Musical

Per Gessle on SVT about “Joyride – The Musical” in Stockholm

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Per Gessle and Hanna Hedlund were guests on Morgonstudion, SVT. The program leaders ask Per how he is doing. Mr. G says he feels great, but a bit jet-lagged after Australia.

The program leaders inform that Joyride – The Musical moves from Malmö to Stockholm in autumn and they are curious how it feels for Per. Mr. G says it feels fantastic. It has been a tremendous success down in Malmö with 84 sold-out performances and it will be absolutely wonderful in Stockholm. It will be a bit different to Malmö, because in Malmö there is a special round stage and China Teatern in Stockholm is a different type of theatre. It’s going to be exciting.

Turning to Hanna, the program leaders ask her about how this musical came into her life. Hanna says she went to auditions. She was thirteen when the Look Sharp! album was released and she really wanted to get the role, because it’s a part of her in a way and her upbringing in the songs. She also says that it’s really a dream role for her. For someone her age, there aren’t that many musical roles like this. It’s a funny, crazy, wacky, annoying and wonderful character that she is going to play. The program leaders say it’s hard to imagine how crazy it must be to have a relationship like this with Roxette and then to stand on stage and do this. Hanna confirms it and she admits she is a little starstruck today, sitting next to Per.

The guys talk about the base book of the musical, Got You Back, written by Jane Fallon. Per explains she is an English author who in Sweden, is best known for being the partner of Ricky Gervais. She is a very talented writer and this book is magically good. They have been working on the idea of a Roxette musical for many, many years. But it always failed because the scripts simply didn’t work. When this book came into sight, it turned out that it was possible to make a musical out of it. They are grateful for that.

To the question how many songs fit in, Per replies it’s probably 25, 27, 28 songs. When he is asked if he has a favourite Roxette song, Per replies it’s The Look. Hanna says there are so many great songs, but Listen To Your Heart is really a favourite for her.

Here they show some footage from the rehearsals, so you can hear how Hanna sings LTYH. She has listened to this one so much. It’s her youth. You were never more in love than you were then and never more heartbroken than then. There is a lot of emotion in that song, she thinks.

For Per, it’s a magical song. Marie sang it and her vocals made this song really big. It was recorded in 1988 before they broke through. The break-through was in 1989. Back then they said, now we’re going to make a production that’s as American as it can be. And it eventually became No. 1 in the US. It’s fantastic.

Per is also a co-producer of the musical in Stockholm. The program leaders are curious how much he will be involved. PG says he will get involved when needed, but he trusts those who can do it better than him. He is mostly a producer to show that he cares and it’s important for him that it turns out well, so he would really like to be involved.

Hanna says she plays a character who helps the main character in her career. She is an annoying lady, but also lovely. Hanna went to see the musical at Malmö Opera and she says that you stand up at the end and just want to dance. It’s really, really good. It feels luxurious to have been able to see it. She is proud to be in the next production of the musical.

The program leaders ask Per about the Roxette tour in South Africa and Australia. Here they show a short footage where Lina Philipsson sings It Must Have Been Love. The reception was absolutely magical. It’s just like it was in the old days. People sing along. Per says that the Roxette audience is very active. They want to sing, sing, sing and they let them do it. Lena has done a fantastic job. It’s a tough situation for her, to put herself into Marie’s shoes, but she does it magically well. She does it in her own way. And that’s what makes it so good. She is such an enormously talented front person.

The program leaders are curious how the audience accepted her. Per says they love her. They are singing along. It’s two fantastic hours. Per has to pinch his arm every now and then that this is happening. It’s awesome.

To the question if it brings back a lot of memories when they are out there again Per replies that of course it does. They are playing the classic Roxette catalogue. There are 24-25 songs from the past. So of course you are talking about old memories backstage after the show. But when you are performing the songs, you are thinking ahead. You are there and then. You are not digging up the old stuff right away. It’s great fun to do this. It’s the classic Roxette band and we have Lena and a new drummer.

They are doing a pretty big European tour this summer. And then they will see if there is a continuation later.

With the musical, the ambition is of course to take it abroad as well, so Per hopes it goes further.

Hanna says they have just started the whole process for Stockholm. There is a new translation in the works which they haven’t read yet. Rehearsals start in July.

The program leaders ask Hanna if she is nervous to do this in a good way so that Per is happy. Hanna says she is not nervous, she has been given the trust and got the role. So it should work. They have six weeks of rehearsal time and that’s needed for it to land in a proper place.

Stills are from the morning show.

Per Gessle about the Roxette musical in Expressen – ”Marie is sitting there on your shoulder. Her whole being, her spirit is there.”

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Expressen met Per Gessle in what was once EMI Studios in Skärmarbrink. This is where Roxette’s first three albums were recorded, and on the now bare facade, the alert eye can catch a commemorative plaque engraved with the simple lines: “In memoriam Marie Fredriksson”.

On press day for Joyride – The Musical that premieres on 11th September at China Teatern in Stockholm, Maria Brander from Expressen talked to Per about the show. Before the get down to the hot topic, Expressen informs that Per is in the middle of a Roxette tour with Lena Philipsson, and has a 25-hour journey home from Melbourne behind him.

The time difference means that you get one day twice.

Expressen asks him if that is how he prolongs his life. Per answers:

Or shorten it, hahaha.

Regarding the musical in Stockholm, Mr. G says that the biggest thing is that it’s a completely different type of venue. Then it’s a different translation.

We thought there were some awesome things in the original book that didn’t really come across in the Swedish one, so we made a new version.

In addition to this, there is a largely new ensemble including Hanna Hedlund who was also on spot in the studio. She says:

My background is musicals, and I often get asked what my dream role is. But you have realized that you may be too old for some of them, and then suddenly a dream role appears that you didn’t know was coming.

She will sing one of her favourite songs, Listen To Your Heart.

Per turns to Hanna and says:

It’s a great role, the coolest in the musical, and it will be great with you.

Mr. G was not involved in the audition part, even though he can now call himself a co-producer.

It’s actually a way for me to show that I care. I really want to be part of Joyride – The Musical’s journey around the world, because I hope it will reach outside of Sweden.

To the question how many times he has seen the production in Malmö, Per replies:

Four, five times, and it’s been good all the way through. But it’s been a long process over many years that has led to “Joyride”. Before we ended up in Malmö, there was an English production company that wanted to put on a musical. They made one with eight songs just for me and Marie. She was still with us at the time. I was struck by how well they fit into this format, the choreography and gestures. Then I stopped it anyway, because I didn’t like the script. It was too depressing, and it was a depressing time, because Marie was sick. At the same time, it didn’t really suit Roxette either.

To the question if Per can feel that Marie is still with him in this musical, he replies:

Yes, it’s her and my journey, and the legacy from it is being carried forward. It’s the same with my tour with Lena. Marie is sitting there on your shoulder the whole time. You can’t get away from that. And all of us who work with this – actors, singers, choreographers – we talk a lot about Marie: “Marie would have liked this. These clothes are so typical of Marie”. So her whole being, her spirit is there.

Expressen is curious if Per feels that the memories have been strengthened now during his and Lena’s Roxette tour.

No, when you play live you look forward, not back. Lena and I didn’t even have a rehearsal before we stood on stage together for the first time in front of 10,000 people in Cape Town. Anything can happen, and you have to learn along the way. For us, there was a huge difference between the first and now eleventh gig, in how relaxed we were.

Earlier Per said said that musicals are not really his area of interest.

No. How can I put it without stepping on some toes now? There’s a kind of manner in the musical world where you sing nicely and cleanly. I myself come from a different tradition, where it’s a lot about personality instead. But in Malmö we’ve gone around it a lot with different types of singers, and it will be the same in Stockholm.

Maria thinks Per seems careful and she wants to know if Per’s word is law in the production.

No, my whole career has been built on being careful, as you say. But I have also put a lot of focus on finding collaborators. I could never have written all these songs for Roxette if Marie hadn’t had the capacity to sing them. I also needed a producer like Clarence Öfwerman. It’s the same with the musical. I need help, but in my life I have succeeded in finding good people and long-term relationships. Whether it’s my business manager, my record label or my wife.

Per says Åsa thinks that the musical is fantastic. She has also seen it five times.

Yes, damn it. I’m not allowed to see it myself. Haha.

PG about what Jane Fallon, who wrote the book, thinks:

Both she and her husband Ricky (Gervais) were at the premiere in Malmö. He was quite serious as a person, but proud to be next to Jane. I have met her several times at meetings in London, and she has been super positive since day one.

To the question what he feels when he sees the musical, Per replies:

I feel proud. That it works, and that the audience stays and sings along. You are reminded of the power of these songs. To get a response from an audience, it is magical.

Stills are from the video included in the original article.

Joyride – the Roxette musical is coming to Stockholm

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After having sold out at Malmö Opera, Joyride – The Musical is finally coming to Stockholm.

The hit musical, which premieres at China Teatern on 11th September, is this time co-produced by Per Gessle himself, while the music now has a more intimate band feel in the original Roxette style.

Per says:

I have really been completely knocked out by the response to Joyride – The Musical in Malmö. Sold out for more than six months and an absolutely fantastic atmosphere inside the theatre. Now it’s time for a brand new production in Stockholm at the lovely China Teatern. It will be magical.

Listen To Your Heart, It Must Have Been Love, The Look, Dangerous, Dressed for Success… Everyone has a relationship to the classics that made Roxette a multi-million-selling global phenomenon in the late ’80s and early ’90s.

These songs also form the basis for the equally energetic, grand and inventive performance Joyride – The Musical, which will have its Stockholm premiere at the China Theatre on 11th September.

The musical, based on the successful English author Jane Fallon’s relationship comedy Got You Back, is handled in Stockholm by partly new creators and in a different production than in Malmö where it had its world premiere and was a great success. Among other things, adjustments are being made to both the script and translation, the latter by Calle Norlén. The choreography is by Jennie Widegren (Bounce) and Miles Hoare. In addition, Per Gessle himself is now stepping in as co-producer.

Organizer and musical director Joakim Hallin says:

It is exciting to see how well Roxette’s pop songs fit into the telling of this rather dramatic story. We have fewer musicians than in Malmö and that means we will work very dynamically with a tight Roxette band sound, but without losing the majesty of songs like “Listen To Your Heart” and “It Must Have Been Love”.

Joyride – The Musical serves both as a nostalgia trip for the part of the audience that grew up with these songs and an introduction to Roxette’s music for a new generation that is curious about one of Sweden’s greatest music export successes ever. Inspired by Roxette’s iconic music videos and a consistently ’90s aesthetic, the acclaimed star director Guy Unsworth, co-director Johanna Hybinette and award-winning set designer David Woodhead are building a completely unique world for this love triangle drama that takes place in London. The plot revolves around Stephanie and Katie, who both have a relationship with Joe, whose double life the women eventually get fed up with – with various complications and intrigues as a result.

The ensemble consists of Lucas Krüger (Joe), Emilie Evbäck (Katie), Jessica Marberger (Stephanie), Anton Lundqvist (Gary), Pia Ternström (Natasha) and Hanna Hedlund (Meredith).

Per says:

It’s fantastic to follow this journey. There are so many incredible people involved from all sides. A gigantic amount of talent is gathered around the same goal. For me, it’s mostly been about daring to let go of control over the material a little and trust those who can do this. It’s a whole new chapter for me.

SOME OF THE ENSEMBLE ABOUT ROXETTE

Hanna Hedlund: I was 13 when “Listen To Your Heart” came out. Right in puberty, so for me that song is associated with great love and great heartache. That song was as big as all the emotions you felt.

Emmie Asplund: I remember when I was 6-7 years old, I snuck into my older sister’s room and borrowed the CD “Joyride” – I loved it. Since then, Marie Fredriksson has been an inspiration, with her fantastic voice and cool image.

Jessica Marberger: Roxette is a soundtrack to so many people’s, and generations’, lives. Of course, for Per Gessle’s unique ability to compose melodious pop songs.

Olle Roberg: Even though “Fading Like A Flower” was released in the early ’90s, the bombastic drums and electric guitars of the ’80s still live on in this song. The verse in minor leads so well into the chorus’ major, the choruses are snappy and there’s a key rise – what more could you ask for?

Linda Holmgren: Really good music is immortal. Good music and good lyrics are touching and last to be played over and over again for years and also to be rearranged and performed in new contexts – and Roxette’s music has shown that it is just that.

Marcus Elander: For me, their music or many of their songs are timeless, which is very unique and cool.

Kitty Chan Schlyter: Strong melodies are energetic anthems. You can’t defend yourself and have to sing along or sway along. Then Marie’s voice was the crowning glory and made the song catalogue something out of the ordinary.

Lucas Krüger: A song that has recently become a favorite is “Queen Of Rain”. It has both sensitivity and power, and a unique sound that touches. I’m really looking forward to singing it!

Oliver Gramenius: I think some music has a kind of nerve at its core, a nerve that is not about trends or genres. It’s just there and it will touch people throughout time. Roxette has that nerve.

Emilie Evbäck: They are so incredibly good at capturing a specific feeling with each song that I think everyone can relate to. And then they were always one hundred percent themselves without following trends too much, which I think is a key to being timeless.

Ulrika Ånäs: Roxette was played a lot during my childhood. I had many moments in front of the mirror when I mimed to Marie’s amazing voice.

Hampus Engstrand: The songs stick in your head right away. Very catchy.

Olivia Kungsman: My parents listened to Roxette when I was little so I recognize a lot of their music from my childhood.

Alexandra Fors: I remember when I was a kid watching the movie Pretty Woman and hearing “It Must Have Been Love” and thinking it was so cool that a Swedish band had made it!

Pia Ternström: The music is both timeless and emotional, has strong hooks and a distinct and recognizable, raw Roxette sound. I think that a good cocktail of their enormous global impact, the power of nostalgia, catchy melodies and the eternally relevant themes of love, longing and passion means that both old and new generations continue to listen to Roxette. It’s impossible not to sing along.

The show is produced by 2Entertain, Vicky Nöjesproduktion, Elevator Entertainment and Live Nation. The show will be played at China Teatern in Stockholm between 11th September and 20th December 2025. Tickets will be released on Showtic on 31st March.

Photos by Christoffer Bendixen

The Roxette musical moves to Stockholm

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Joyride – The Musical will be staged in Stockholm this fall. After that, Per Gessle hopes for an international venture. The idea of the musical is to spread like a carpet over the planet, he says and smiles.

The musical premiered last fall in Malmö. Roxette’s classic songs as a backdrop for a romantic comedy were a success.

This fall the musical will move to Stockholm. On September 11th it will premiere at the historic China Theatre. But that’s just the beginning, hopes Per Gessle, who aims for Joyride to be staged abroad.

That’s my vision. Roxette was so big, so there is a capacity to get there.

Planet Earth next

Gessle is tight-lipped about the concrete plans.

We can’t talk about that now, but let’s say that planet Earth is the next step.

It will be a slightly different Joyride that comes to Stockholm compared to the Malmö version. Several new members of the ensemble will be added and Calle Norlén has, among other things, done a new script adaptation. But Jessica Marberger continues in the lead role as Stephanie.

She says:

I’m looking forward to doing this in Stockholm and to coming to the China Teatern. I love being able to stand there and tell this story.

The plot of Joyride is based on the English author Jane Fallon’s book Got You Back and is a love triangle drama about stylist Stephanie who discovers that her husband Joe has another woman.

And then you think it can only be “Thanks and goodbye, I don’t want to live with you, we don’t give a damn about this”. But it won’t really be like that. There will be a little more exciting things, Jessica Marberger says and laughs.

“New” Roxette

It’s now been just over five years since Marie Fredriksson passed away, and Per Gessle has just restarted Roxette. He has recently returned from a tour in South Africa and Australia with Lena Philipsson as the new singer in the band.

Per says:

It is a challenge for all of us to embark on a project like this. But it has gone really well. On a scale of 10, it would be an 11. It has been truly magical.

Several gigs are expected this summer in Sweden and the rest of Europe. Will there be a continuation?

That is not the idea right now, anyway. Now we are going to do a big summer tour and then we will see. We will have to decide in the next few weeks what will happen.

Facts: “Joyride – The Musical”

The Stockholm production will premiere on 11th September at China Teatern.

Cast: Jessica Marberger, Lucas Krüger, Emilie Evbäck, Anton Lundqvist, Pia Ternström and Hanna Hedlund.

Article by Mikael Forsell / TT

Photos by Magnus Lejhall / TT

“Joyride – The Musical” world premiere through the eyes of a longtime Roxette fan

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I’ve been a Roxette fan for 33 years. Music-wise Joyride was the first real life-changing experience for me when I first heard the song. The little girl who in 1991 was sitting persistently in front of MTV to catch the video certainly wouldn’t have thought that 33 years later she would be sitting in the front row of the audience in Malmö Opera and see the world premiere of a musical titled Joyride, including tons of her most beloved band’s amazing songs.

Besides music, theatre is my other great passion, so when I heard that a musical would be created based on Roxette songs, I couldn’t be happier and more excited. The press release about Roxette’s music becoming a musical came out in May 2022. Per already talked about musical ideas in an interview in 2015. He said he can imagine that there could be a musical built on Roxette’s hits, just like ABBA’s Mamma Mia! and the Queen musical, but only if the right way is found. Something new. As he mentioned recently, Malmö Opera came into sight in 2017. Good things take time, right?

In 2022 it was also revealed that the musical would be based on bestseller author Jane Fallon’s novel Got You Back (published in 2008). Of course, I immediately bought that book and read it to see what it’s all about. It’s an entertaining story about the triangle between a husband, his wife and his mistress and the revenge of the latter two gone wrong.

While reading, a tremendous amount of Roxette songs popped up in my head and back then I made a list for myself. 12 of the songs I put on that list ended up in the musical. That list was long (32), but I could have added at least as many tracks still. Usually, 20-25 songs fit in a musical and when it comes to a world famous band, of course, the most well-known hits should be included. But is there any place for lesser-known songs?

Fast forward to November 2023. The title was revealed: Joyride – The Musical. The world premiere was set to 6th September and the ticket sales started. 35,000 tickets were sold in a very short time and people from 30 different countries bought tickets. As Per said in an interview, 45% was bought by people who have never been to Malmö Opera before, so Roxette is a strong magnet.

This strong magnet pulled me to Malmö to see the world premiere. I arrived in Malmö a couple of days before the big show and I was happy to walk around and be greeted by a Joyride musical banner on Södra Förstadsgatan. Malmö Opera has an LED screen on their roof and that one had been promoting Joyride – The Musical since long and it gives a wonderful picture together with Tragos Fountain at the square in front of the opera house.

 

Before premiere day, there were 3 main rehearsals to which Malmö Opera invited closed groups of theatre people and students. In social media you could see some pictures and short videos popping up and all of them praised the show. I heard one of these main rehearsals didn’t go too smoothly, but hey, those were still rehearsals, when the show was not ready yet. It has to be ready for the premiere.

On premiere day, while having my breakfast, I saw Per – sitting in his hotel room – giving an interview to Nyhetsmorgon on TV4. He joined in via video call and you could see he was excited and so ready for that historical day.

During the day we bumped into other Roxers in town as well – fans from Germany, Poland, Hungary, Finland, the Netherlands and other strange places. Haha. We got dressed for success and arrived at Malmö Opera after 5 pm. The red carpet was already rolled out, there was a Joyride photo wall in front of which anyone could take pictures and of course, there were tons of balloons. Heart-shaped ones!

There were photographers and journalists waiting in front of the red carpet, people who wanted to see the prominent guests’ arrival were standing there too. Others were already inside the building, grabbing a bite or having a drink on the terrace. I went inside to pick up some press stuff. The package included a Joyride musical bag in which there were two printed program booklets. One of them was the one that anyone could pick up for free, a smaller size, colorful booklet in Swedish, the other was a bigger, 12” vinyl size booklet full of pictures and interviews, words by Per. Mine was in English, but it exists in Swedish too. This latter one you can buy for 150 SEK.

The building is huge and spacious! In the foyer, there is a giant bronze statue of Thalia and for this historical world premiere, she got some heart-shaped balloons in her hands too. Tragos Fountain was on fire – I thought it was also for the event, but I was informed the fire is on every day when there is a performance at the theatre.

  

The invited guests walked the red carpet, many of them were stopped by the photographers, then by the opera house’s cameraman who recorded short interviews with them. Then they entered Operagrillen to have a drink or two before the show. Yeah, there were Joyride – The Beer cans both at Operagrillen and the theatre buffet. Such a cool idea!

At 6 pm (for about 15 minutes) there was an introduction to the musical in the lower foyer by dramaturg Boel Adler, while opera singer Rickard Söderberg and dramaturg Tor Billgren joined her.

Who walked the red carpet? There were some early birds like Alar Suurna, Magnus Börjesson with his wife and Mats MP Persson. We were all extremely happy to see Mikael Bolyos!!! He arrived with a friend. Then came Valdemar Wahlbeck, Staffan Karlsson, Mats Olsson, Uno Svenningsson, Nisse Hellberg, Anders Roos, Jan-Owe Wikström, choreographer of the musical Miles Hoare and Fredrik Etoall. All with families and friends.

 

At appr. 6.15 pm, Per appeared around the corner, Marie Dimberg was showing the way towards the red carpet. PG – the pop star – was stopped by fans who asked for autographs on their records. The schedule was tight, so Mr. G had to move forward to the red carpet, in front of the Joyride photo wall and he was of course joined by the muse who on one fine day wrote that note in Swedish that became the starting idea of Roxette’s fourth US No.1 hit. „Hello, you fool, I love you!” Åsa and Per were posing for photos, then they were joined by their son, Gabriel and his girlfriend. Some more photos were taken and then they walked off the red carpet towards the same way they came from. Some fans took selfies with Per and SVT also stopped PG to do a short interview with him.

 

 

Then some more invited guests walked the red carpet: Sven Lindström, Dea Norberg, Micke Syd Andersson (he even jumped back to pose with a bunch of fans), Göran Fritzon, Christoffer Lundquist, Lars Nordin, Clarence Öfwerman, director of the musical Guy Unsworth and set designer David Woodhead. They all came with families and friends as well.

 

More red carpet and stage photos HERE!

Here I just mentioned the guests related anyhow to the Roxette world, but I’m sure there were even more famous Swedes on the guest list.

We all entered the opera house to find our seats and finally join the Joyride in musical form. The starting time was set to 7 pm and the show was said to be 2 hours 45 minutes long including a 30-minute break between the two acts.

I had my seat in the first row, in the middle. As I mentioned previously, I love going to the theatre and I sit in the front, because it’s important for me to see the faces of the actors while they are playing. I love to see all the little details, the facial expressions, the gestures. For those who like to see the whole stage, all at once, I suggest sitting in further rows or on the balcony. Also, the dialogues are in Swedish, the songs are in English, but everything is subtitled both in Swedish and in English, so if you want to read the texts during the show, you should definitely sit further away, because the texts are above the stage. All choreographies are anyway very enjoyable from the front row close-up too, but if you prefer the big picture, sit in the 5th row or further away.

Malmö Opera’s main stage has an auditorium that holds an audience of 1511 and the stage is one of the largest in Europe. It’s a large stage indeed. XXXL! What you see when you enter the auditorium is the word JOYRIDE set up letter by letter on stage. Before I saw pics and vids from the rehearsals, I thought the orchestra would be right under the stage in the orchestra pit in front of me, but the setting was different. The orchestra had its place behind the JOYRIDE letters, the musicians were tuning in their instruments.

Stella (Sara Stjernfeldt), the daughter of Stephanie (Jessica Marberger) and Joe (Alexander Lycke), entered the stage with a guitar while everyone in the audience tried to find their seats. She sat in the middle of the stage, in front of the JOYRIDE letters. She seemed to be writing a song.

 

When almost everyone was already sitting, Per and his family and friends also entered the auditorium and seated themselves on the left side of the stage in maybe rows 8-9.

The excitement was growing and… it was time for the musical to start. BUT, before a performance starts at theatres, there is always a voice asking you to switch off your mobiles. This time the voice was Per Gessle! Haha. When Per posted a picture of himself a couple of weeks ago saying „Yep. Had to work today at Malmö Opera! Joyride The Musical needed me!”, I was quite sure this would be the case, recording his voice for the mobile alert. Fab! The intro to Per’s talking was the tune of the Joyride whistle (already here the audience got very silent) and then Mr. G greeted the crowd at Malmö Opera and said that filming and taking pictures are not allowed during the show and he kindly asked you to switch off your mobiles. „And now… C’mon, join the Joyride!” The audience was cheering very loudly.

Here I switch off my usual me who always describes / transcripts things in details how they were, because I don’t want to spoil the fun for you watching the musical whenever you have the chance to see it. I will only share some general feelings, observations which are of course subjective and I’m of course biased when it comes to anything related to my most beloved band. So be prepared for all the positivity and love. Haha. Those who don’t want ANY spoilers should stop reading here. Oh well, actually, they shouldn’t have started reading this article at all. Nevermind!

The show is played in two acts. The first act is appr. 1 hour 15 minutes long, the second lasts for appr. 1 hour and 10 minutes.

The key roles of Stephanie (the wife), Katie (the mistress) and Joe (the husband) are played by Eurovision Song Contest participant Jessica Marberger, West End musical artist Marsha Songcome and Alexander Lycke, international musical actor and frequent leading man at Stockholm City Theatre.

The direction and adaptation for the stage of Klas Abrahamsson’s original script are made by Guy Unsworth, international award-winning director and writer, whose intention was to create a perfect evening for those who love musicals, but also for those who love Roxette.

In the creative team we could see two familiar names: Clarence Öfwerman (producer and musician; Roxette producer from the very beginning; keyboards in Roxette) and Christoffer Lundquist (producer, multi-instrumentalist musician and songwriter; producing Per’s music since Mazarin and playing in the Roxette band mainly on lead guitar, but on other instruments as well). We could be sure that Roxette’s music was in right hands and all the songs would be handled with care. So besides the fact that Per has been involved in the project from the start, it could also give us a guarantee that the end result would be magical.

The music has been reworked by Clarence and Christoffer in collaboration with Joakim Hallin, who is the conductor of the orchestra. This team did one hell of a job!

Earlier Per said:

I haven’t had any direct wishes or opinions about how it should be other than that I think it should be very much Roxette. I think the worst that can happen is that it sounds like a Roxette cover band playing this. You want it to sound like the soul of Roxette is present in some way.

Since everyone in the promo videos and in interviews, as well as the press conference was very enthusiastic about the musical, I was sure they would put all their efforts into making it a magical night. Everyone in the cast and creative team was excited to be part of creating something new, a newly written musical. Malmö Opera also promoted the show at their summer events, where the actors were singing songs of Roxette and so we could hear they are all very talented singers. Now on stage it came out even better. The three main characters, Stephanie (Jessica Marberger), Katie (Marsha Songcome) and Joe (Alexander Lycke) have amazing voices and oh. my. God. what a voice Stella (Sara Stjernfeldt) has! This girl is pure awesomeness how she sings. Then there is Meredith (Sanna Martin) with fantastic vocal abilities. The ensemble, when they are singing together, it sounds fabulous!

The amount of Roxette songs that got into the musical will amaze you. There are so many songs it feels the dialogues are only there to fill in the gap. Haha. Nah. The whole performance is put together in a great way. All songs included come at the right point of the story adding to it with their lyrics. Even if the story was already there and the lyrics were already there, not written especially for the musical, they all fit together, completing each other. I don’t know which direction is more difficult. To write a story based on existing songs or find the most fitting songs for an already existing story. What happened here feels like a match made in heaven.

The choreographies by Miles Hoare are very modern and you feel like you would love to jump on stage to dance together with all the dancers. Of course, singing along (at least miming) during the whole show is evident for a fan, I think. It was impossible at least for me to shut my mouth when all Roxette songs came one after the other. It felt like being at a concert. Especially the fact that the main characters sometimes hold the mics in their hands or stand next to a mic stand while singing strengthens this feeling. My theatre-lover side would love them to use only their head microphones, because that doesn’t grab me out of the scene and lets me live together with the emotions of the character, but my Roxette fan side says hey, it’s all about Roxette’s amazing song catalogue, so I like it like that and I want to sing along with Katie or Stephanie or Joe or Stella and feel the emotions through the songs.

The costumes are amazingly colorful – mainly during the fashion-related scenes as Stephanie is a stylist. They perfectly fit the vivid colors of Roxette’s music. Torbjörn Bergström and his team did a fab job! There are also hints related to Roxette clips and I love that. They probably won’t be noticed by standard audiences, but fans appreciate all the little details.

And those little details are not only in the costumes. They appear in the texts too. In the dialogues there are references to lyrics and small things all fans know about. One of my favourites is when Stella says Gibson (her guitar) is to be pronounced with a hard G. So it’s these kinds of small things. You must love it.

The JOYRIDE letters on stage have different functions, not only to be beautiful. The back side of the letters is set like a shelf at the fashion company (where Stephanie works) or shelf in a shop, shelf of the vet clinic (where Joe works), things like that. The stage set is effective and playful. How the stage construction is used is also playful. The orchestra appears here and there, pulled to the front, pushed to the back. The front of the stage goes very deep at one point and there are scenes when the actors climb stairs to get to the next floor of the apartment.

Oh yes! There is a car! After all, it’s JOYRIDE – The Musical, so there just has to be a car at some point. A red one, of course.

The audience’s reaction to the songs is everything! Their clapping along, singing along, the cheering, the whistling.

During the break I bumped into Christoffer and we talked a little. I told him I absolutely loved it so far and he was very happy to hear it. He said that at the Tuesday rehearsal it didn’t look like it would work out, they even had to change this and that. For the premiere it seems every piece fell into its place.

  

Before I mention my top favourite songs, I have to mention my absolute favourite character. It’s Gary (Oscar Pierrou Lindén). He is so entertaining! His look, style, facial expressions, singing, most fun!

My Top3 songs together with the related scenes are:

No. 3: I’m sorry, I have to cheat, because I can’t decide, but The First Girl On The Moon performed by Stella (Sara Stjernfeldt) on guitar is magical and it has to be one of my No. 3 songs. This girl is amazing! The song is interrupted, then Stephanie (Jessica Marberger) and Joe (Alexander Lycke) sing the rest of it. Wonderful! The other No. 3 song is The Centre Of The Heart (Is A Suburb To The Brain) – how it heightens the thrill together with the dialogues in between. It’s sung by Katie (Marsha Songcome) and the ensemble joins in. The orchestration is wonderful.

No. 2: Haha. I need to put 2 songs + scenes at this spot too. First of all, Crash! Boom! Bang! – sung by Stephanie and Katie. Exceptional the way it’s sung by two women. The scene before they start singing is very entertaining and their singing is very dramatic. The ensemble’s choir is magical here. The other No. 2 is Queen Of Rain sung by Joe (Alexander Lycke). It’s not the only Marie ballad Alex sings in the musical, but for me this was the strongest. Wow! A.m.a.z.i.n.g. vocal performance! Goosebumps! The orchestration here is wonderful too.

No. 1: What’s She Like? – I love how the song is used, how the lyrics support the flow of the story. Stephanie (Jessica Marberger) sings like a rock star here and when the ensemble joins in, I love it too. The choreography is surreal with all the costumes as well. Top! (I only missed a little pause here to be able to give a round of applause to this scene, but a next ballad comes right after.)

These are my Top3 (after seeing the musical only once), but it would be hard to set further top songs and scenes, because it feels very complete to me and also very emotional as a fan. I’ve been wondering how it can affect the songwriter himself to hear all these songs one after the other that mean his life, when even me as a fan of 33 years feels like it’s all my life. These songs have been standing by my side in good and bad times.

Besides my top songs mentioned above, of course the big hits like Listen To Your Heart, Dangerous, The Look, Dressed For Success, It Must Have Been Love, How Do You Do! (haha, have to laugh when I remember the scene it was used in: love triangle surprises at their best), She’s Got Nothing On (But The Radio), Sleeping In My Car, Spending My Time, Neverending Love, The Big L., Fading Like A Flower, Wish I Could Fly are also included. It’s a jukebox musical after all! At the same time, there are lesser-known songs (to the wider audience): Milk And Toast And Honey, Stars (the choir singing in this one is outstanding and absolutely magical), Opportunity Nox, Dance Away, Half A Woman, Half A Shadow, Goodbye To You. The fact that Marie’s song, Little Girl got in the musical and the spot it got, sung by Stephanie (Jessica Marberger) is in itself wonderful. Jessica said in an interview that this is the song she likes to sing the most in the musical.

Did I miss something? Oh, yeah! JOYRIDE! Haha. Wow! So many songs, so little time! Haha.

You would think they used all the hits in the first act, but then you realize you still haven’t heard this song and that one, so you can be sure there are goodies left for you in the second act as well.

At the end of the show I loved seeing short video scenes from clips where Marie also appears. Her presence was felt. Much love!

And much love to the whole team on and off stage! No surprise the world premiere ended with a standing ovation, loud cheering and neverending applause. Hats off to all involved in the making of Joyride – The Musical! You all did a wonderful job!

Thank you, Per, for all the amazing songs that have always made this world a better place and provided a soundtrack to thousands of people’s lives! Also thanks for your neverending drive and striving for keeping Roxette’s legacy alive!

 

 

Per thinks Marie would have liked that Roxette’s music now becomes a musical:

I think she would have thought it was amazing. She was much more interested in musicals than I really was from the beginning. So I think she would have thought this was really cool. I’ve never been a huge musical fan myself. It’s a new chapter in the book of my life and it’s exciting to step into it.

To the question how important it is for him that their music becomes a musical, Per replied:

It’s a big thing and it’s exciting. It feels great and I have a good feeling about it in every way. I hope this musical will be a success, so that it can go on around the planet, just like Roxette did once upon a time.

Why I am confident it will work very well not only in Sweden, but all around the world is because all the fans who are definitely not fans of musicals liked the show and as I could see, all the musical fans enjoyed it a lot as well. Win-win!

Ticket sales are going crazy! All shows in autumn are sold out. Malmö Opera decided to add two more shows in December and they sold out in an hour. So, if you still see tickets available, make sure you buy one, because they are selling like hot cakes and you definitely don’t want to miss this show! You can see it at Malmö Opera until 27th April 2025. Get your tickets HERE!

I have to see it again (and again and again) not only to notice even more little details, but to enjoy this amazing piece of art the team put together. The plan was to make a feel-good musical and they oh so succeeded!

West End, Broadway, musical theatres all around the world! C’mon, join the JOYRIDE!

 

Cast and creatives

Creatives

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
DIRECTED by Guy Unsworth
MUSICAL SUPERVISOR Joakim Hallin

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CONDUCTOR Joakim Hallin / Bjarni Frímann Bjarnason
SET DESIGN David Woodhead
COSTUME & MASK DESIGN Torbjörn Bergström
CHOREOGRAPHY Miles Hoare
LIGHTING DESIGN Ulrik Gad
SOUND DESIGN Avgoustos Psillas
ARRANGEMENTS Joakim Hallin
ORCHESTRATIONS Joakim Hallin, Clarence Öfwerman, Christoffer Lundquist
VIDEO DESIGN Daniel Denton /Nathan Fernée (animator)

Cast

STEPHANIE Jessica Marberger / us Caroline Gustafsson
KATIE Marsha Songcome / us Kerstin Hilldén
JOE Alexander Lycke / Patrik Martinsson
NATASHA Sara Lehmann / us Sienna Sebek
GARY Oscar Pierrou Lindén / us Rasmus Mononen
MEREDITH Sanna Martin / us Emilie Evbäck
MICHAEL Patrik Martinsson / David Lindell / us Fredrik Sjöstedt
JOHN Jan Modin / us Erik Gullbransson
STELLA Sara Stjernfeldt / Elsa Zetterqvist Thunström / Tilda Hallström

Ensemble

Marcus Elander
Kerstin Hilldén
Michael Jansson
Caroline Gustafsson
Patrik Martinsson
Fredrik Sjöstedt
Erik Gullbransson
Sienna Sebek
Rasmus Mononen
Emilie Evbäck
David Lindell
Emmie Asplund
Joel Zerpe
Steffen Hulehøj Frederiksen
Robin Lake
David Auxoilte
Oliver Gramenius
Hanna Carlbrand
Emma Kumlien
Leila Jung
Christel Nilsen

Malmö Opera Orchestra

Publisher

PUBLISHER / AGENCY Nordiska ApS / Jimmy Fun Music

All photos in the article have been taken by Patrícia Peres