A new musical based on the lives of the Swedish popgroup ABBA will play in Amsterdam this summer. Written by Maurice Wijnen and using 25 original ABBA songs, the new musical revue, with the working title The Dancing Queens, covers the history of the group from 1974 until their split-up in 1982.

The Dancing Queens will play at the 'Werktheater' in Amsterdam from 6 July 1998 for 8 weeks only, with opening night planned for 13 July.

The cast will consist of Brigitte Nijman, currently playing Sandy in the Dutch production of Grease, as Agnetha; former popstar Laura Vlasblom as Frida; Edwin de Jongh, also from the cast of Grease, as Bjorn and Michael Diederich, currently performing in the musical Joe, as Benny. They will be accompanied by a live band on stage.

The Dancing Queens will be the second project of the 'Work in Progress' foundation, a new foundation that wants to enable young artists to try out new and original ideas. Their first project, Nilsson, based on the life of singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson, is playing in the 'Werktheater' in Amsterdam until March 29.

Bjorn Ulvaes and Benny Anderson, the male half of the original popgroup, have previously announced that they are working on a project of their own, Summer Night City, which they hope to open in London's West End in the summer of 1999. Currently their musical Kristina fran Duvemala is opening in Stockholm. The Dancing Queens will also be part of the cultural program of the 1998 Amsterdam Gay Games, which, among many other events, will include a new production of The Rocky Horror Show, Les Ballets Trocadero de Monte Carlo, and Harvey Fierstein's one man show This is Not Going to Be Pretty.

--By Maxim Bezembinder
The Netherlands/Belgium