Producer Judy Craymer, who previously worked with Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Tim Rice as Executive Producer of CHESS, was convinced that there was a musical to be created featuring ABBA songs. Naturally the greatest challenge was finding a story strong enough to carry it off.
   Ultimately, it was to be the award-winning British playwright Catherine Johnson who created the story that captured the imaginations of Craymer and her producing partners Richard East and Björn Ulvaeus. The lyrics to each chosen ABBA song glided effortlessly into Johnson's funny and poignant tale of family and friendship set on a mythical Greek island.
   When Director Phyllida Lloyd, renowned for her work at England's Royal National Theatre and international opera productions, came on board the project gathered further momentum. A superb creative team was then assembled - Mark Thompson (design), Howard Harrison (lighting), Andrew Bruce and Bobby Aitken (sound) Martin Koch (musical supervisor, additional material and arrangements) and Anthony Van Laast (choreography) - to bring MAMMA MIA! to theatrical life.
   On Tuesday April 6th 1999, traffic in central London came to standstill for the world premiere performance of MAMMA MIA! as celebrities and critics poured into the Prince Edward Theatre. The reception was rapturous. At the curtain call the entire audience rose and began singing and dancing in the aisles. This sunny, funny storybook musical took London by storm. The British critics were enchanted and theatregoers clamoured for tickets. MAMMA MIA! went on to break every known London Box Office record and not a single ticket has gone unsold since the opening. Mamma mia indeed!
   On Tuesday May 23rd 2000, MAMMA MIA! received its North American premiere at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, Canada. The show, attended by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Anni-Frid 'Frida' Lyngstyd, took Toronto by storm. Every Box Office record has been smashed and the engagement extended indefinitely.
   The much-anticipated U.S premiere performance was held on Friday November 17th 2000 at San Francisco's Orpheum Theatre. In a blaze of media interest, MAMMA MIA! once again brought audiences cheering to their feet. News of the show's sensational American debut was carried around the world and every Box Office record was smashed. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that "with grosses of about a million bucks a week, MAMMA MIA! is one of the biggest hits in the city's history".