Abba's Frida Trips Down Memory Lane???

At the curtain call of last night’s fifth anniversary gala performance of Mamma Mia! (See News, 6 Apr 2004), Abba’s Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, around whose pop classics the blockbuster musical is built, took to the stage, prompting a fresh round of ovations. When the pair beckoned their former band member Frida Lyngstad to join them on stage, the applause intensified even as Lyngstad stumbled and lost her shoe en route to the spotlight. Undaunted, she picked the shoe up, waved it above her head and limped the rest of the way. The fourth member of Abba, Agnetha Faltskog, was absent for the festivities, though given that Frida (formerly the auburn one), has dyed her hair the same colour blonde as Agnetha’s once famous locks, you could say she was there in spirit. Benny, Bjorn and Frida were presented on stage with a commemorate mural by Pete Waterman on behalf of Universal. In addition to the musical’s milestone, yesterday marked the 30th anniversary of Abba’s Eurovision win with “Waterloo”.

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