Here is our review of Mania: The ABBA Tribute at Liverpool‘s Empire Theatre!
Description Of Mania: The ABBA Tribute
If you love ABBA like I do, you will know what to expect from a show like this. So, it opened with Waterloo, arguably ABBA’s most famous hit. Next came Voulez-Vouz and Knowing Me Knowing You, before the hugely popular Mamma Mia and Money Money Money. Yes, the audience was up dancing and singing to those two tracks. After Ring Ring and I’ve Been Waiting For You, we were treated to Fernando and I Have A Dream. Take A Chance On Me took us to the interval.
Post-intermission, we heard Lay All Your Love On Me and What’s The Name Of The Game. An explanation of the charitable aspect led to Chiquitita, before The Winner Takes It All, SOS, and Super Trouper. By now, the crowd was staying on its feet for Does Your Mother Know and Gimme Gimme Gimme. And of course, for the iconic Dancing Queen, which rounded off the main portion. We still had the encore, though, which was – what else? – Thank You For The Music.
Analysis Of Mania: The ABBA Tribute
This was a lot of fun to watch. I am a huge ABBA fan, and I was happy to see virtually every major ABBA song during this show. The singing performances were strong throughout, with Tamin Stewart particularly shining for The Winner Takes It All. We also had authentic costumes, both on the stage and in the audience (oh, yes!). Meanwhile, the show flew by, with a running time of just over two hours. This ensured that the audience was kept entertained all the way through, even during the slower numbers.
There was also plenty of interaction with the crowd to join in with the choruses of several songs. (Not forgetting the guy representing the show that had the upper deck dancing, almost Conga-style!) Meanwhile, the dances were easy enough to mimic, and the backing band also entered a strong performance. There were some technical difficulties with the sound during the second half, though the pause didn’t last too long. I would also mention that the strobe lighting was a bit excessive, as the lights dazzled me a few times.
Summary Of Mania: The ABBA Tribute
Let’s face it, this show does exactly what it says on the tin, so to speak. And it’s a very entertaining tribute to one of the greatest music bands of all time. The ABBA Voyage shows have renewed interest in Sweden’s finest. But if you want the next best thing, come and see Mania: The ABBA Tribute straight from the West End. Mamma Mia!
