ABBA's Björn reveals plans for Mamma Mia restaurant experience
Swedish music icon Björn Ulvaeus revealed details of his upcoming project, Mamma Mia The Party, as he gave the keynote speech at the Euro Attractions Show (EAS) in Gothenburg today (7 October).
The former ABBA member, who has successfully turned the pop foursome, their music and their story into a cultural IP, said his latest project will be an immersive four-hour dining experience in Stockholm.
This follows the success of ABBA The Museum, also in the Swedish capital a project that Ulvaeus spearheaded. It’s a concept that “everyone is doing”, Ulvaeus said, with The Edge from U2 and Mick Jagger from the Rolling Stones both visiting the ABBA museum and deciding to do something similar.
The new project, Mamma Mia The Party is “dinner entertainment” – a themed restaurant inspired by Mamma Mia! and set in a Greek taverna.
“We are going to treat people to wonderful Mediterranean food and drink in this taverna environment, and we are going to treat them to a real-time story with characters Nikos, the host of the tavern, his wife Christine, his daughter and other characters,” Ulvaeus said.
“Between courses there will be dramatic interludes where the story is played out. There'll be a little conflict, and hopefully a happy ending. Diners are part of the story, if they want to be. If they want to sit back and watch, they can,” he said. “It’s an evening of great fun in the Mamma Mia! world.”
Ulvaeus said the idea of the party experience – which opens at the Tyrol restaurant at Gröna Lund, Sweden, on 16 January 2016 – came from working with the production for so long and witnessing the ongoing excitement of the audience; this was the next step and a way to “have fun with copyrights”.
“When you have copyrights that are charged with positive feelings and joy, it’s only your imagination that’s in the way of further developing those and taking them into other fields,” he said.
Ulvaeus’s ABBA brand currently includes ABBA The Museum – which receives 300,000 visitors per year – and the musical Mamma Mia!, which has grossed US$2bn (€1.78bn, £1.31bn) worldwide and been seen by 60 million people since its premiere in 1999.
The Swedish sensation emphasised the importance of being protective of the ABBA IP, saying he believes the band’s legacy has been preserved by not letting anything “fall into the wrong hands”. Only once, in 1975, did they sell a song for a TV commercial, he said, which they would never do again.
He also said the ABBA museum is investing in a cutting-edge hologram to replace the current attraction, where visitors appear to dance on stage with holographic versions of band members Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.
"That’s going to be enhanced so it’s absolutely life-like. You believe you’re standing beside them – it’s like an amusement park attraction. It will be the most fantastic hologram in the world," he said.
Mayor of Gothenburg welcomes Euro Attractions Show to city
EAS in Sweden to offer a smörgåsbord of seminars and events
ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus to deliver keynote at EAS 2015
ABBA The Museum opens in Stockholm
BIG unveils Eve Music Hall as Croatia venue nears completion
Bob Rogers hands BRC to long-serving leadership team
Wellness care hospital opens in Vilnius with innovative spa and hospitality concept
Universal and Puy du Fou projects point to rise of Oxford–Cambridge corridor
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’ planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism investment.
For years, the corridor has been associated primarily with science, technology, housing and university-led economic growth. However, the clustering of large-scale visitor attraction projects along the
All-inclusive eco-wellness development Auko to open near Vietnam’s Son Doong caves
Shedd Aquarium upgrades its visitor experience with new Immersion Theater
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional revenue opportunities.
The attraction has transformed the aquarium’s Phelps Auditorium into a multi-sensory venue combining panoramic projection, environmental effects and interactive technology.
A new pre-show area allows visitors to engage with augmented reality marine animals before entering the
Mandarin Oriental announces standalone Mansions-branded residences for Abu Dhabi
MCR is planning a luxury hotel for London's BT Tower
Joy as a radical act: Yinka Ilori launches solo exhibition celebrating the rebellious power of spreading happiness
Work gets underway on Madrid's €800 million leisure complex
Work is underway in Madrid on one of Europe’s most significant multi-functional complexes, combining sport, entertainment, culture and education.
The €800 million initiative to regenerate the former Olympic Aquatic Centre in the north-east of the city, next to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium, is being led by Barsento – a joint venture between Live Nation Entertainment, Oak View Group and Atlético de Madrid. The project will
Therme Manchester reveals 90:90 strategy – 90 per cent of the UK population within a 90-minute drive of a Therme
Four Seasons’ Naples Beach Club opens 2,800sq m Sanctuary spa inspired by indigenous Calusa people
Orient Express Corinthian to host Ocean Rebirth wellness retreat in collaboration with Guerlain
Famed London nightclub, Tramp, launches Tramp Health
First look: Miraval opens on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia
Hainan Science Museum by Ma Yansong, opens in China
A new science museum has opened to the public in Haikou after attracting more than 350,000 visitors during a four-month soft opening period.
Designed by Ma Yansong and his practice MAD Architects, the Hainan Science Museum is located on the edge of Wuyuan River National Wetland Park and has already recorded peak attendance of more than 5,800 visitors in a single day.
Commissioned by
Zannier Île De Bendor launches with design by Hardel Le Bihan Architectes
Sæl Spa readies for launch in London: “a modern British sanctuary”
Immersive art bathhouse Submersive announces debut location in Austin
Construction begins on regenerative wellness destination The Shenandoah Nature Resort
Royal Caribbean reveals record-breaking cruise ship
V&A East opens in London
David Geffen galleries open at LACMA
New venue The Lands by Capella includes a longevity centre to complement sister hotel Capella Sydney
World of Frozen launches at Disneyland Paris
Pical Resort by Valamar reveals first Croatian spa under the ESPA brand
Mandarin Oriental creates end-to-end Egyptian journey with two new hotels and first-ever luxury river cruise
Designers Mendil + Meyer launch new division called Lām Concepts for strategic wellness projects
Wilderness Bisate in Rwanda reveals brand’s second Sanctuary spa
4a Architekten shares details of wellness extension at Salinarium Bad Dürkheim Thermal Spa
