Benny Andersson talks CHESS, ABBA avatars and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Benny Andersson has been in London this weekend on both CHESS and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again duties but broke off from his busy schedule for a few words with icethesite.
Have you heard much of CHESS while you have been visiting the ENO?
Yes, I spent all day at the Coliseum yesterday and I have to say that from a musical and sound aspect, I am more than happy. To hear 50 or so musicians in a theatre playing your music so well is really something special.
I am hopefully going to see more of the actual show tomorrow when the whole cast is together but I am feeling very confident that the musical aspect will be wonderful. John Rigby is doing a fantastic job, as are the sound guys.
As well as CHESS, you are here doing work for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, what does that involve?
Yes, this trip is all about working on the score for the film. Anne Dudley has written some wonderful stuff. The final cinematic mix will fall to the studio in Los Angeles and I’ll go there in the first week of June. I have recorded the songs themselves and they are all mixed for the CD but the film music mix is what we are working on currently.
Björn has been talking about the avatars project and a TV show based around ABBA that’s in the works. Can you elaborate?
Yes, as part of the journey towards the live avatars concert project, we are also making a TV show to be produced by the BBC and NBC*.
Our sights are still firmly set on the big live production experience and lots of work is still ongoing with regard to making that as good as it can possibly be.
The stage designer Es Devlin is helping us creatively with that and her work is absolutely incredible, so it is very exciting.
My next task in the recording studio will be on that project.
Note: *Early versions of this article said ABC, an error which we are happy to correct.
CHESS was recently staged in Washington D.C. and there has been much talk of a Broadway return for the show…
The principals on that show were terrific and it was also very funny. We don’t know quite yet what we are planning with regards to taking the show back to Broadway but we are talking about it.
Will you and Björn will be attending the ENO CHESS press night at The Coliseum on 1 May in London?
We’ll be there!
CHESS sitzprobe footage:
The company of Chess rehearse together with the ENO chorus and orchestra for the very first time. Chess – 5 Weeks Only from 26th April, Book Now https://t.co/5jY9OnSeJT pic.twitter.com/rpgsei0u9M
— Chess The Musical (@chessthemusical) 20 April 2018