THIS year was the first time in 23 years that Swedish supergroup, ABBA could finally reunite on stage for fans across the globe.

Super troupers and dancing queens waited with baited breath to see if the 30th anniversary of ABBA'S Eurovision Song Contest win would be enough of a lure to get Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny and Anni-Frid back together.

If that wasn't a big enough pull, the same date also marked the fifth anniversary of the sell-out stage musical Mama Mia.

But all the anticipation did not pay off as Agnetha, the blonde bombshell of the quartet, failed to make an appearance.

But ABBA fans in Worcester - your luck is in.

Top tribute act ABBA UK will be setting the stage alight at the Swan Theatre on Friday, October 29, to bring the global phenomenon that was ABBA back to life.

They may not be the real thing - but they are definitely the next best thing.

The group was founded 10 years ago by professional singer and ABBA fan Jaki King.

Over the years, members have come and gone, but the current line up is rumoured to be the best yet. And the foursome's 90-minute act has wowed audiences as far afield as Australia.

They have recently come back from a gig in Barcelona and are hoping to play to a 20,000 crowd at Denmark's Rock Under the Bridge Festival in coming months.

Jaki told the Evening News the atmosphere at one of ABBA UK's gigs is unbeatable.

"We have dancers from the Academy of Hot Shoe dancers on stage with us too now - between them they have won over 400 trophies," she said.

"The show really is spectacular."

The line up of ABBA UK consists of Jaki as Agnetha, Glenn Johnson as Bjorn, and real life husband and wife Kim Kennedy and Carl Brent as Anna-Frid and Benny.

Together they belt out all the hits of ABBA to a crowd whom is always encouraged to join in.

"We love people to get up and dance and if they don't we will drag them up!" Jaki said.

ABBA UK prides itself in using all the original music and sounding just like its heroes, but can audiences expect them to look like ABBA too?

"Well, one guy pulled my hair once as he was convinced it wasn't real, but it is," Jaki said.

"And all our costumes are hand-made exact replicas of the ones ABBA wore."

Tickets to see ABBA UK at the Swan Theatre cost £13 (£12 concessions) and are available from the box office on 01905 611427.

Brit acting favourites ready to play it straight

TWO of Britain's best-loved actors will be appearing on stage together for the first time in 20 years in Going Straight at Malvern Theatres from Monday, October 11 to Saturday, October 16.

John Alderton (Calendar Girls and Upstairs Downstairs) and Pauline Collins (Shirley Valentine and Upstairs Downstairs) will star alongside George Costigan, Carol Royle and their own daughter Kate, in the first national tour of Richard Harris's play.

It centres on two old gangsters settling into the quiet life of retirement - Or are they?

Old East End friends Mickey and Ray get together to recount their colourful past in the sun drenched Costa del Sol.

But, with a film researcher doing a makeshift interview and their wives unsure of the past and each other, the two men are not quite able to retire gracefully.

Tickets for the show cost £16 to £24 and are available from the box office on 01684 892277.

Sleaze, tease and genius

BILLY Strayhorn was Duke Ellington's musical conscience, the formal composer who joined forces with the Cotton Club King.

When the two combined their talents, the resulting fusion of geniuses produced an interesting hybrid that would become orchestral jazz. Add dance, and you have the justification for the whole caboodle.

Now insert the skills of Birmingham Royal Ballet choreographer David Bintley and what you end up with is pure magic.

The Nutcracker Sweeties, with its clever, witty themes is a riot of music and colour. It's hard to imagine how it could fail, what with Monica Zamora's red dress strut, Nao Sakuma's erotic fandango and Michael Revie's extremely nautical sailor.

Cut to the Shakespeare Suite, and once again the talents of Strayhorn and Ellington jostle for attention as the orchestra finds its feet, sweeping horns colliding with absurdly suggestive muted trombones.

Pin-up boy

This is sleaze and tease, with pin-up boy Robert Parker doing his thing as per usual. There was also a nice take on Romeo and Juliet, courtesy of husband and wife team Tiit Helimets and Molly Smolen.

Finally, the world premiere of Colin Town's Orpheus Suite exploded in a cacophony of strangled brass as Greek tragedy met 1950s knocking shop, only to end in a routine ensemble sequence that sadly confused the audience.

However, this is a powerful triple bill and well worth a visit. Such Sweet Thunder runs until Saturday.

John Phillpott