It is the lucrative show that allows Abba fans to experience a concert from the group as they were in their prime – or rather, through digital ‘Abbatars’ and a glittering ten-piece band.
But despite having raked in £300 million in ticket sales, The Mail on Sunday has discovered that the producers of Abba Voyage are cutting costs.
They have replaced the live band – which accompanies the four singing avatars of Abba – with cheaper musicians.
The show has attracted more than 2.5 million visitors since it opened in 2022 at the Abba Arena in London‘s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, and it has contributed £1.5 billion to the economy.
The original line-up of musicians – to accompany the avatars of Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad – was put together by former Klaxons singer James Righton, husband of Keira Knightley.
He scoured the globe for a band that could bring the group’s hits to life, hiring the likes of singer-songwriter Victoria Hesketh, known as Little Boots, on the keyboard.
‘The [band was] always brilliant and had amazing players,’ Righton told NME magazine at the time. ‘This band had to step up to being as good as the original line-up.’
The show has attracted more than 2.5m visitors since it opened in 2022 at the Abba Arena in London ‘s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, and it has contributed £1.5 billion to the economy
An ‘Abbatar’ of Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad ‘Frida’ during an ABBA Voyage concert
Abba Voyage sees digital versions of the Swedish band perform in a purpose-built arena
However, neither Righton nor any of the musicians who worked with Abba members Benny and Bjorn in Stockholm to bring the extravaganza to life still work at the 3,000-capacity arena.
‘Now it is a huge success with sell-out audiences, the bosses have begun cost-cutting and have even replaced the band with cheaper musicians,’ one worker said.
‘If something as successful and lucrative as Abba Voyage is cutting corners, there is not much hope for the rest of the industry.’
Last month auditions took place for new performers after an open call for ‘a full-time contract with our live band at the Abba Arena’.
The advert said: ‘We are searching for professional guitar, bass, keyboard, saxophone, drums and percussion players, as well as female-identifying singers of the highest quality. Ability to read sheet music is a bonus.’
Workers fear that the quality of the show will be compromised when the new musicians take over in December.
Abba Voyage, a 95-minute run-through of 20 of the band’s greatest hits, took five years and an estimated £15 million to make.
One of the most iconic moments in the show is when the four avatars are silhouetted against vintage footage of Abba winning the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton in 1974.
Originally billed as a temporary structure, the Abba Voyage venue is not slated to be earmarked for housing redevelopment until 2029. Abba were approached for comment.
