Benny Andersson News

Today, in honor of the American premiere of ELAINE PAIGE: CELEBRATING FORTY YEARS ONSTAGE being broadcast on PBS this week is a sneak peek of an upcoming InDepth InterView with legendary star of Broadway and the West End, Elaine Paige. In this portion of the interview we discuss the writing of CHESS with ABBA's Benny Andersson & Bjorn Ulvaeus and lyricist Tim Rice, as well as her thoughts on contemporaries like Patti LuPone and, of course, originating the leads in EVITA, CATS, CHESS. We also preview her new album produced by Phil Ramone and featuring a duet with Barry Manilow. We also discuss the new song written for her by Stiles & Drewe for the concert.

Complete casting has been announced for the Signature Theatre's staging of CHESS, joining the previously announced Jill Paice, Jeremy Kushnier and Euan Morton will be Eleasha Gamble, Russell, Sunday. Chris Sizemore, Christopher Bloch, Jamie Eacker, Christopher Mueller, Gregory Maheu, Rachel Zampelli, Jonathan Atkinson, James Gardiner, Katie McManus and Bayla Whitten.

Following a return sold out smash hit engagement in Melbourne, where MAMMA MIA! made its premiere in 2001, the 10th Anniversary Australian tour opened in Perth this week, where it will play a strictly limited eight weeks before transferring to Brisbane.

Paula Brancati, Lauren Collins, Wendy Crewson, Cynthia Dale, Andrea Martin, and Louise Pitre are officially set to be the first cast of the Toronto production of LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE. As in the initial New York staging of the play by Nora and Delia Ephron, the production will feature a company of six that rotates in four-week cycles. The next cast will be announced in the next upcoming weeks.

It is always so exciting going to see a World Premiere of a musical. This happens often at the Signature Theatre thanks to the their 'American Musical Voices Project' (the largest single musical theater commissioning and producing initiative of any U.S. theater) sponsored by the Shen Family Foundation.

The Jeff Awards for the 2009-2010 season of non-equity theater in Chicago were presented on June 7, 2010, the Chicago Sun-Times reported today. Tracy Letts' (AUGUST:OSAGE COUNTY) KILLER JOE, presented by the Profiles Theatre, won the award for best production of a play, while CHESS, written by Tim Rice, Benny Andersson, and Bjorn Ulvaeus and presented by the Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre in association with Michael James, won the award for best production of a musical. Both productions also picked up additional awards--CHESS for best director, choreographer, principal actor, principal actress, supporting actor, and musical direction and KILLER JOE for best director and principal actor.

Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus' MAMMA MIA!, the smash hit musical based on the songs of ABBA, returns to Toronto this month. Performances begin on April 28 and run through June 6 at the Princess of Wales Theatre.

Broadway/San Diego ~ A Nederlander Presentation, continues its 34th Season of great theatre with a variety of choices for all audiences. We offer the hottest ticket in town to ten of Broadway's best, from classic musicals to rock icons to beloved family fare - not to mention dance!

This summer, the Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre features exciting performances ranging from its specialty, fully staged musicals with Ititle of show] and Chess, to its popular cabaret evenings of show tunes, jazz, blues, and rock.

According to xinhuanet.com, MAMMA MIA! will be come the first major western musical to be produced in Chinese for a run in China. The website reports: '[China Arts and Entertainment Group] CAEG, which promotes Chinese-language productions of musical theatre masterpieces, signed the licensing agreement [with European music company Littlestar] at a ceremony in Beijing on Wednesday (June 2, 2010), and is now set to produce 'Mamma Mia!' 13th foreign-language version, following its original English...Zhang Yu, president of CAEG, said 'Mamma Mia!' will be the first worldwide musical masterpiece to be produced in Chinese...'

The international tour of ?MAMMA MIA!? will play at the Echo Arena Liverpool for 3 weeks only from June 3rd - June 20th 2010, with a gala press night on Thursday 3 June. The tour is coming to Liverpool for the first time, direct from a highly successful engagement in Switzerland.

The international tour of MAMMA MIA! is coming to Cork for the first time and will play at the Marquee Cork for two weeks only from 20th July 2010. Tickets start at €39.20.

Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus' global smash hit musical MAMMA MIA! is proud to announce the launch of a brand new multi-media North American website showcasing the Broadway and U.S. national tour productions.

Before Dominic Cooper snagged the role 'Sky' in the film adaptation of Mamma Mia! starring Meryl Street, Amanda Seyfried and Pierce Brosnan, American Pie alum auditioned for the part. His audition tape has been released. Click below to see his take on 'Sky.'

Disney's Beauty and the Beast, the award-winning worldwide smash hit Broadway musical, is coming to Nashville as a special of the HCA/TriStar Broadway at TPAC series and presented by Miller and Martin PLLC.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast, the award-winning worldwide smash hit Broadway musical, presented locally by Omaha Performing Arts and Broadway Across America, is coming to Omaha. Produced by NETworks Presentations, this elaborate theatrical production will come to life on stage at the Orpheum Theater, Tuesday, June 22 through Sunday, June 27, 2010.

Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus' global smash hit musical MAMMA MIA!, one of Broadway's top-grossing and longest running shows, will support the fight against breast cancer by joining forces with the Greater New York City Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure for a spring event to benefit the organization.

Cast member and understudy Corinne Melançon, now appearing in Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus' global smash hit musical MAMMA MIA! on Broadway, will be featured on the American Theatre Wing's televised 'Working in the Theatre' series in a special panel on the Broadway understudy entitled 'Waiting in the Wings' this Sunday, May 2, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. on CUNY - TV (Channel 75 in the New York metropolitan area).

PlayhouseSquare and Baldwin-Wallace College will end the American premiere of Chess - The London Stage Version at PlayhouseSquare's 14th Street Theatre May 2.

Broadway/San Diego ~ A Nederlander Presentation, continues its 34th Season of great theatre with a variety of choices for all audiences. We offer the hottest ticket in town to ten of Broadway's best, from classic musicals to rock icons to beloved family fare - not to mention dance!