# Abba's great Musical? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 16, 2000, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbas-great-musical/29566 "2000-08-16T14:15:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Saint\_Zero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Saint\_Zero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Zero)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2000, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbas-great-musical/29566/1 "2000-08-16T14:15:36Z")
I’ve noted over my years on the net (I’m a dinosaur) that while Chess was a flop AFAIK, it’s lived on through fans on the net. Is this the case here? I mean, you can pull up Napster and find a decent selection of songs from it. I prefer London over Broadway, myself. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2000, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbas-great-musical/29566/2 "2000-08-16T14:33:19Z")
Curious thing to note: the current boy-band fad (particularly the “band” five) seems highly derivative of the song _One Night in Bangock_. picmr ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2000, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbas-great-musical/29566/3 "2000-08-16T14:40:48Z")
Saint Zero, your last line kind of captures things. From what I’ve read, it was a hit in London but laid an egg on Broadway (and I think a later Australian production did well also). If you know both versions, you know how much it was changed for the American run. And with the people who worked on the different versions, it’s been tied up in contractual disputes for years too. I think the fan loyalty is partly like any cult following, combined with indignation that it was butchered and never given a fair shot in the States. I saw a touring production years ago that kicked ass, and even the M.I.T. musical theater guild did it earlier this year, so it’s not dead yet. I’ve also read that they’re trying to reconcile all the changes into one definitive version and bring it back to Broadway. ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2000, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbas-great-musical/29566/4 "2000-08-16T15:23:59Z")
I saw it on Broadway. It blew chunks. ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2000, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbas-great-musical/29566/5 "2000-08-16T15:32:24Z")
I’ve never seen Chess myself, but I have heard the London album and I like the music. But I enjoy a great variety of musicals and grew up listening to ABBA. So I’m probably just weird. ---
**Author:** ![struuter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9e5f3/32.png) [@struuter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/struuter)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2000, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbas-great-musical/29566/6 "2000-08-16T15:36:56Z")
Well, I 've already made the dirty confession to liking ABBA so this is nothing for me. I’ve had the London soundtrack for over eight years now. It’s awesome and I’m not surprised that the American version flopped. I don’t think you could re-create that cast. But that’s just MHO. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Zero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Saint\_Zero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Zero)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2000, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbas-great-musical/29566/7 "2000-08-16T19:41:56Z")
Friend of mine owns both versions on CD, the american version does blow. I wish I knew more of the story. Heck, I’m not sure who wins. I think it’s the american. ---
**Author:** ![struuter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9e5f3/32.png) [@struuter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/struuter)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2000, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbas-great-musical/29566/8 "2000-08-16T19:50:46Z")
Ummmm…They play twice, IIRC. You want I should read up on the synopsis tonight and leave you know? Your wish, as they say… ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2000, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbas-great-musical/29566/9 "2000-08-16T23:47:59Z")
I love Chess. I wish they’d bring it back to Broadway. I don’t think it’s ever been out of production sonewhere in the world For the record, there’s a live concert CD of the show, and one of those cheap C.C. productions CDS. Individual songs have also been done in German, Swedish (duh!), Japanese, and Hungarian (the best recording of One Night in Bangkok). ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Zero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Saint\_Zero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Zero)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2000, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbas-great-musical/29566/10 "2000-08-16T23:49:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by struuter \* > \*\*Ummmm…They play twice, IIRC. You want I should read up on the synopsis tonight and leave you know? Your wish, as they say… \*\* is there one online? I’ve got the lyrics sheet for the london version, but that doesn’t tell me much. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbas-great-musical/29566/11 "2000-08-17T01:55:13Z")
And don’t forget, Bennie has (had? did it close?) a musical out in London called Mamma Mia, all based on ABBA tunes. (Mamma Mia, here it comes again!) ---
**Author:** ![struuter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9e5f3/32.png) [@struuter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/struuter)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbas-great-musical/29566/12 "2000-08-17T13:22:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Saint Zero \* > > is there one online? I’ve got the lyrics sheet for the london version, but that doesn’t tell me much. \*\* I dunno. BUT, I do have the cd at home and it does have a good synopsis. If you’re at all curious but don’t want to spend the dough on it, you might check out your library’s collection of cds. They just might have it for you. Don’t want to go to the trouble? I’ll still read up on it for you… ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbas-great-musical/29566/13 "2000-08-17T13:54:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rmariamp \* > \*\*And don’t forget, Bennie has (had? did it close?) a musical out in London called Mamma Mia, all based on ABBA tunes. (Mamma Mia, here it comes again!) \*\* Mamma Mia is currently the hottest ticket in London, and productions are planned for Toronto, Austraila and hopefully Broadway in 2001. Though a lot of people say it is absolute crap, a lot seem to like it. Benny & Bjorn also did a musical in Swedish called Kristina from Duvemla, which is being translated into English with hopes of bringing it to Broadway. If all three (Chess, Mamma Mia, and Kristina) hit Broadway in 2001, B&B will join the exclusive club of people who have three or more shows running on Broadway at the same time (currently, it’s Andrew Lloyd Webber, Frank Wildhorn (for about two months) and Chess’s other third, Tim Rice. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbas-great-musical/29566/14 "2000-08-17T16:03:43Z")
There’s a website that keeps track of all the places CHESS is playing. I am still on their “alert” list although I keep meaning to unsubscribe. I saw a student production here are the University and lord it was bad bad bad. The story is fine, the music’s okay, but the production values of this showing… _cringe_ ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Zero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Saint\_Zero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Zero)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbas-great-musical/29566/15 "2000-08-17T17:39:24Z")
> [@](#): > > I dunno. BUT, I do have the cd at home and it does have a good synopsis. If you’re at all curious but don’t want to spend the dough on it, you might check out your library’s collection of cds. They just might have it for you. Don’t want to go to the trouble? I’ll still read up on it for you… \*\* I might go look, or I’ll look around the net more. I’m sure I can dig up something. Thanks tho! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbas-great-musical/29566/16 "2000-08-17T17:49:25Z")
[http://www.calpoly.edu/~bmarx/chess/chess\_i.html](http://www.calpoly.edu/~bmarx/chess/chess_i.html) ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Zero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Saint\_Zero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Zero)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbas-great-musical/29566/17 "2000-08-17T19:42:44Z")
Yeesh. I’ve read the summaries for three different versions. I like the music from the London version, all plots suck, but the broadway one sucks less, and that Prince William version is just hideous. Sheesh. Least I can listen to the music.