The show premiered in London in 1999, the brainchild of producer Judy Craymer. She had met Abba songwriters Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson in 1983 when they were working with Tim Rice on the musical Chess. The Abba hit 'The Winner Takes It All' inspired her to visualise the theatrical potential of Abba's catalogue. Björn and Benny took some persuading, but later conceded that it might be a runner. It was – and, astonishingly, it’s still running!

Björn and Benny became involved in the development of the show and Anni-Frid, their former partner in Abba, provided financial support. The basic story will be familiar from the 1968 film Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell or the Russian movie Sympathy Seeker. Mamma Mia! includes such timeless Abba classics as 'Take A Chance On Me', 'Money, Money, Money', 'I Have A Dream', 'Dancing Queen', 'Knowing Me, Knowing You', 'The Winner Takes It All', and 'SOS'. Since its opening in 1999, the production has earned over €2 billion at the box office. A film version starring Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, and Julie Walters was released in 2008 and was lapped up by the fans as enthusiastically as the stage show. It makes its Cork debut at Live At The Marquee.

DID YOU KNOW?
• The song 'Mamma Mia' by Abba topped the Irish charts in 1975 and was the band’s fifth Irish hit single.
• Over 42 million people have so far seen the stage musical. That’s more than the entire population of Spain.
• The Mamma Mia! show has been performed in more than 11 languages to date, including Russian.• Although Abba were from Sweden, Mamma Mia! is set in Greece and is not an autobiographical story about the band.
• Abba only played one concert in Ireland, at the RDS in November 1979. It was reckoned at one stage that every second house in Ireland had at least one Abba album.