ABBA FEVER GRIPS BANGKOK

The RBSO delivers two successful symphonic tributes to an iconic band

- ■JAMES KELLER

In honour of the auspicious occasion of the birthday of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on April 2, the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, produced in association with West End International, presented two mesmerising shows at the Thailand Cultural Centre.

"ABBA The Symphonic Celebration" ensured two extremely well-attended performances which celebrated one of pop music's most lauded bands.

Last year marked the 50th anniversary of ABBA's explosive emergence onto the music scene (April 6, 1974) when they won the Eurovision Song Contest with their brilliant debut song Waterloo. Instantly memorable, irresistibly lovable classic tunes continued to flow effortlessly for many years afterwards, cementing their worldwide status and undisputed reputation as Sweden's best-loved cultural export. So enduring was their legacy that, in 1999, a certain jukebox musical called Mamma Mia! was devised by entrepreneurial British playwright Catherine Johnson, opening at London's Prince Edward Theatre in the West End to instant acclaim.

Broadway quickly embraced the scintillating tribute show, which then spread rapidly around the globe, to date playing to some 60 million people worldwide — a truly mighty achievement in the entertainment sector by any standards.