Joyride – The Musical comes to Stockholm

By Malin Norman | Photos: Christoffer Bendixen

Get ready for a hit of nostalgia as Joyride – The Musical takes the stage at Stockholm’s China Teatern from 11 September. Inspired by Swedish pop-rock duo Roxette’s catchy songs, and based on a story by bestselling author Jane Fallon, the musical is set to wow the crowds. Expect an energetic ensemble, an intriguing storyline, and world-class music.

Causing a stir during its world premiere at Malmö Opera last autumn, with tickets sold out for more than half a year, the massive success Joyride – The Musical comes to Stockholm this month, with a different ensemble and co-produced by Per Gessle, who formed the duo Roxette together with Marie Fredriksson in 1986.

With Gessle on board for the show in Stockholm this autumn, the musical is bound to have an even more intimate feel. “I was surprised by the response to Joyride – The Musical in Malmö,” Gessle said in a press release earlier this summer. “Now it’s time for a completely new cast at the lovely China Teatern in Stockholm. It’s going to be magical.”

Joyride – The Musical is co-produced by Per Gessle.

Story based on Got You Back

Joyride – The Musical is a so-called jukebox musical, which is a show that features pre-existing songs, however the story is not necessarily related to the music. Mamma Mia! is a prime example, featuring ABBA’s tracks but with its own plot.

Based on the witty novel Got You Back by bestselling British author and TV producer Jane Fallon, the story in Joyride – The Musical centres on husband Joe, wife Stephanie, and mistress Katie – and a plan for revenge. Set in the 1990s, the romcom-like show promises heartfelt moments intertwined with music by Roxette in the storyline.

The new ensemble consists of well-known names such as Lucas Krüger, Emilie Evbäck, Jessica Marberger, Anton Lundqvist, Pia Ternström, and Hanna Hedlund. The original script has been tweaked by columnist and script writer Calle Norlén, the music directed by conductor Joakim Hallin, and Jennie Widegren (from dance group Bounce) and Miles Hoare have created the new choreography.

Hanna Hedlund plays Meredith in the story based on bestselling author Jane Fallon’s witty novel Got You Back.

It was love and heartache

“Working with Per Gessle on this musical is like working with Andrew Lloyd Webber, it’s fantastic!” smiles Hanna Hedlund, who is cast as Meredith, a former actress struggling with her career, as she gets mixed up in the triangle drama. “In the musical, the audience will see the good and the bad in all the characters, experience laughter mixed with tears – and in the end, you’ll just want to dance and live life to the full.”

Sweden’s second-best-selling music act after ABBA has released an impressive number of world-famous hits. The audience can expect to go on a nostalgia trip with tunes such as Listen to Your Heart, The Look, Joyride, and of course It Must Have Been Love, which famously appeared on the soundtrack for the 1990 film Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.

“A lot of people have a special relation to Roxette’s songs from the late 1980s and early 1990s,” says Hedlund, whose own favourite is Listen to Your Heart. “When this song was released, I had just become a teenager and went through so many emotions. It’s hard to pick a favourite amongst all of the amazing songs by Per and Marie, but this one reminds me of the first love and the first heartache – the song is as big as all the feelings I carried inside.”

As a taster of what is to come, part of the cast performed a medley of songs from the musical at the beloved Allsång på Skansen, a sing-along show hosted at Skansen in Stockholm, the world’s oldest open-air museum. Started in 1935, the immensely popular show has been broadcast by Swedish Television every summer since 1979. Judging by the reactions of Skansen’s audience, Joyride – The Musical is all set for success.

Joyride – The Musical comes to Stockholm