Review: ABBA Voyage Is "A Feat of Technological Excellence So Effective in Its Deceit"
(© Johan Persson)
What happens when you take the digital creative forces of George Lucas's Industrial Light & Magic, add a nine-figure budget, and ABBA? The result seems to be an out-and-out success.
ABBA Voyage, which has debuted to much fanfare in east London (its pop-up space will no doubt be appearing all over the world for many years to come), is not like any show we've had to cover before. Not exactly digital installation, not exactly hologram technology (used to varying degrees of success for deceased stars like Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Tupac) and not quite immersive theatre experience, this 90-minute number is something in between.
Essentially digitizing the physical form of the iconic foursome, audiences are treated to a full ABBA concert – which was semi-captured in motion-capture form last year.
WhatsOnStage's (our sibling site) reviewer was pretty bowled over by it al. Notoriously hard to impress, he filed an inevitably pun-tastic five-star review, describing the piece as "a feat of technological excellence so effective in its deceit that it will surely pave the way for likeminded productions."
The whole experience is helped by the "band" going off for costume changes, adding a degree of surreal authenticity. It also allows you to remember just how iconic ABBA were as fashion icons.
One word of caution from the review – "anyone awaiting "Take a Chance on Me", "Money Money Money" or "Super Trouper" will be left disappointed."
