MAMMA MIA! - The Story Telling Magic of ABBA’s Timeless Songs
MAMMA MIA! one of the most successful musicals of all time was produced from the familiar repertoire of ABBA songs in a fresh and original way. The concept was initiated by producer Judy Craymer nearly a decade ago, and involves more than 20 ABBA songs being woven into writer Catherine Johnson’s Greek island fairytale. Some 11 productions of MAMMA MIA! are currently running (eight resident productions and three tours), with six further productions and four openings planned to start in the next 18 months, including Hong Kong in June.
ABBA - Composers and Lyric Writer - Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson
ABBA, was formed from Agnetha, Benny, Bjorn and Anni-Frid in the 1970s. As well as 
being vocalists in the group, Benny and Bjorn were responsible for writing the songs, which have become some of the best-loved songs of all time. They burst onto the world stage at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest. Their winning song, "Waterloo", shot to number one all over Europe, and further a field. Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus have since been recognized as among the most significant composers of the past 100 years. They worked closely with Judy Craymer, the producer, in weaving their original compositions into the finished story, MAMMA MIA!, the musical.
The Songs
MAMMA MIA! showcases 22 ABBA greatest hits....
CHIQUITTA
DANCING QUEEN
DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW
GIMME! GIMME! GIMME!
HONEY, HONEY
I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO
I HAVE A DREAM
KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU
LAY ALL YOUR LOVE ON ME
MAMMA MIA
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY
ONE OF US
OUR LAST SUMMER
SLIPPING THROUGH MY FINGER
S.O.S.
SUPER TROUPER
TAKE A CHANCE ON ME
THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC
THE NAME OF THE GAME
THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL
UNDER ATTACK
VOULEZ-VOUS
The Story
MAMMA MIA! tells the story of a mother and daughter living on a Greek Island. The daughter, Sophia is about to marry her boyfriend, Sky, and wants her father to be beside her when she walks down the aisle. The problem is that she doesn’t know who her father is... and it’s just possible that her mother, Donna, doesn’t know either. On the eve of her wedding, Sophia meets three men from her mother’s past, Sam, Bill and Harry. She believes that one of them must be her father so invites them all to the wedding without Donna’s knowledge, desperately hoping that her long-lost father will finally reveal himself in time to give her away at her wedding.
~ Kellie Rode - "Sophie" and Christopher Parker - "Sky"
The Producer - Judy Craymer
After working for Cameron Mackintosh on the original production of Cats, July joined the Tim Rice production company and become executive producer of Chess. July worked for many years on the idea of creating a musical based on the songs of ABBA and formed Littlestar in 1997 to produde MAMMA MIA!. In addition to Australia, Judy is the producer of MAMMA MIA! in London, Toronto, on two US tours and on Boardway. In October 2002, Judy was presented with a Woman of the Year Award in recognition of her international success with MAMMA MIA!.
The Playwright - Catherine Johnson
Catherine Johnson, the author of the book MAMMA MIA!, is an award-winning playwright whose work had been long admired by Judy Craymer. Early in 1997, she invited Catherine to come up with a contemporary, ironic, "comedy-romance" based around the song.
The Director - Phyllide Lloyd
Phyllida Lloyd, the Director, had an extraordinary record of achievement in theatre and opera in the UK and Europe. She is renowned for her work at the Royal National Theatre in London, and she is also a winner of an Emmy award. Craymer chose Phyllida to direct the musical, MAMMA MIA! - her first West End musical.
OOCL has earned the reputation of being the premier ocean carrier sponsoring West End and Broadway musicals.
OOCL is proud to be a sponsor of MAMMA MIA! as the official ocean carrier. OOCL provides a full range of logistics and transportation services to move MAMMA MIA!'s stage sets, props and costumes on Mamma Mia’s Asia tour from Australia to Hong Kong and Singapore, with a final leg back to Australia. For staging the show, it is essential the props and equipment arrive at every destination on time and safe to ensure that, above all else, the show 'must go on'. In support of the staging of MAMMA MIA!, OOCL has deployed a large number of 40' high cube containers, and utilizes its industry-leading information technology to co-ordinate the entire shipment process. With OOCL's spirit of "We Take It Personally", the OOCL team ensures that the right vessel is reserved, the right equipment is ordered and advance information is provided to the production team of the show Serious Staging Limited to ensure every one is informed of the progress of the containers.
As the saying goes "In front of stage, timing is everything!" But behind the stage, timing is just as important to ensure that all the equipment and props get to their final destination in time for the show to go on without hitch.
Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hong Kong Stock Exchange-listed Orient Overseas (International) Ltd. Headquartered in Hong Kong, OOCL is one of the world's leading container transport and logistics service providers, with more than 230 offices in 58 countries. Linking Asia, Europe, North America, the Mediterranean, the Indian sub-continent, the Middle East and Australia/New Zealand, the company offers transportation services to all major east/west trading economies of the world. OOCL is one of the leading international carriers serving China, providing a full range of logistics and transportation services throughout the country. It is also an industry leader in the use of information technology and e-commerce to manage the entire shipment process. Website: www.oocl.com
