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Abba duo to collaborate on Pippi Longstocking circus show

The Local Sweden
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Abba duo to collaborate on Pippi Longstocking circus show
Abba lyricist Björn Ulvaeus, together with Circus Cirkör Artistic Director Tilde Björfors, (left) and screenwriter Maria Blom (right).

The songwriting duo behind the Swedish pop group Abba is collaborating on a new circus show based on Sweden's other great cultural export, Pippi Longstocking.

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Abba lyricist Björn Ulvaeus and Stockholm contemporary circus company Cirkus Cirkör on Friday announced 'Pippi at the Circus', a show that will combine song, dance and circus performance. 
 
At a press conference, Ulvaeus said that the show would include many of the most loved characters created by the children's authort Astrid Lindgren, with auditions for the role of Pippi herself expected to take place within weeks.
 
"Mrs Prysselius (Prussiluskan) will of course play a role and the police officers Kling and Klang of course," Ulvaeus said, according to the Dagens Nyheter newspaper.  
 
Ulvaeus said that his old songwriting partner Benny Andersson planned to adapt Cirkus Finemang, an instrumental he wrote for his Benny Andersson Orchestra, and would also contribute some other tunes from his back catalogue.
 
"There will definitely be some new songs as well," he promised. 
 
 
The show would follow a different plot to Astrid Lindgren's existing circus story, 'Pippi goes to the Circus', Ulvaeus said, with screenwriter Maria Blom hired to write a new script. 
 
Some of the characters from Lingdren's circus story, such as the strongman Starke Adolf (Strong Adolf) would make an appearance, however. 
 
Two years ago, Ulvaeus bought the Cirkus Stockholm building and its premises on Djurgården, the Stockholm island housing museums, the Skansen zoo, and the Gröna Lund funfair.  
 
He said he had developed the Pippi show as a way of using the circus space during the summer, when it has previously been closed. 
 
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