ABBA songwriters Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson may be finally bringing their long-delayed musical Kristina to the Broadway stage after winning a court battle on March 23, according to the BBC.
Carl-Johan Seth had argued in court that he was entitled to royalties for the show as he had written an early draft of the Swedish version of the show, called Kristina från Duvemåla. The ABBA duo, currently represented on Broadway with Mamma Mia!, fought back, saying that Seth's script was unusable and that they had to enlist director Lars Rudolfsson and playwright Jan Mark to write the show instead.
Kristina från Duvemåla, which tells the story of a poverty-stricken family of Swedish farmers who emigrate to Minnesota in 1850, opened on October 7, 1995 at the Malmö Musikteater in Malmo, Sweden, where it ran for several years. An American adaptation of the show which will simply be called Kristina has been in the works for several years, with a New York workshop taking place earlier this month. The Broadway Theatre, current home of The Color Purple, is the most likely venue for the show. Andersson recently confirmed to a Swedish newspaper that Alice Ripley, who was nominated for a Tony Award for Side Show, would appear in the featured role of Ulrika.
With the court's ruling, Andersson and Ulvaeus are not entitled to pay Carl-Johan Seth any royalties for all past and future productions of Kristina. Seth's lawyer indicated that his client would appeal the court's decision.
