The Sunday Times
Sunday December 24 2023
“It’s an extraordinary number,” said Michael Bolingbroke, the chief executive of Abba Voyage. “Given that, I hope that they will see the value in us staying. And we’d like to stay. This is the most successful show in western Europe. It’s mind-blowing.”
The 90-minute performance involves 3D renderings of Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad appearing in a dedicated 3,000-capacity arena beside the Dockland Light Railway’s Pudding Mill Lane station.
Money, Money, Money may not feature on the set list — but it is nevertheless proving lucrative for the show’s backers, averaging $2 million (£1.6 million) a week in ticket sales. Last week, the show hosted its two millionth audience member after launching little more than 18 months ago.
The performance boasts an average of 99 per cent occupancy, running seven shows a week. A quarter of the audience comes from abroad, according to analysis of ticket sales using geotracking data. The best West End shows typically attract 84 per cent occupancy by comparison, according to the Society of London Theatre.
Bolingbroke also confirmed plans for the show to be taken abroad. “We could do it in Germany. We could do it in Australia. Both are big Abba markets. We are looking at the potential of that,” he said.
The show was originally scheduled to last for “two-and-a-half to three years’’, according to Bolingbroke.
It was temporary in part because the London Legacy Development Corporation — responsible for planning the future of the Olympic Park created for the 2012 Games — and the Greater London Authority, headed by Sadiq Khan, had committed to building 1,000 flats and houses on the site.
Bolingbroke said: “The question is: can the housing still be done, but centred around the Abba Arena? If you rejig [the plans] slightly, is there a world where the arena can stay there? And if there is, then we’re there indefinitely.”
Even if officials press ahead with the houses and flatten the arena, delaying the residential development could still boost the London economy, he says.
The avatar idea was conceived by Ulvaeus and Andersson in 2016, alongside the Swedish billionaire Conni Jonsson. It took them two years to find the right technology. Their breakthrough came when they met technicians from the UK arm of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), a special-effects firm founded by Stars Wars creator George Lucas.
Once the finer details of the show were nailed down, the Swedish quartet were then filmed by 160 cameras performing what would become Abba Voyage over and over again over a five-week stint.
Bolingbroke, who previously oversaw the UK Cirque du Soleil shows, says he immediately saw what would become the secret of Abba Voyage’s success: the authenticity of the avatars. “It was so real, it took me back to 1981. It was overwhelming,” he said.
This month, Bolingbroke was spotted visiting sites in Melbourne. Asked about plans in Australia, he said: “We would have to build an arena like ours. It’s a significant undertaking. The investment to get to opening night was £141 million. It will be cheaper the second and third time around because the technology is there to go. But it’s not much cheaper.
“We would do Australia first because we are [already] in Europe.”
For Abba Voyage, a ten-piece live band supports the avatar quartet, with 291 speakers booming favourites from SOS to Waterloo. Tickets are not cheap — especially when you consider this is mainly computer-generated art — starting at £55, with more expensive ones well into three figures. The average price is about £90.
As well as being the chief executive and executive producer of Abba Voyage, Bolingbroke chairs the board of Pophouse, the parent company that Ulvaeus, Andersson and Jonsson created alongside executives from Universal Music and Nordic corporate bank SEB.
This month, the Abba avatar technology owned by Pophouse was used at the end of the final farewell concert by the American rock group Kiss at New York’s Madison Square Garden. It was the first time it has been used to immortalise another band.
Per Sundin, chief executive of Pophouse, said: “Now there is a proven template, that undoubtedly paves the way for new and exciting opportunities. We have received interest from several other artists who see the potential for a similar avatar show to create, cement and elevate their legacies in a way that was never possible until now.
“We believe there are a number of exceptional artists and bands that have both the catalogue, active fans and storied histories to fully capitalise upon an avatar show.”
But Bolingbroke insisted that Abba-style avatars would not signal the death of the ageing rock star. “My personal opinion is that whatever you do, nothing beats live. However, if an artist is not able to be there, this is a pretty good alternative.”
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/abba-voyage-success-story-london-permanent-dqjj5d507
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