'ABBA Mania' strikes Ironwood

By TOM LAVENTURE

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Ironwood - Fans of the 1970s supergroup ABBA were treated to the timeless, uplifting music, dancing and colorful costumes of the real thing as the "ABBA Mania" tour made a stop at the Historic Ironwood Theatre on Thursday.

The ABBA performers included Amy Edwards as Anni-Frid Lyngstad; Kirbi Long as Agnetha Faltskog; James Allen as Bjorn Ulvaeus, and Jeff Pike as Benny Andersson. The four have been part of several tours over seven years with the 20 year-old production that started in London's West End.

"I grew up on ABBA; they were huge in Australia," Edwards said. "I'm glad that I can do it over here. We love them."

ABBA Mania is like a journey of the band's meteoric rise to fame in the mid 1970s, she said. The show captures the excitement of that moment with the music, banter and the costumes worn in the ABBA videos. The includes more than a dozen hit songs, including "Waterloo," "Knowing Me Knowing You," "Money, Money, Money," "Fernando," "Mamma Mia," and "Dancing Queen."

"We have that element and I think it really takes it to the next level," Edwards said. "We are really trying to pay tribute to what they actually did with the things they wore and their accents and everything."

Long, who studied opera at a Nebraska university, said she and Edwards work well together for both having worked in theater but also in rock bands. The stage script is light for "ABBA Mania" and the work is really about learning the lyrics to all the songs and being able to replicate the stage presence of the actual ABBA performers.

The show is to take people who are expecting a theater production to feel like they experience an ABBA concert, she said. There isn't a storyline other than the music, which speaks for itself, she said.

"I think it's more of a rock concert, that's kind of the vibe," Long said. "It's very interactive with a lot of dancing and high energy. People are up on their feet in the audience, dancing and singing along."

If there is a theme or message, Long said that after years of singing ABBA music she finds there is a consistent message of hope. That is makes ABBA's music so universally loved, she said.

"Because the songs are uplifting and full of hope," Long said.

The music has fans young and old singing along, she said. That is what has made the shows so fun and for the cast and audience and why "ABBA Mania" has been around so long, she said.

"It's cool to see how music can really bridge those gaps between the generations," Long said. "It's a cool show in that aspect."

Edwards said the audience interaction is what makes the show fun for her. When they talk to the audience and get them involved by dancing and singing they become part of the show, she said.

"Ya, it's just fun like that," she said.

Edwards also said the show is about the music. There are so many great ABBA hits and everyone wants to knew her favorite but it's too hard to pick, she said.

Long said this seven-week tour just started on Jan. 22 with a total of 36 performances all over the United States. The cast and backup band are like a family, performing by day and traveling by bust at night to the next stop.

Cast members of the Theatre North production of "Mamma Mia," another show that is based on ABBA music, were guest performers in the "ABBA Mania" show. The cast came on stage to join in singing "Fernando," and "I Have A Dream."

The kids performing included Leilah Anderson, Audrey Bastman, Melissa Charles, Savanah Clemens, Allyson Conhartoski, Rylan Conhartoski, Addison Eder, Sarah Eder, Jeanine Franck, Rachael Hendges, Jenna Munsterman, Christin Pribek, Freya Slaughter and Christine Youngberg.

Munsterman said she and other members of Accent!, an advanced singing group at Luther L. Wright High School, are accustomed to collaborations with various groups and programs in the area.

"But never something as big as this," she said. "Which is why I'm super-excited to be in the show."

Munsterman became an ABBA fan by growing up in a household where her father played a lot of ABBA and other '70s music. Her favorite ABBA song is "Waterloo."

"I got pretty hooked on ABBA and all that type of music from a pretty young age," she said.

Zona Wick, president of the HIT Board, introduced the "ABBA Mania" performance. She said the "ABBA Mania" show is the first with the new sound system that was installed over two weeks by around 18 volunteers, made possible by a grant from the Michigan Council of Arts and Cultural Affairs.

"You're in for a real treat," Wick said. "Live from London, ladies and gentlemen, 'ABBA Mania.'"