There were loud screams, presumably of delight, every time the all-star cast broke into one of the Swedish combo’s numbers.
Most of the hit singles were used up in the 2008 original so director Ol Parker and co-writer Curtis have had to delve deeper for their playlist.
There are good reasons why When I Kissed The Teacher, Angel Eyes and Kisses Of Fire didn’t make it on to Abba Gold but enthusiastic performances and camp dance routines should still get fans’ toes tapping. However, the plot isn’t much to scream about.
We begin with the news of Donna’s recent demise although, if you’ve seen the trailer, you know that won’t stop Meryl Streep from reprising Super Trouper in the big finale.
Now Donna’s daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is putting the finishing touches to the Greek island hotel her mother always dreamt of.
All the stars from the first film have been invited to the “grand opening” but the ferry has been cancelled due to inclement weather.
Will the storm pass in time for the big night? While we ponder this nail-biter, Parker and Curtis milk the suspense by copying the structure of The Godfather Part II.
A series of extended flashbacks take us back to 1979 and explain why the free-spirited Donna (now winsome Downton Abbey star Lily James) had no idea who fathered her only daughter.
After bursting into song at her graduation (where Jessica Keenan Wynn and Alexa Davies play younger versions of the Christine Baranski and Julie Walters characters), she sets out across Europe to “make memories” which leads to a succession of romances with Englishman Harry (Hugh Skinner as the younger Colin Firth), Swedish sailor Bill (Josh Dylan as the young Stellan Skarsgård) and the softly spoken Sam (Jeremy Irvine as the young Pierce Brosnan).
The impressions and the accents are of variable quality.
Keenan Wynn makes a pitch-perfect Baranski but you can feel co-writer Curtis’s hand in Hugh Skinner’s Harry since the bumbling English virgin is more of a young Hugh Grant than Colin Firth.
Of course, none of this really matters.
This is one big, summer party where the star attractions are the sun-kissed setting, the fabulous stars and the kitsch song-and-dance routines. And when Cher gatecrashes the bash for an unlikely duet with Andy Garcia, you’ll feel honoured to have been invited.