| Hello ABBAMAILers
Well, my timing was just right this last weekend when I booked my 2nd trip to Stockholm to see CHESS. Having got to three performances during the first week in February I randomly picked a weekend in October based on availability of tickets, and time off work for my travelling companion, Katherine.
Little did we know that it was going to tie in with the album launch and we would be the first persons in the world to buy it. We saw Saturday night's performance with Anders Ekborg as Anatoly. Although the CD was released and in the shops on Monday it was going to be sold at the theatre on Sunday. So we headed down and arrived just as the CDs were being given to the shop in the foyer by Görel. We bought two and had a chat with her. Then at the performance we had Tommy Korberg as Anatoly. Katherine was delighted as it was the first time EVER she had seen him live. Josephin Nilsson wasn't on either night. Afterwards, we hung around for the party we had heard about on the grapevine and, luckily, as it wasn't like a premiere or something, no one took any notice of us and there was champagne etc. We met Benny, Tommy, Anatoly, Ludwig, and Helen. Görell told us that Björn wasn't coming as he was unwell (just a cold or something). Then there were some speeches etc. and then the wonderful news came: the album had gone GOLD on pre-sales alone. There was a burst of applause and each cast member received a gold disc. We left then and allowed the cast to enjoy the rest of their night. The CD is fantastic and the booklet very well made with photos etc.
Noel King in Ireland. | 