ABBA icons Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus reunited on Sunday night at the opening night of the Broadway revival of Chess at Imperial Theatre in New York.
The two Swedish songwriters created the Cold War-era musical four decades ago alongside Sir Tim Rice, who joined them on the red carpet.
Björn, 80, cut a dapper figure as he posed alongside his bandmate in a fitted black suit with a coordinating turtleneck underneath.
While Benny, 78, also put on a smart display in a long black coat and leather boots, but added a nod to Abba’s 70s heydey by teaming a floral shirt underneath.
Tim, 81, known writing the likes of Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita and The Lion King, looked sharp in a steel grey corduroy suit and button-up shirt.
Chess originally opened in London’s West End in 1986, where it starred Elaine Paige and ran for three years, only returning in 2018.
ABBA icons Benny Andersson (L) and Björn Ulvaeus (R) reunited on Sunday night at the opening night of the Broadway revival of Chess at Imperial Theatre in New York
The two Swedish songwriters created the Cold War-era musical four decades ago alongside Sir Tim Rice (Benny, Tim and Bjorn pictured at Chess opening night in 1986 left)
Björn and Benny worked with Tim on the musical following the disbanding of ABBA in 1982 (pictured with Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad in 1980)
While a much-altered version of the show also premiered on Broadway in 1988, but only survived for two months before closing, not being revived until now.
The new production stars Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit and Nicholas Christopher and is based on a book written by The Hunger Games and Empire screenwriter, Danny Strong.
Chess tells a story of love and political intrigue, set against the background of the Cold War, in which superpowers attempt to manipulate an international chess championship for political ends.
It follows two grandmasters, one American and the other Soviet, and their fight over a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other.
Björn and Benny worked with Tim on the musical following the disbanding of ABBA in 1982.
The iconic band, whose international fame was solidified by their victory at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Waterloo, was comprised of two married couples: Björn and Agnetha Fältskog, and Benny and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.
The group released eight albums between 1973 and 1981 and are considered one of the best-selling groups in history, with estimate album sales between 150 million and 385 million records worldwide.
The compilation album ABBA Gold was a worldwide best seller, and their music was adapted into the hit musical Mamma Mia in 1999, which was then adapted into two feature films – 2008’s Mamma Mia and 2018’s Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
Björn, 80, cut a dapper figure as he posed alongside his bandmate in a fitted black suit with a coordinating turtleneck underneath
While Benny, 78, also put on a smart display in a long black coat and leather boots, but added a nod to Abba’s 70s heydey by teaming a floral shirt underneath
Tim, 81, known writing the likes of Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita and The Lion King, looked sharp in a steel grey corduroy suit and button-up shirt (seen with Danny Strong on left)
The iconic band, whose international fame was solidified by their victory at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Waterloo, was comprised of two married couples: Björn and Agnetha Fältskog, and Benny and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (pictured in 1974)
The group eventually reunited in 2016, were they started working on a virtual concert experience in London, where their digital avatars perform their greatest hits alongside a live 10-piece band (seen at Abba Voyage in 2022)
The group eventually reunited in 2016, were they started working on a virtual concert experience in London, where their digital avatars perform their greatest hits alongside a live 10-piece band.
The show used motion-capture technology from George Lucas’ visual effects house Industrial Light and Magic to create ‘ABBA-tars’ of the group, as they would have looked in 1979.
ABBA Voyage opened in May 2022 at a custom venue in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, earning rave reviews from fans, critics and even ABBA members themselves.
The 90-minute concert includes such hits as Mamma Mia, The Winner Takes It All and Voulez-Vous.
The Abba experience has backed more than 5,000 jobs in London, including people employed at the venue as well as those in other sectors.
ABBA also started recording new music in 2018, which resulted in their first new studio album in 40 years – Voyage – also said to be the band’s final album, which has sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide.
