10 minute read
ABBA MANIA
Ahead of its regional premiere at Dubai Opera this month, creator Judy Craymer tells us how this record-breaking musical was born
s creative producer of Mamma Mia! my job started long before any script had been written. The story begins more than 25 years ago when I first met Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, the songwriting geniuses behind ABBA. I was working for Sir Tim Rice at the time, who was collaborating with Benny and Björn on his musical Chess, and I was immediately smitten – after all, these were the men who had written Dancing Queen, one of the greatest pop songs of all time – but it was another of their songs, The Winner Takes It All, that first suggested to me the potential of an original musical using Benny and Björn’s classic compositions. The lyrics revealed a roller coaster story of love and loss that struck me as extraordinarily theatrical, but how was I to bring this to life?
First I had to approach Benny and Björn, who were understandably a little unsure of my intentions. I explained that the project I had in mind would focus on a new and exciting story; it wouldn’t be a tribute show, or the ‘ABBA Story’, but a truly original ‘book’ musical. They weren’t 100 per cent convinced at the time, but they didn’t absolutely close the door so I took hope.
So I sat on the floor of my apartment listening to ABBA late into the night. I may have driven my neighbours to despair but as time passed I became more and more certain of my idea. In 1995 my tenacity finally paid off. Björn said, ‘If you can find the right writer and story, well... let’s see what happens’.
A year later I was on location with a film I was producing when the director mentioned Catherine Johnson. I was aware of her work as a playwright and, even better, I knew her agent. We met in January 1997 and soon I was confidently telling Björn that we had found our writer and that my co-producer Richard East and I had commissioned her to write the story.
My brief to Catherine was that no lyrics could change, the story should be a contemporary, ironic, romantic comedy and that if she listened carefully to ABBA’s songs, she’d notice how they fell into two different generations: the slightly younger, playful songs like Honey, Honey and Dancing Queen, and the more mature, emotional songs such as The Winner Takes It All and Knowing Me, Knowing You... and so the idea of a cross-generational love story was devised.
By the end of that year Catherine had finished the first draft of Mamma Mia!’s script and I persuaded Phyllida Lloyd to come on board as our director. Her background was serious, legit theatre and opera and her secret weapon was her Dry Martini wit. We discovered we all shared the same birth-year and soon firmly bonded. It was unusual, if not unheard of, for three women to be the collaborative creative force behind what was to become such a commercial success. From a personal point of view, I think it readdressed the balance and had a great nurturing effect on the production. We were all happy to jump in and make the tea.
Appropriately, Mamma Mia! features three strong women in the story. Their characters are completely different – slightly bossy, a bit chaotic, extremely practical, and very high maintenance! We have a lot of laughs about who is who in real life, and, as time goes by, it’s a little worrying that we have become even more like those characters on stage.
Suddenly it was time to give up my day job as a film producer and prepare for the white-knuckle ride of making the dream a reality: money to raise, a theatre to find, artwork to create, ticket agents to seduce, deadlines to meet. It was the summer of 1998 and we had to open by April 7, 1999 or we’d lose Phyllida, who’d been booked years in advance to direct an opera at The Coliseum in London. The suggested opening dates were April 6 or April 9. April 6 happened to be the anniversary, to the day, of ABBA winning the Eurovision Song Contest with Waterloo 25 years before. It seemed a good omen.
Although Björn was enthusiastic and shared the vision for the musical, Benny was a little more cautious and at any time both could have put an end to the whole project. It was a tense time, as their emotional backing as well as their creative input was very important to me. If they were going to trust me with their fabulous songs I didn’t want to let them down. Benny and I agreed that on our first night one of us would be able to tell the other ‘I told you so’.
By now we had a date for opening but we had no theatre. We’d been looking at smaller venues when suddenly the rather large and prestigious Prince Edward Theatre in London’s West End became available, the very same theatre at which Chess had opened 10 years earlier. But its sheer size meant that the scale of the production had to expand dramatically, too, with cast, crew, set and budget all having to be reworked. A lot of fingers were crossed for the big night. And so, April 6, 1999, a night I will never forget – the world premiere of Mamma Mia! The audience were charmed and one British critic wrote, ‘Mamma Mia! could put Prozac out of business’. Benny heartily accepted his defeat: with the entire theatre dancing in the aisles, he turned to me and said, ‘You can say it now’. I flashed back, ‘I told you so!’. We still joke about it.”
Judy Craymer
PROOF OF VACCINATION IS NOT REQUIRED FOR THIS PERFORMANCE
SEPTEMBER 13 TO 25 a Dubai Opera, Downtown Dubai, weekdays 8pm, weekends 2pm and 8pm, from Dhs445. Tel: (0)4440888. dubaiopera.com
I t ’s s t i l l h ot out si d e , ri ght? Cool down with our pick of the best watersports to try in the capital
Go kayaking
If you really want to get the complete Louvre Abu Dhabi experience, you need to pick up your paddle and join one of the museum’s one-hour guided kayaking tours. Row yourself along the narrow passages around the museum for a close-up view of this amazing architectural marvel. Prices cots Dhs126. q louvreabudhabi.ae/en/learn/adults-activities
Combine paddleboarding with some beach yoga
Start the week with gentle flow and a paddle every Friday morning at Reem Central Park at 6am. Participants will experience a 45-minute gentle yoga session followed by 45 minutes of paddleboarding. Prices cost Dhs99. q sea-hawk.ae
Yas Waterworld
Abu Dhabi’s aqua land offers far more than just swimming and waterslides. With a suspended rollercoaster flying over 20 different water-based rides and various other child-friendly activities, Yas Waterworld feels more like a theme park than a waterpark. Our favourite activity here? The flowboarding machine, where you can practise surfing on a man-made wave. q yaswaterworld.com
Get towed along Cove Beach
Donuts: they might not always be the same shape as Homer Simpson’s favourite snack, but in the world of water sports a donut is an inflatable you can ride on as it is pulled through the water at high speeds by a powerboat. Now you can have a go at Cove Beach Abu Dhabi where a 15-minute session costs just Dhs100. Cove Beach also offers other watersports activities, including jet ski rental at Dhs100 for 15 minutes. q @covebeachabudhabi
Flyboarding
Ever wanted to walk on water? How about flying on it? Well, now you can thanks to the flyboard, a device that straps powerful water jets to your feet. Feel like a super hero as you fly over the ocean – and get ready for a splash landing. Give it a go with Iron Waves. It offers flyboarding experiences from Dhs150 for 15 minutes at four locations, including Fairmont Bab al Bahr, Radisson Blu, Al Raha Beach and Venetian Village. q ironwavesuae.ae.
Cable-boarding
Dragon boating
Dragon boating is the ultimate in team water sports, as you need to work together as a group to power the boat through the waves. Mangrove Adventures has just launched dragon boating as a new activity to try every Monday and Wednesday at 6pm, setting off from the Eastern Mangroves Promenade. With regular training a key to success, dragon boating is great for folk who are looking for a fun way to stay fit. q @mws.ae
Jet skiing
In contrast to Abu Dhabi’s many boat-pulled aquatic offerings, the Al Forsan sports resort offers an intriguing alternative: an extensive water park cable system that pulls visitors across their custom lakes on whatever type of board or ski they choose. Visitors can select either beginner or pro cables as you grow in confidence and experience. The park is busier, and more expensive, at weekends so go on a weekday if you can. q alforsan.com
Abu Dhabi Marine offers a range of motorised and non-motorised watersports at three locations in the capital. You can hire jet skis at its Bab Al Qasr location from just Dhs250 for 30 minutes. If you want, you can also brunch at Bab Al Qasr and enjoy 2-for-1 on select watersports. q abudhabimarine.ae
Wakeboarding and Wakesurfing
If you think regular surfing requires too much effort to find the right waves, wakeboarding and wakesurfing are good alternatives – let the powerboat take the strain as you concentrate on staying upright in this thrilling single board alternative to waterskiing. Abu Dhabi-based wakeboarding pros Wave Evolution is located in the Eastern Mangroves, where you’ll find flat water all year round, perfect conditions for wakeboarding. Sessions cost Dhs550 for one hour. q wake-evolution.com
Deep Dive Dubai
Depending on how comfortable you are with swimming, wandering far into the deep end can be either exhilarating or borderline panic-inducing. If you tend to experience the latter when you can no longer touch the bottom, then maybe stay away from Deep Dive Dubai, the now Guinness World Recordholding deepest pool for divers located in Nad Al Sheba. If in fact you see this as the ultimate playground, boy, would you be right. Aside from being a whopping 60m deep, there’s a whole sunken city to explore with empty streets, a garage and an arcade that freedivers and scuba enthusiasts can discover. q deepdivedubai.com.
Abu Dhabi Marine
Crooning crustacean, Sebastian the crab, once famously sang, “darling it’s better, down where it’s wetter” and given the range of submarinal adventure offered by Abu Dhabi Marine, we might actually be on board with that assessment. You can take the plunge on trips fit for all ability levels, from snorkelling escapades (from Dhs150) and beginner scuba diving (Dhs350, for ages 10 and up), to more challenging dives and advanced PADI certificate diving courses (from Dhs1,500). Proof, if any were needed, that watersports are “hotter under the water”. a Abu Dhabi Marina, opposite Marina Mall, Break Water, Tel: (800) 4386, abudhabimarine.ae
