Dress up ’70s style for ABBA tribute show

In addition to dominating 1970s radio, ABBA spawned the 2000s jukebox film and Broadway musical “Mamma Mia” and inspired countless cover and tribute bands.

MANIA started on London’s West End back in 1999, recreating the band’s iconic music and performances. Since then, the touring show has sold out theaters and concert halls worldwide and has performed for more than 3 million people.

Melissa Harding, who plays the role of Frida, is on her third winter tour with the show. She grew up on ABBA music, and said performing in the tribute band has been her dream job.

“It’s been an amazing experience for me,” she said. “Mama Mia was the first show I ever saw on Broadway as a young singer that grew up in musical theater, and so it’s kind of a full circle moment to be in a tribute band to ABBA.”

The concert has a run time of two hours, and Harding said it’s packed with ABBA’s most popular songs, including “Dancing Queen,” “Waterloo,” “Mamma Mia” and “Take a Chance on Me.” 

“You get all the hits,” she said. “We throw a couple curve balls in there, a couple deep cuts for the big fans that really know the show, or know the catalog of music. But if you are coming ready for Dancing Queen, you’re going to get Dancing Queen, you want Mamma Mia, you’re going to get Mamma Mia.”

Harding also made it clear that although the show started on the West End, it is not a theater production, and that attendees are invited to get up and dance or sing to their favorite songs.

“This is a concert. So we want you to play with us, we want you to engage with us, and we want you on your feet, and we want you to dress up,” she said. 

With their practiced Swedish accents and ABBA-inspired costumes, Harding and her co-performers don’t just cover ABBA songs, they recreate the experience of seeing the group live. 

“We start the show in the Eurovision ensemble — the whole Eurovision look, and Waterloo, and what made the band really blow up across the world. We do a couple costume changes in the first act, and then in the second act, we go into their very traditional white outfits, and we change up the scene a little bit, but it is a really fun, interactive concert,” Harding said. “We bring that fun energy of getting to see the music with a really killer band played live.”

Each of the performers bring their own energy into whatever part they’re playing, while also trying to create a live version of the music that the audience knows and loves, she said.

“We are not the original artists, so we all have our own styles that we bring into it, but we are paying homage to them,” she said.

To Harding, what makes ABBA’s music special is how it appeals to so many generations, and brings people together.

“We’ve got 6-year-olds in the front row that know every word,“ she said. “It blows our minds. And they’re next to someone who’s 80, and they know every word, too.” 

Harding said MANIA is hoping for a packed night at the Rialto, and she encouraged Tucsonans to show up in their best 70s ABBA fashion. 

“Come on down and fill that theater with us,” Harding said. “Come in your glitter, come in your boa, come in your bell bottoms, whatever it is that encourages you to let loose and have fun.”

Tickets are on sale now for the 7:30 p.m. show at the Rialto, 318 E. Congress St., with prices starting at $33. Visit Rialto’s website for more information.