Rocktober! with 'Mamma Mia!' Returns

ROCKTOBER! a month of celebration and noteworthy moments in Mamma Mia! and ABBA history, returns. Mamma Mia!, which celebrates 6 years on Broadway this month, along with other ABBA-related news and trivia.  Throughout October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Mamma Mia! will continue its year-round support of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Seen by more than 30 million people around the world, Mamma Mia!, now playing Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre, is also currently playing record-breaking engagements in Las Vegas and on National Tour in the United States.  The original West End production has played more than 3,500 performances, an international tour has played in more than 30 foreign cities, and the feature film of Mamma Mia!, produced by Judy Craymer and Gary Goetzman, will be released in the summer of 2008.

ROCKTOBER 2007 Schedule:

Monday, October 1
On this date in 1983, the Swedish Post Office issued an ABBA commemorative stamp. This was the first time a pop group had appeared on a Swedish stamp.

Tuesday, October 2
Twenty-eight years ago on this date, ABBA performed Radio City Music Hall. This is one of only 3 performances the band ever played in New York.  The International tour of Mamma Mia! begins performances at the Incheba Hall in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Wednesday, October 3
On this date in 1979, ABBA performs in Boston on its North American tour. This was one of only 14 concerts the band played in the U.S.

Thursday, October 4
"ABBA GOLD" celebrates 581 weeks on the Billboard Top Pop Catalog Chart with sales of over 4,700,000 albums in the U.S. alone. ABBA GOLD sells over 100,000 copies annually in the U.S. alone.

Friday, October 5
Mamma Mia! Broadway celebrates the 6th anniversary of its first preview performance.
Mamma Mia! Broadway stars perform at Hard Rock Café in Times Square to mark WPLJ Radio's 2nd Anniversary
Mamma Mia! celebrates 150 performances in Essen, Germany.

Saturday, October 6
On this date in 1979, ABBA played the Forum in Montreal, Canada. ABBA recorded several songs in French – notably "Waterloo."
Now in its 9th hit year, the West End production of Mamma Mia! plays its 3,552nd  performance at the restored Prince of Wales Theatre tonight.

Monday, October 8
On this date in 1982, ABBA's "The Day Before You Came" single was released in the UK. This was the band's 32nd single in a ten-year period.

Wednesday, October 10
The International tour of Mamma Mia! premieres in the Czech Republic at Sazka Arena in Prague.
On this date in 1982, "The Visitors" was the first ABBA album to be released in the Compact Disc format.  At the time, a CD player cost between 600 and 1,000 dollars.

Thursday, October 11
On this date in 1975, ABBA's single "SOS" entered the Billboard Top 40.  In the US, it won a BMI award as one of the most played records of the year.

Friday, October 12
On this date in 1973, the single "Ring Ring" was released.  It was the first ABBA record issued in England and Neil Sedaka provided the English lyrics.

Saturday, October 13
Mamma Mia! US tour plays its 2,350th performance during its 294th week on the road.

Sunday, October 14
On this date in 1977, "Name of the Game" ABBA single was released in the UK. The single went to #1 within 2 weeks.
Mamma Mia!'s Russian language production celebrates its first anniversary at Moscow's MGM Theatre.

Monday, October 15
Mamma Mia! Las Vegas celebrates 1,800 performances at Mandalay Bay Resort. Mamma Mia! is the longest running full-length Broadway production to ever play the Strip.

Tuesday, October 16
On this date in 1973, the name "ABBA" is used for the first time. The name, coined by producer Stig Anderson, is derived from the names of the band members – Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Agnetha Fältskog.

Wednesday, October 17
Mamma Mia! US tour begins performances at the Chrysler Hall in Norfolk, Virginia.
On this date in 1976, ABBA taped a performance for the US TV show "Don Kirschner's Rock Concert." The band would also appear on the popular concert show "Midnight Special." For both shows, the band performed "Dancing Queen."

Thursday, October 18
Mamma Mia! celebrates the 6th Anniversary of its Broadway opening.

Saturday, October 20
On this date in 1979, ABBA played a hometown concert at the Isstadion in Stockholm, Sweden. (One band member, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, was actually born in Norway).
Mamma Mia! celebrates 2,500 performances on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre.

Sunday, October 21
Mamma Mia! slides past Mel Brooks' The Producers to become the 18th longest running show in Broadway history.
A new production of Mamma Mia! opens at the Theater am Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, marking the 4th German language production of the musical to open in the country.
On this date in 1979, ABBA played a sold out concert in Copenhagen, Denmark, a warm-up date for 6 sold out concerts at London's Wembley Arena.

Monday, October 22
Mamma Mia! Broadway cast performs at "Opening Night on Broadway" at Bloomingdale's in New York City.
On this date in 1973, ABBA begins the first recording sessions for the "ABBA" album, which produced the smash hit "Mamma Mia."

Tuesday, October 23
Mamma Mia! U.S. tour begins performances at the King Center in Melbourne, Florida.
On this date in 1981, the "ABBA LP" was re-issued in the UK. The original, released in 1975, saw all 11 tracks released as singles – a claim which few other albums can make.

Thursday, October 25
Delta Airlines celebrates Mamma Mia!'s 6th Broadway birthday with the Dynamos at the newly opened Sky360 lounge in Times Square.

Friday, October 26
On this date in 1979, "ABBA's Greatest Hits Vol. 2" was released. This, their final album of the 1970s, received 600,000 advance orders and sold faster than any previous ABBA album.

Saturday, October 27
On this date in 1979, ABBA played a sold out concert at the Olympiahalle in Munich, Germany. It is the largest concert venue in Munich, built for the 1972 Olympic games.

Monday, October 29
On this date in 1979 ABBA's first volume of Greatest Hits (first released in 1976) reaches sales of over 2 million copies.

Tuesday, October 30
Mamma Mia! US tour begins performances at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium in North Carolina.
On this date in 1984, ABBA's single "Lay All Your Love on Me" was reissued in the UK. The original, released in 1981, became the highest placed single ever to only be available in a 12" format.

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