ABBA tribute band performing at Orpheum recreates 1977 concert by legendary group
In the middle of an interview promoting “Mania: The ABBA Tribute,” coming to Wichita’s Orpheum Theatre next weekend, Alison Ward realized she’d been singing the music of the Swedish supergroup for most of her adult life.
“I do not tire of the songs or the show or the costumes,” she said. “It just gets better every time.”
Ward is a 16-year veteran of Mania, billed as “the world’s No. 1 touring ABBA tribute,” which started in 1999 and had its first public performances in London’s West End in 2000.
Playing ABBA member Agnetha Faltskog, she said her ego isn’t bruised because people aren’t there to see her, because the act has a ready-made fan club.
“We’ve won the battle of singing songs they already know and love,” Ward said. “I don’t have to win people over. They’re there because they love ABBA and the sound of the music. They’re there to dance and sing and party from the minute they arrive. The reactions are like they’re watching the real ABBA, and I feel lucky I get to play such a cool, cool role of someone they’ve loved for many years, and I hope I’m doing them justice.”
The Mania performance, which recreates a 1977 concert complete with three costume changes, made it to a short Broadway run in October, Ward said.
She and her castmates replicate songs such as “Waterloo,” “Mamma Mia,” “The Winner Takes It All,” “Super Trouper,” “Fernando,” “Take A Chance On Me” and, of course, “Dancing Queen.”
“It’s like we’re transporting our audience back to that real-life ABBA show,” Ward said. “We’ve replicated the costumes as close as we can, we’re doing the Swedish accents as best we can, and live music, the production is just incredible.”
One of an estimated 100-plus ABBA tribute acts touring in the world, Mania got a boost from “Mamma Mia!,” which used the band’s music in Broadway (1999) and movie (2008) incarnations.
“It definitely gave us a boost for a younger crowd,” Ward said. “The audience and the people buying the tickets are still familiar with the original members and the original songs.”
Ward, who lives in Los Angeles and has a burgeoning career as a reporter for TV entertainment shows in the U.S. and U.K., grew up in Liverpool and attended Penny Lane Nursery School.
Although she has an affinity for the Fab Four, she said The Beatles and ABBA were among the tunes she grew up on.
“I grew up in a musical household, so music of a feel-good pop vibe was always playing,” she said. “Between Mozart and pop, it was always a lively household.”
ABBA had its final performance in 1982 and first reunion in 2016. The foursome released an album, “Voyage” in 2021 and while it did not tour, the figures headlined a hologram show.
Mania does not use music from the Grammy-nominated “Voyage,” Ward said, and that holograms are “a pricey show to get people to fly in,” while Mania provides the same excitement for a smaller price.
“When ABBA threw in the ingredients in writing these songs, they added a splash of perfect, perfect, fab movement and the music has a feel-good vibe for everyone,” she said.
‘MANIA: THE ABBA TRIBUTE’
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11
Where: Orpheum Theatre,
Tickets: $27.50-$64.50, from selectaseat.com or 316-755-7328