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Tag: Abba

All the latest breaking news on ABBA. Browse THEGAYUK’s complete collection of news, articles and commentary on ABBA.

  • Chers goes ABBA with new album and tour and ABBA are back for Christmas

    Chers goes ABBA with new album and tour and ABBA are back for Christmas

    The glitter balls are spinning all around the world as the ultimate gay icon Cher announces her 26th album to be released next month on the 28th September and it is an ABBA tribute.

    (C) BIGSTOCK

    Five years after her hugely successful 2013 Closer To The Truth album with its hit lead single ‘A Woman’s Work’ we get Cher’s 26th album released on digital, CD and even vinyl if you want it. The album will be called Dancing Queen and features 10 previously unreleased Cher versions of ABBA’s greatest hits all very different from the originals.

    Following on from the massive success of Mamma Mia Here We Go Again the movie which is on target to out-gross the original. In its first three weeks has made $243 million from a budget of just $70 million which of course stars Cher and includes two new songs by her.

    In the film, Cher duets with Andy Garcia on her current top 40 hit ‘Fernando’ and also closes the movie and album out with ‘Super Trouper’. The soundtrack is holding steady at number one in the album charts holding the likes of Drake and George Ezra off comfortably.

    Dancing Queen, Cher’s new album does contain a different version of ‘Fernando’ to the one from the film. The lead single, released digitally this week is ‘Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)’ and it has instantly leapt our gay goddess to number six on the iTunes’ charts (up from 93) likely to go number one next week. See the full new CD track listing at the bottom.

    Cher spoke about the project on The Today Show, “After filming Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, I was reminded again of what great and timeless songs they (ABBA) wrote and started thinking, ‘Why not do an album of their music?’ The songs were harder to sing than I imagined but I’m so happy with how the music came out. I’m really excited for people to hear it. It’s a perfect time.  I have always liked ABBA and saw the original Mamma Mia musical on Broadway three times”. She added, “It’s not what you think of when you think ‘ABBA,’ because I did it in a different way.”

    Of course, that is an understatement that many agree with who have heard her new great version of ‘Gimme Gimme Gimme’.

    As she previously announced on The Graham Norton Show she is doing an Australia and New Zealand only tour, titled the ‘Here We Go Again Tour’ which is now being rebranded the ”Dancing Queen tour, in support of the new album, is set to launch on September 21, 2018, in Auckland, New Zealand. She is planning on doing six of the below Abba numbers in that show and of course promoters worldwide are now trying to pin her down do extend the tour to Asia, Europe and North America as the demand created by the film, soundtrack and predicted pre-orders of the tribute album make her hotter than at any time since ‘Believe’, maybe hotter as she is now a triple threat.

    After the disappointment of her only other movie musical to date Burlesque in 2010 she decided to move away from acting in 2012 and concentrate on her music career which was a very wise move indeed as it is turning out. Due to the success of the new movie talks with theatre producers are now underway to bring Here We Go Again to the world’s stages to play alongside the original massively successful Mamma Mia musical which is not likely to be leaving any stages soon as ticket sales are back through the roof again and the original 2008 soundtrack is also back in the Top 5 itself with ABBA Gold the original artist compilation just three places lower (making 3 ABBA-inspired albums in the Top 10).

    ABBA is coming back soon!!!

    If that is not enough excitement for ABBA fans then we are now just 12 short weeks from the release in November of their first new material for 36 years when in 1982 they put out their final song ‘The Day Before You Came’ (In 1983 they recorded ‘Put On Your White Sombrero’ for single release but withdrew it for it later to turn up only on a box set). The new song ‘I still Have Faith In You’ is currently the bookmaker’s favourite to be the Christmas Number One 2018 which would be their first ever Xmas chartopper and 10th number one in the UK. All four members of Abba said, “The decision to go ahead with the exciting Abba avatar tour project had an unexpected consequence.

    “We all four felt that, after some 35 years, it could be fun to join forces again and go into the recording studio. So we did. And it was like time had stood still and that we had only been away on a short holiday. An extremely joyful experience!“

    It resulted in two new songs and one of them, ‘I Still Have Faith In You’, will be performed by our digital selves in a TV special produced by NBC and the BBC aimed for broadcasting in December.

    “We may have come of age, but the song is new. And it feels good

    The full track listing of the new Cher album available to pre-order now is :-

    Dancing Queen 
    1. Dancing Queen
    2. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (a Man After Midnight)

    3. The Name of the Game
    4. SOS
    5. Waterloo
    6. Mamma Mia
    7. Chiquitita
    8. Fernando
    9. The Winner Takes It All
    10. One of Us

  • Mamma Mia 2 with added Cher is on the way

    MAMMA MIA – HERE WE GO AGAIN – All you need to know about the hottest sequel of the year & Cher’s song is revealed.

    Mamma Mia 2 is on the way and advance buzz is very good indeed – is it time to get excited  What Abba songs are in and which are out? What’s the story? What does Cher sing? What’s the lead song and all the gossip? THEGAYUK brings you all the info you need for the movie event of the Summer.

    So why a sequel? Since Mamma Mia first appeared on the stage in 1999 it has played all around the World becoming the most successful musical of the Millennium. The film was released in 2008 and became the biggest hit at the UK Box Office of all time. Six months later the DVD was released and sold 5 million copies making it the biggest seller in History and attaining a record that will never ever be beaten – the disc is in one in four of every British Household. Abba have recently reformed and have recorded new music to be released in December so are hotter than ever, so purely and simply a sequel was inevitable.

    What we know is that the movie is released Worldwide on 20th July, it is two hours long, will get a PG 13 rating and most importantly EVERYONE is back BOTH sides of the camera. The film wrapped just before last Christmas and was shot this time in Croatia rather than the Greek Islands and also Oxford together with other UK locations such as Hampton Court. Meryl Street did do one week of new filming but she has a minor part this time as it is set 10 years in the future when her daughter played by Amanda Seyfried is pregnant but is largely about flashbacks and how the Meryl Streep character (Donna) came to be in the original predicament of not knowing which of the three guys were her daughters father. Streep’s younger self is played by the incredible Lily James (Cinderella/Baby Driver) and a bevvy of stars take over the roles of the younger versions of all the other main characters. Pierce Brosnan, Julie Walters, Dominic Cooper and Colin Firth have full roles once again and there are new additions such as Andy Garcia, Omid Djalilli and Celia Imrie and a certain American gay icon we revealed in THEGAYUK back in January.

    The queen of camp and everyone’s gay world Cher is in Mamma Mia 2 and not just as a cameo. She has one featured solo song and joins in 3 others playing the part of Meryl Streep’s mother and Seyfried/James’s Grandmother. Even though Cher is only 4 years older than Streep in real life! Of course, Cher started out as a musician with then-husband Sonny back in 1965 with the likes of the chart topper ‘I Got You Babe’. Midway through her career, she moved heavily into acting to huge success with the likes of Moonstruck, Mask, Silkwood and Mermaids the latter of which produced the infamous “Shoop Shoop Song”.

    via GIPHY

    Weirdly although she has kept up her music career she has only made one other musical in her 53 years at the top, the very unsuccessful Burlesque in 2010. Therefore Cher in a hit musical is very big news indeed and the gay internet will explode come July 20th for sure. The song she sings in Mamma Mia 2 is Abba’s third number one ‘Fernando’ which was not featured in the first movie – it is the groups second biggest seller after ‘Dancing Queen’ and was never included on any Abba studio album. Cher’s version which she debuted at the CinemaCom the exhibitor’s expo in Las Vegas and it is expected to get a single release but it won’t be the lead single from the movie.

    Both Benny and Bjorn from Abba appear in the movie in a university clip for Arrival album track ‘When I Kissed The Teacher’ whose superb video is already available online and is a return to form similar to the original ‘Dancing Queen’ let’s all head to the harbour singing clip which is the lead out track and is very good indeed. All well and good but there is a fly in the ointment as the groundswell for the lead single has drifted heavily towards the hit ‘Angel Eyes’ from the original Voulez Vous album.

    Neither Teacher or Eyes were in the original movie nor indeed the stage musical. Mamma Mia 2 has a mix of songs not in Mamma Mia 1 together with extended versions of songs only briefly featured last time out such as ‘Thank You For The Music’, ‘Supertrooper’ and an epic choir lead full blown ‘I Have A Dream’. A couple of classics return to keep the fans happy including of course ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘Mamma Mia’ done in the style of the Zorba The Greek music and ‘Waterloo’ which last time was just over the credits but this time gets its own set piece when the younger versions of Donna and Sam visit a Napoleon-themed restaurant! Yes, you read that right, this movie is full on camp. There is no room this time for ‘The Winner Takes It All’ as it was thought that there could be no improvement on the original Meryl/Pierce clifftop version.

    So what new songs make the cut this time is the 64,000 dollar question on every Abba fans and gay man’s lips. This time you get epic sunlit productions of ‘I Wonder (Departure)’, Abba’s saddest ever song, ‘Kisses of Fire’, ‘The Name Of The Game’, ‘Happy Hawaii’, ‘I’ve Been Waiting For You’, ‘My Love My Life’, ‘As Good as New’, ‘If It Wasn’t For The Nights’, ‘On and On and On’, ‘Like an Angel Passing Through My Room’, ‘The Way Old Friends Do’ and ‘Head Over Heels’ but still no ‘The Day Before You Came’ or Abba’s legendary unreleased 25th hit single ‘Put On Your White Sombrero’ which was dropped from its release spot in 1982 as the band split on the eve of its release (It is available only on the Box set).

    There is a star-studded European premier organised and there are strong rumours that all four of the original line up will attend which they have not done so since the theatre production premiered in Stockholm 16 years ago. The team behind the Mamma Mia juggernaut are the same and the writing has now been taken over by Richard Curtis of Four Weddings/Comic Relief and Notting Hill fame so expect the laugh quota to be up. They are now in discussions to produce a second stage musical to tour the World to partner the original so it looks as though Mamma Mia Here We Go Again is here to stay. The musical stage production depends on whether the movie/CD and DVD are hits and with the film being released on the anniversary exactly the same day 10 years on as the original means that hopefully the stars are aligning, of course it is perfect counter programmed entertainment to the World Cup Football tournament too alongside Oceans 8, Book Club and I feel Pretty which will help Mamma Mia 2 cost $40 Million dollars and its predicted box office is $120 Million so the stage musical should be green lit in August all being well.

    We will review the new movie next month.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Mamma Mia – Leeds Grand Theatre and National UK Tour

    ★★★| Mamma Mia – Leeds Grand Theatre and National UK Tour

    Mamma Mia Theatre Tour Review

    Sophie is determined to have her father walk her down the aisle at her forthcoming wedding. After finding out that there are three potential guys who may be her father, she invites them all to the forthcoming nuptials; but will she find out which one really is her father, and how will her mother react when three of her former lovers all turn up unexpectedly?

     

    Currently on its first ever UK tour, Mamma Mia is a show which needs little introduction. Based around the hit songs of Abba, the show has been a phenomenon for many years and continues to pack out theatres with its sunny setting, perfect pop and feel-good factor.

    The show feels as warm as the weather in the Greek setting to the story, with a set made up of a backdrop of brilliant blues and two moveable parts to the set which transforms the locations of the story very well. The lighting design is well conceived, the costumes include some spandex and stomping platform boots, and the whole thing is fairly seamless in its presentation.

    Sadly, for such a slick and polished production, the lead cast was disappointing; with both the acting and singing not being of a standard one would expect from such a huge show. Someone in the foyer joked “at least we won’t have to listen to Pierce Bronson sing tonight” (referring to his much-maligned performance in the film version of the show); but at times, his dulcet tones may have been a blessing. It is the ensemble cast who really shone in terms of their enthusiasm, singing and dancing; with more gorgeous gals and hunks in trunks than you can shake a stick at; and an abundance of muscular and ridiculously attractive young men in the ensemble with vast amounts of six packs, biceps and perfect pecs on display.

    But the real star of the show is the music, and with a soundtrack which plays out like your ABBA Gold CD, there are more than a few songs here that you will know every word to. There are some storming numbers, which work really well; “Money. Money, Money”, “Mamma Mia” and “Does Your Mother Know” are good ensemble pieces, and the collision of the stag and hen do’s to “Voulez Vous” was an enjoyable highlight; with this show reminding you of just how good ABBA really were.

    But where the show really succeeds is in the fact that it remains an absolute crowd-pleaser and presents itself with a real sense of fun. It’s a show which cranks up the camp, ditches the story and plot and goes all out to enjoy itself. It’s not perfect by any stretch, but by the time the crowd are on their feet singing and dancing at the end, you know that you have had a good couple of hours of escapism and managed to kick-start your summer.

    Mamma Mia is currently playing at Leeds Grand Theatre (www.leedsgrandtheatre.com ) until Saturday 8th July 2017. Leeds play host to the forthcoming tours of Wicked and The Band; and present the World Premiere of Kay Mellor’s Fat Friends in November 2017. The show then continues on its national tour, calling in at Canterbury, Bournemouth, Brighton, Aberdeen, Sunderland, Oxford, Glasgow, Llandudno, Northampton, Wolverhampton and Sheffield. Visit  http://www.mamma-mia.com/uk-tour/index.php for details and tickets.

     

  • Muriel’s Wedding To Be Made Into Stage Show

    Muriel’s Wedding To Be Made Into Stage Show

    That’s right folks, “You can’t stop progress” as Muriel’s Wedding is to be made into a new musical stage show adapted to stage by, “What a coincidence”, it’s the original film’s writer and director PJ Hogan.

    © Sydney Theatre Company / Global Creatures
    © Sydney Theatre Company / Global Creatures

     

    The show will feature all those much loved ABBA numbers whilst both the script and Muriel herself will be re-set in 2017. Will marriage be easier to find in this new world of social media and app dating?

    Speaking to AussieTheatre.com.au PJ Hogan said, “I’ve been asked many times to put Muriel’s Wedding on stage and I’ve always said no – mainly because the film seemed to do what I wanted it to do, and has somehow resisted the obscurity that time and changing fashions are apt to visit upon everything and everyone. So why tempt fate and invite Muriel (and a singing Muriel, at that) to cavort in 2017?

    “Back in 1994 Muriel had a problem that seemed peculiar to her… how do you become famous (that is loved/admired/envied by all) when you have no discernible talent, no achievements, and when no one believes in you except you? The new millennium has provided the tools for dreamers afflicted by obscurity: Twitter, FaceBook, Instagram, You Tube, not to mention that Hogwarts for the irrelevant, Reality TV.

    “Muriel was born to be a Millennial. So a Millennial she has become. Who sings.”

    Sadly the tickets prices may be a little ‘sky-high’ for us Brits as the world premier takes place at the Roslyn Packer Theatre, Sydney, Australia. Though fingers are crossed for a speedy export to the UK.

    If you are travelling out there next year from the 20th Nov – 30th Dec 2017, then you can pre-book tickets at: SydneyTheatre.com.au