Joyride – The Musical had its world premiere in Malmö almost exactly one year ago. The show became a huge success, selling out 84 shows between September 2024 and April 2025. I saw 8 performances of the Malmö version – including the premiere and the last show – and so I could judge how the musical evolved and how the audience loved it regardless of whether they were Roxette fans or musical lovers or just curious viewers. All shows ended in standing ovations.
Not long after the opening in Malmö, it was announced that the Roxette musical would continue its joyride at China Teatern in Stockholm, premiering on 11th September 2025. Tickets for 60 Stockholm shows until 20th December 2025 went on sale on 31st March 2025.
The set at China Teatern is directed by Guy Unsworth, who also directed the show at Malmö Opera. However, a new cast and ensemble were selected, for which the auditions started in October 2024.
Joyride in Stockholm is different compared to the Malmö version. Several new members have been added and Calle Norlén has, among other things, done a new script adaptation, but Jessica Marberger continues in the lead role as Stephanie. Another member of the cast who was part of the Malmö show is Emilie Evbäck. She was singing Opportunity Nox most of the time, but once in a while she also played the role of Meredith. In Stockholm she is Katie. Lucas Krüger joined the cast as Joe, Hanna Hedlund plays Meredith, Gary is played by Anton Lundqvist and Natasha is Pia Ternström.
I arrived in Stockholm two days before the premiere and it was lovely to see all the posters around the city promoting the show. The theatre was also dressed in Joyride with big posters on its walls and a banner on its facade.
There were several rehearsals during the week with invited guests and the main rehearsal was held on 10th September. In the evening it was raining, but we went to take photos outside the theatre, because with the lights on it looked even cooler at night. We expected the show to end at appr. the same time as in Malmö, so we were surprised when the staff opened the doors and we could hear it was already the finale. We stayed there to listen to it and waited for the people to leave the theatre. Per, Åsa and Marie Dimberg were there too and Per and Åsa joined us under our umbrellas while they were waiting for their taxi. We talked about the show and it turned out the Stockholm version is appr. 12 minutes shorter than the Malmö performance was. We didn’t want to ask too much about it, because we wanted to be surprised by the premiere. All we discussed was that the Stockholm show is quite different.
On 11th September, it was raining cats and dogs all day. The theatre staff built the red carpet area with a JOYRIDE sign, a photo wall and lots of heart-shaped balloons. Some tents were also set up to prevent people from getting soaking wet. Reporters and photographers stood next to the photo wall. Fans arrived first at the theatre – from Germany, Poland, Hungary, the Netherlands and probably from some other countries as well. We were curious about who would walk the red carpet – which was dark grey (maybe because of the rain, so that it doesn’t look awful when you step on the red carpet with your muddy shoes). Guests were arriving and even if there was a roof above the carpet, most of them didn’t reach the photo wall, but entered the theatre at the first doors. This is how we – who were standing behind the photographers at the photo wall – missed seeing Micke Syd and his wife, Helena arriving, for example. (But we could say hi to Micke during the break at least.) We were very happy to see Micke Bolyos. Some fans stepped to him, talked to him briefly and asked for a photo as well. Dea Norberg was there too. Besides her clear relation to Roxette, Jessica is her best friend, so it’s obvious she came to see her in Stockholm too. Among the guests there were Tomas Ledin, Magnus Uggla, Fredrik Etoall, Thomas Johansson, Mats Olsson and more famous Swedish artists and celebrities. Jane Fallon wasn’t there at the premiere. She was in Stockholm in August and then she was interviewed by TV and radio. Lena Philipsson came with Marie Dimberg. She is friends with Hanna Hedlund, so she was probably also excited to see her friend on stage. Everyone was thrilled to see Per on the red carpet and he was said to appear there at 19:20 (the premiere was set to start at 19:30), but it was so busy everywhere, it was hard for him to get there on time. He was inside the theatre and because of the rain he came out to the photo wall from there. The bell was ringing already 3 or 4 times to signal the start of the performance, but Per still hasn’t gotten to the photo wall. I decided to get inside the theatre after director Guy Unsworth left the red carpet. It was already 19:30. Most of the people were already sitting inside. When I walked towards the entrance, I saw Åsa and Per started to walk towards the exit. Then I quickly decided to go back to the photo wall and check out what was happening there. Photos of Per and Åsa, as well as Gabriel and his girlfriend were taken. Marie Dimberg came out again too. PG was also briefly interviewed by a reporter for SVT. It all didn’t take longer than 3-4 minutes. Lena was also waiting for them so that they could all enter together and find their seats in row 8. Everyone else entered the theatre in the end and got to their seats inside, so the musical could start with a little delay.
The theatre is much smaller and this way more intimate than Malmö Opera. The stage is very high, so if you want to see the big picture, you should sit in rows 6-9 for the best view, preferably in the middle. In Malmö Opera it was even better to sit on the balcony if you wanted to see the English subtitles during the show, but in Stockholm there are no subs. The dialogues are in Swedish, the songs are in English. Anyway, if you choose balcony, I suggest you pick a seat on „balkong främre” (front balcony).
China Teatern has an auditorium that holds an audience of 1,226 (549 on the parkett, 677 on the balcony). Altogether it’s appr. 300 seats less vs. the Malmö audience. So it’s rather the stage that is much smaller there, not the audience.
China Teatern’s stage doesn’t have space for a huge orchestra. The musicians had their place on the two sides, at balcony level. 2 of them + the conductor on level 1 on the right side, and 2-2 of them on level 1 left side and level 2 right and left side.
The letters of JOYRIDE are part of the stage set and used as creatively in Stockholm as they were used in Malmö. This is the first thing you see when you enter the auditorium and it looks really cool. I love that the playfulness is kept in the stage set.
Before the start of the performance, the Joyride whistle could be heard as a signal and a male voice was asking you to switch off your mobiles. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Per talking (like in Malmö), but it was a fun mobile alert. After the voice welcomed the audience at China Teatern at Joyride – The Musical, everyone was cheering loudly. Then the voice kindly asked you to switch off your walkmans and other digital accessories, even your brand new Nokia mobiles. Haha. Filming and taking pictures are not allowed during the show, but it is allowed to use your cameras during the finale. Then the voice introduced the conductor, the audience was cheering loudly again and the show could start.
Oh, not to forget that ’80s and ’90s songs are played before the performance, during the break and after the show. Songs by Madonna, Starship, Snap!, MC Hammer, just to mention a few.
The musical is played in two acts. As I mentioned before, it is shorter than in Malmö, but it’s not the songs that got less. It’s rather the dialogues that have changed a bit. They became more effective and some jokes were also changed for the better. There are other changes as well, like the pseudonym of Katie became Kelly instead of Lydia and Operation Drop Dead became Operation Hämnd (revenge).
The beginning is also different. It’s not only the fact that Stella is not sitting there on the stage floor writing a song, but it’s now a fragment of Joyride being sung by Stephanie, Katie and Stella (instead of It Must Have Been Love in the Malmö version). I find it a much better idea, cos it all begins where it ends.
The three main characters, Stephanie (Jessica Marberger), Katie (Emilie Evbäck) and Joe (Lucas Krüger) have amazing vocal abilities! There are three Stellas and on premiere night it was Edda Pekkari who played the role of Stephanie’s and Joe’s daughter. Her singing was fab! She got a big applause after singing The First Girl On The Moon. Then there is Meredith (Hanna Hedlund) with an oh so amazing voice! The ensemble singing together sounded wonderful too! Sing-along is guaranteed throughout the entire show!
The dancers are fabulous and even if I do miss some choregraphies from Malmö, I must admit the Stockholm choreos are very cool too. I also understand that some changes had to be made because of the smaller stage. What I miss the most is my most favourite scene when Stephanie is singing What’s She Like? Here it also gets an „aaaaaah” reaction from the audience when they realize the mannequins are moving. I find it beautiful. Another choreography I miss a lot is the dancers during Fading Like A Flower. I think it added a lot to the emotions of this power ballad, however, Emilie’s vocals are strong enough to demonstrate what she goes through in this scene.
The chemistry between Gary (Anton Lundqvist) and Natasha (Pia Ternström) is lovely. I liked their interactions a lot and their singing together, especially The Look at the opening of the second act. The grandpa (Donald Högberg) became one of my fave characters. Donald acts like a real grandpa. Cool, doing everything for his family and putting his granddaughter in the centre of it all.
Stars is treated better in Stockholm in my opinion. Maybe it sounds more magical because of the more intimate stage set. The How Do You Do! scene is extremely entertaining and it worked better with the new love triangle surprises. It fits the song’s playfulness even more. Haha.
The bigger stage with the orchestra made Spending My Time, Listen To Your Heart and Queen Of Rain more emotional in Malmö, but the vocals are awesome here too. It’s still amazing that it’s a guy who sings the big Marie ballads like SMT and QOR. Lucas did a wonderful job – especially his high notes are extraordinary. And Hanna singing LTYH is so powerful!
I get goosebumps every time I hear Jessica sing What’s She Like?, Little Girl and It Must Have Been Love. She is wonderful in this role and I’m very happy she continues to play Stephanie.
Emilie sang Opportunity Nox in Malmö and Dangerous and Listen To Your Heart when she was Meredith. You could already hear then that her voice is outstanding. Now she sings Milk And Toast And Honey and Fading Like A Flower among many other hits and wow… She has amazing vocals! When Steph and Katie sing Crash! Boom! Bang!, IMHBL and Wish I Could Fly together… Aaaah… B.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l.!
Regarding colours, the costumes were more colorful in Malmö. Stockholm got more „black and white”. Since Joyride is all about colours for me, I missed those ’90s colour vibes in the costumes, especially during the fashion-related scenes. Those should be more vivid in my opinion. However, the style of the costumes is still very much the ’90s. At the same time, I understand the dramaturgy of Katie’s flower-power dress changing to black and white at some point. Staying with the costumes, Meredith’s clothes are a bit too childishly comical for me. They are one step over being credible, but the character is fun anyway.
As a jukebox musical, Joyride felt even more complete now. It’s probably because of the more effective texts in the dialogues and a more intimate treatment of the songs.
There was no car at the end, but I loved the final choreo when everyone was singing Joyride. It hits hard and gets the audience in a dancing mood, jumping up from their seats right after the performance ends, to give a standing ovation and join the full company at the confetti-filled megamix party.
I still love the balance of how the songs are included in the two acts. There are so many hits in the first act and in the second act you realize one by one that indeed, there is this song too, and this one too, oh and that too.
Another highlight at the end of the show is the screening of Marie and Per from clips from the past. Here they are more clearly visible than in Malmö. And a heart drawn around Marie at the very end of this part is just aaaaah, so much love! Her presence is felt. Always!
The visual artistry in the background is wonderful throughout the entire show.
At the end of the premiere, creators – Per among them – were queueing to go up on stage one after the other. They took a bow, got flowers and left the stage before the orchestra finale came. Here the orchestra is visible only on the screen and it’s a recording of them shown, while they are playing live on the sides of the stage. You can watch the curtain call of the premiere HERE.
I’ve been wondering how difficult it could be for a director to put the same show on a very different stage, to see it with fresh eyes and make differences that might make the whole experience better. Well, „better” might not be the best expression. „Different” fits more. At points I might have sounded like this or that was better in Malmö and this or that was better in Stockholm, and it’s impossible not to compare the two versions, but I think the correct thing to say is that the two versions are different and both of them are pure awesomeness. And I think Guy Unsworth did a great job with both of his Joyride directions.
I didn’t want to make the same mistake as in Malmö – to not go and see the next shows right after the premiere –, so I bought tickets for the next 3 performances as well and I could see the musical 4 times in a row this way. I could also see another Stella, Saga Rapo, who is also very talented and she has a wonderful voice too. I must say that show by show, the gang got tighter and tighter, leaving the stress of the premiere behind. On Saturday they had a double showtime day – one performance started at 15:00, the other at 19:30 (Per and Åsa came to see this show too). That’s very exhausting, especially for the dancers, but you could see they all loved being part of it. There was less confetti at the end of the afternoon show to make it easier to clean the auditorium, but it was as much fun to see the musical in the afternoon as it was in the evening.
It was interesting to experience that Stockholm crowds are more reserved not only at concerts. It also applies to the theatre. Haha. Lovely. And again, it was not better or worse, it was just different. Of course, the audience was clapping and singing along here too, and laughing out loud and cheering, just in a more moderate way.
My heart is still full of love when I think about this musical. Jane Fallon’s fantastic novel, Got You Back, Roxette’s most awesome hits, the wonderful orchestration of the songs, the amazing cast and ensemble and all the creators. Hats off to everyone involved on and off stage! You deserve all the standing ovations and you will earn it on the upcoming shows as well, I’m very sure about it. It’s an amazing piece of art, this feel-good musical.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention, even if I added this phrase in the title as well. The fashion show scene, where Opportunity Nox is sung, has an important message: be your you! I like how this part is added.
If you saw the show in Malmö, make sure you see it in Stockholm too. It’s fun to see the differences and of course, it’s amazing to hear all the songs in this setting as well. Make sure you buy the beautiful program booklet. You can do that before the show, during the 25-minute break or even after the performance. It costs 80 SEK. It’s in Swedish, but it’s very nice indeed. And if the photo wall is still there upstairs with the camera, make sure you take a hello you fool pic in front of it.
Get your tickets for the Stockholm shows HERE! I will still go back and see it again. Especially now that 32 additional shows have been announced for 2026. The ticket sales are going so well! This way it will be 92 performances altogether in the Swedish capital before the musical is on stage again in Malmö in the fall of 2026. I’m already excited about the next city that joins the JOYRIDE abroad! I’m in for a musical tour! Haha.
Cast
Lucas Krüger – Joe
Jessica Marberger – Stephanie
Emilie Evbäck – Katie
Hanna Hedlund – Meredith
Anton Lundqvist – Gary
Pia Ternström – Natasha
Donald Högberg – John
Edda Pekkari – Stella
Saga Rapo – Stella
Tara Perovic – Stella
Olle Roberg – Ensemble + Michael + US Joey + US Gary
Ulrika Ånäs – Ensemble + US Stephanie
Alvaro Estrella – Ensemble + US Michael
Alexandra Fors – Ensemble + US Katie
Kitty Chan Schlyter – Ensemble / US Natasha
Linda Holmgren – Ensemble + US Meredith
Niklas Löjdmark Chressman – Ensemble + US John + 2 cover Gary
Marcus Elander – Ensemble/dance captain
Emmie Asplund – Ensemble/swing
Hampus Engstrand – Ensemble/swing
Mateo Cordova Pomo – Ensemble
Felicia Loveflo Lindström – Ensemble
Oliver Gramenius – Ensemble
Emilia Berglind – Ensemble
Olivia Kungsman – Ensemble
Creative team
Producer: Nanette Hayes, 2Entertain
Executive Producer: Bosse Andersson, 2Entertain
Co-Producer: Vicky von der Lancken
Director: Guy Unsworth
Co-director: Johanna Hybinette
Swedish translation: Calle Norlén
Choreography: Jennie Widegren, Miles Hoare
Set design: David Woodhead
Lighting design: Palle Palmé
Sound design: Oskar Johansson
Costume design: Torbjörn Bergström
Mask & wig design: Sara Klänge
Musical supervisor: Joakim Hallin
Conductor / keyboards: Erik Brag Månsson
Bass: Mats “Limpan” Lindberg
Electric guitar / acoustic guitar: Magnus Bengtsson
Drums: Magnus Fritz
Keyboards: Jan Radesjö
Guitar: Nicklas Thelin
Cello: Andreas Lavotha
Cello: Tove Törngren
Cello: Emma Beskow
Violin: Karin Liljenberg
Violin: Kristina Ebbersten
Violin: Oscar Treitler
Technical Coordinator: Ted Silvergren
Produced by 2Entertain & Vicky Nöjesproduktion
Producer: Nanette Hayes
Executive Producer: Bosse Andersson
Co-producer: Vicky von der Lancken
Project Leader: Simon Pettersson and Jenny Gerdén
Company Manager & Production Manager: Nina Hammarklev
Marketing & sales: Sofia Ekskog and Sandra Wester
Finance: Linda Dahlberg
Ticket Manager: Elisabeth Johansson
Original and rights
Based on the songs of Roxette and the novel Got You Back by Jane Fallon
MUSIC AND LYRICS by Per Gessle
ORIGINAL BOOK by Klas Abrahamsson
NEW BOOK by Guy Unsworth
ORIGINAL DIRECTOR Guy Unsworth
MUSICAL SUPERVISOR Joakim Hallin
ORIGINAL PRODUCER Malmö Opera, Sweden
PUBLISHER / AGENCY Nordiska ApS / Jimmy Fun Music
All photos in the article have been taken by Patrícia Peres
