Louise Pitre, Helen Sjoholm, Russell Watson, et al. to Star in Royal Albert Hall Production of Kristina

Kevin Odekirk, Louise Pitre, Helen Sjöholm, and Russell Watson will headline the cast of Kristina, a musical with a score by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (and English lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer), to play London’s Royal Albert Hall on April 14. Lars Rudolfsson will direct.

Based on the novels of Swedish author Vilhelm Moberg, the show tells the epic story of a family’s migration from Sweden to America in the mid-19th Century. It premiered in Sweden in 1995, ran for almost four years, and won four Guldmasken Theatre Awards (Sweden’s Tony Awards). A concert version was seen at New York City’s Carnegie Hall in September.

Andersson and Ulveaus are best known as the co-founders of the pop group ABBA. Their Broadway credits include Chess and Mamma Mia!

Odekirk originated the role of Robert in the New York workshop of Kristina, and has appeared on Broadway as Marius in Les Miserables. Pitre, who will play Ulrika, received a Tony nomination for Mamma Mia! and will soon be featured in the Canadian premiere of The Toxic Avenger. Sjöholm originated the title role of Kristina in Sweden, and has also starred in Fiddler on the Roof, Les Miserables, Chess, and The Threepenny Opera. Watson, who will play Karl Oskar, is widely known as “The Peoples Tenor” in the UK, and was the first ever British male to simultaneously occupy a No.1 spot in the UK and American classical charts; he has also won four classical BRIT Awards.

For more information, visit www.royalalberthall.org.