Mania: The ABBA Tribute brings big hits, big memories to Montgomery on Saturday
When Allison Ward steps on stage with Mania: The ABBA Tribute, she knows the audience is there for more than just a show. The band is a conduit to precious memories.
“I give it 2,000 percent, because people who are there probably are ABBA fans and know ABBA music,” Ward said. “My job is made easy because the music is so great, and so fun, and loved by so many that the minute they hear the song, they’re screaming.”
So don’t be surprised to hear a mass of folks singing “Mamma Mia!” Saturday in downtown Montgomery. That’s just the multiple-generation Mania audience at the Montgomery Performing Arts Centre. It’s an 8 p.m. show, and tickets range from $22 to $62. Get one, pop in and start singing along to some of your favorite hits of all time.
Ward said audiences — often dressed in ABBA-era outfits — always leave on a high note, since they close the show each night with the mega-hit “Dancing Queen.”
“The music sells itself,” Ward said. “Everybody’s loved ABBA for a long time.”
Formed in 1972, the Swedish supergroup was made up of Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.
Though none of them are from Sweden, Mania has a national/international lineup. Ward, a Liverpool, England native, has been with Mania since 2010. She sings the part of Fältskog. The rest of the group is: Hana Keala Freeman of Los Angeles, who sings for Lyngstad; James Allen, from Sydney, Australia, who sings for Ulvaeus; and Atlanta, Georgia native Jeff Pike, who sings for Anderson.
“This cast are some of my best friends in my whole life,” Ward said. “I have the privilege of working alongside some talented people.”
That bond helps them focus on their performances, even with the grind of being on tour for several weeks at a time.
“We try to keep it like (ABBA) did it, as authentic as we can,” said Ward, who wears a blond wig to perform. “We talk with a Swedish accent, even. Make it feel like they’re watching a Swedish ABBA band.”
They even break out the stage dance moves that ABBA became known for, and the audience joins along.
“All the songs are fun, popular songs that everyone wants to get up and dance to,” Ward said.
With so much ABBA music to pick from, Ward said her group — formerly known as ABBA Mania — leans on the ABBA's most popular hits. Songs like “S.O.S.,” “Waterloo,” “Mamma Mia,” Take A Chance On Me,” “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!,” and more.
“All of the songs, I’ve sang them for years now. They still make me as happy as the first time I sang them and heard them. I love getting to perform ‘Chiquitita.’ It’s just a personal favorite,” Ward said. “But without fail, I think mine and everybody’s favorite in the show is ‘Dancing Queen.’ The minute that music starts and everybody goes crazy, it’s just so much fun every single time.”
If Ward were a fan watching the show, she’d join in with them. Long before Ward auditioned for Mania in 2010, she had a love for music.
“I was in a musical family, so ABBA was always playing definitely in the background,” Ward said. “It wasn’t my first pick as a little girl, because I was a bit younger, but it was definitely records that I can remember growing up listening to. ‘Dancing Queen’ for sure.”
Along with dance school, Ward was a singer since she was little.
“I always wanted to perform, so I get to do what I’ve always wanted to do,” Ward said. “And here I am getting to it every night to lots of happy fans in the audience. It makes it even better.”
Ward’s been a Las Vegas resident for 11 years but is making a move to Los Angeles after this tour to start a new adventure.
When she’s not with Mania, you can often find Ward performing on cruises, minus the wig.
“I’m on my own on the cruise ship, and I’m a natural brunette,” Ward said.
Though she’s never met any of the ABBA members, Ward said the most ABBA thing she’s done is take a trip to Sweden to visit the ABBA museum.
“I got to see a lot of their real memorabilia and have a lovely day there,” Ward said.
She’s also seen the amazing ABBA Voyage: Avatar show last year in London, with life-size holograms of ABBA performing.
“But not the real people, not yet,” Ward said.
Tickets to Saturday's performance are available online at mpaconline.org, or by calling the MPAC box office at 334-481-5100.
Keep up with Mania: The ABBA Tribute online at maniatheshow.com.
Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel covers things to do in the River Region. Contact him at sheupel@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Mania: The ABBA Tribute brings big hits, big memories to Montgomery
