Following a critically acclaimed and award-nominated Birmingham Rep premiere, Park Theatre run and tour, ABBA-tastic comedy The Way Old Friends Do transfers to the West End for a strictly limited run. I’m thrilled to reunite with author and star Ian Hallard and director Mark Gatiss to discuss the show’s success.

In the late 1980s, two school friends from Birmingham tentatively come out to one another: one as gay, the other as an ABBA fan.

“Joyous, heartwarming & riotously funny” – Attitude

Nearly thirty years later, a chance meeting sets them on an exciting new path, and they decide to form the world’s first ABBA tribute band – in drag. But can their friendship survive the tribulations of a life on the road; one full of platform boots, fake beards and a distractingly attractive stranger?

“Sparkles with one-liners… hugely enjoyable” – BritishTheatre.com

Tender and laugh-out-loud funny in equal measures, this heartfelt story will appeal to anyone who understands how it feels to be a fan: of ABBA or of anyone.

The Way Old Friends Do is written by Ian Hallard (The Boys in the Band, Scenes From An Execution), and directed by Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, Dracula, Doctor Who, The League of Gentlemen), whose other directing credits include Steven Moffat’s The Unfriend, which transfers to Wyndham’s in December after its West End premiere at the Criterion earlier this year.

“So much to love… whether you’re an ABBA fan or not” – Reviews Hub

Hallard also features in The Way Old Friends Do cast, reprising his performance alongside original cast members Donna Berlin, James Bradshaw, Sara Crowe, Andrew Horton and Rose Shalloo.

Following the 7.30pm performance of The Way Old Friends Do on Monday 21 August 2023, I’ll talk to Ian Hallard and Mark Gatiss about ABBA and their successful collaboration. Any questions? Join us!