After writing Chess, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus were looking for something “light and interesting” to write about. But the topic they finally decided upon – Vilhelm Moberg’s Emigrants novels – was definitely not a light one.
They started writing the show in 1989. It had its official premiere in Malmo on the October 7, 1995. It has played in Gothenburg and Stockholm, closing at The Cirkus in Stockhom on June 23, 1999 after a four year run. Five songs from the show were released as singles. Concert performances were given in Minnesota in October 1996 as part of the Swedish Immigration Jubilee that year. There was a concert tour in Sweden in June 2001.
Read interviews with the creative team about the process of creating the musical on the official show website.