award winner 2009 for Billy Elliot the Musical.