Dec 2, 2025
This week on MusicalTalk, Nick Hutson and Andrew Keating uncover a forgotten gem of musical theatre history as they sit down with the legendary David Wood to discuss the original ABBA jukebox musical: ABBACADBRA.
Long before Mamma Mia! conquered the world, there was ABBACADBRA — a fantastical, family-friendly musical created at the Lyric Hammersmith in the early 1980s, featuring ABBA’s music reimagined and a brand-new book and story by David Wood.
Nick and Andrew dive deep into how the project came to life, the challenges of adapting globally beloved pop songs into a narrative format and why this early experiment in jukebox storytelling has been largely forgotten despite its star-studded origins and irresistible charm.