Surprising mix takes a chance on Abba tribute band

Seems like there was a time not too long ago when some critics (of both the professional and armchair variety) felt that, given its track record, Sweden should no longer be allowed to export its pop music. This was during the Clinton presidency and the idea was based on his “three strikes, you’re out” policy for repeat criminal offenders.

For many critics in those days, Sweden had just committed its third offense with Ace of Base. A few years before, Roxette had been the country’s second. The first? The gaudy grandpappy of them all, Abba.

Times have changed, however. Americans have embraced those other great Swedish imports like Ikea and Absolut vodka. And much to the chagrin of the detractors, “Mama Mia,” a musical based around Abba songs, has even become a bona fide Broadway hit.

And judging from the surprising mix of people who packed Maine Center for the Arts on Sunday to catch “The Magic of Abba: An Abba Celebration,” the Swedish super troupe’s music has, indeed, endured, transcending age and gender.

Part concert, part spectacle, “The Magic of Abba” pays tribute to the group’s music and tinfoil-glam ’70s mystique, with four American actors taking on the roles of Agnetha (Tamara Giffin), Ana-Frid (Virginia Weber), Bjorn (Randall Patterson) and Benny (Kevin Noonchester).

With the lights dimming at 3 p.m., the emcee sounding more like he was welcoming the crowd to a monster truck rally than a concert. He announced, “Put on your dancing shoes and get ready to partyyyy!!!”

Taking the stage in silver platform boots and silky, quasi-kimonos, the foursome and their drummer (whom Benny cheekily referred to as “Ikea”) did their level-best to jump-start this “party,” working through the catalog of Abba hits such as “Knowing Me, Knowing You” and “The Name of the Game.”

“Do we have any dancing queens out there? What do you think, Bjorn, are they ready?” one of the leggy frontwomen asked in a faux Swedish accent.

“I think they’re ready to get their butts down here and join the party!” Bjorn called back just before a mirror ball was lowered on to the stage and the group launched, naturally, into “Dancing Queen.”

But getting Mainers (and really anyone) to dance on a Sunday afternoon in February was a tough sell, at least throughout the show’s first half. And for all their bubbly enthusiasm, the members looked the parts more than they sounded them. As could be expected, neither of the singers could quite match the vocal quality of the original Agnetha and Ana-Frid, which is the foundation of Abba’s sound.

Still, that didn’t stop them from having fun and urging the audience to take a chance on them and join the party. When the band returned after an intermission and costume change, the crowd finally seemed ready to play along. And by the concert’s close, with the band returning for another go at “Dancing Queen,” just about everybody was up and dancing – well, more or less.

Why in the world would so many people turn out for a tribute act? Because it’s clean, campy fun, one would assume. Or, as Benny put it early in the first set, “it’s a party, not a recital.” Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that there won’t be any Ace of Base celebrations anytime soon.

George Bragdon can be reached at gbragdon@bangordailynews.net.