If Benny and Björn were to lose the court case and any subsequent appeal (which they have stated that they would automatically make if the court’s decision was not in their favour), Kristina would only ever be performed in future in its concert incarnation.

One would imagine that this decision would not necessarily preclude any Kristina concerts in English. Faced with the possibility of never seeing the staged musical in English in all its glory, a concert version might be all we (Kristina fans) ever get to witness of the show. For Kristina fans who don’t speak Swedish, this is really pretty sad.

However, it’s not the worst thing that could happen to the show’s future…which would be, I would imagine, no more public performances in any way, shape or form in any language. Which is why, as disappointing as the producers deciding never to stage the theatrical show in English would be, it won’t necessarily be the end of Kristina.
 

Benny and Björn’s reason, as reported in the Swedish media, for not staging the full musical again is that Lars Rudolfsson and Jan Mark, whom they state wrote the script that was actually used for every performance of Kristina från Duvemåla, would not receive just recognition and reward for doing so.

Only the most self-centered and deluded Kristina fan would deny that this would be appropriate action for Benny and Björn to take, and fully in keeping with the fact that they have taken the matter to court at all. They want the matter sorted, so that Kristina‘s future can be assured in whatever form that may take.

Because I love this musical, because I’d love to see it launched upon the English-speaking world in its full form and because I would love to see deserved praise heaped upon Messrs. Ulvaeus and Andersson (and Mark and Rudolfsson – if you choose to believe Benny and Björn), then I hope that Carl-Johan Seth is deemed by the court to be making false claims.

If not, then the concert version (in English too, please) will have to do.

Or maybe the court will decide in no-one’s favour completely and we’ll end up with Act One in its fully staged theatrical production version…..and Act Two in concert!