Swede success for show

AS the film Mamma Mia! has proved to be the box office film hit of the year, the Thank You For the Music tribute show is expecting to cash in in a big way.

The film has surpassed all expectations with a £68m gross that puts it second on the all-time UK box office chart just a few quid behind Titanic.

With Mamma Mia! – The Movie a runaway smash, what better time to be bringing a tribute show featuring the music of Abba to Derby then?

"Mamma Mia! – The Movie's success is no surprise to us," says Thank You For The Music producer Michael Taylor. "Abba's music has a lasting, universal charm. It appeals to all ages and Abba Magic, who star in our production, have been packing in fans at the UK's top theatres for 11 years.

"Indeed, by the end of this year, Abba Magic will have been lifting audiences to their platform-booted feet for as long as the original artists did during the 1970s and 1980s!"

Thank You For The Music is Britain's longest-running Abba concert show.

Featuring all of Abba's 17 Top 10 hits, it authentically revives a musical phenomenon that is as popular today as it was during Abba's heyday.

But as well as being an authentic slice of Abba, this stage show is also officially the UK's number one Bee Gees concert show.

Bee Gees Magic recreate the hits of the Gibb brothers with the same care and attention as the Abba clones.

But it's the music of the Swedish pop sensations that most concert-goers come to hear.

And the production regularly plays to full houses on its nationwide tours of the UK, says Michael.

"Thirty five years ago Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny and Frida coined the name Abba, going on to record and perform million-selling hits like Dancing Queen, Knowing Me, Knowing You, The Name of the Game, Mamma Mia and Take a Chance on Me," says Michael.

"We hope that Thank You For The Music continues this incredible legacy."

Thank You For The Music

Where: Derby Assembly Rooms.

When: Tomorrow.

Tickets: £18.50 and £19.50 (concessions £2 off).

Box office: 01332 255800.