★★★★☆

When the opportunity arises to start an ABBA tribute act, schoolfriends Peter and Edward reunite to start Birmingham’s first drag pseudo-supergroup in The Way Old Friends Do.

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It may surprise anyone born after 1995 to discover that ABBA weren’t always universally beloved. As The Way Friends Do, the first play by actor-turned-playwright Ian Hallard and directed by Mark Gatiss makes clear there was a time in a distant and shameful past when being a fan of a Swedish 70s pop quartet was (and I hope you’re sitting down) uncool. It’s a facet of the band’s history which, Hallard asserts, explains part of their popularity with the LGBTQ+ community. Indeed, at school, our two protagonists, Edward (James Bradshaw) and Peter (Hallard) came out to each other: Edward as gay and Peter as an ABBA fan. But for a fandom which sprung up for many people as a secret, guilty pleasure, The Way Old Friends Do holds nothing back in its barefaced, geeky love of Agnetha, Björn, Benny, and Anni-Frid. From debates over backing vocals to characters spewing the deepest depths of the group’s Wikipedia page, there’s plenty here for the most die-hard fan to appreciate. But for those of us on the ABBA-outskirts, Hallard’s new play is still an absolute joy. An unapologetic celebration of fandom and community, leaving The Way Old Friends Do without a smile on your face is impossible. It’s a story which looks at first glance like a British feel-good film. Having lost contact since their schooldays, Edward and Peter accidentally reunite in middle age using the 2010s’ Friends Reunited substitute, Grindr. Over a hastily organised pub lunch, they discover that Peter’s friend Sally (Donna Berlin) needs an ABBA tribute act in her local theatre. Edward has done drag a few times. Peter knows everything there is to know about ABBA. What could possibly go wrong? Not a lot, as it turns out. The lack of too much of an edge is something The Way Old Friends Do takes in its stride. Starting the story in early 2015, the odd spot of politics or current affairs occasionally arises. Still, for the most part, Hallard takes his role as a peddler of upbeat escapism very seriously. Where this could all too easily translate into something sickly-sweet, the play’s greatest achievement might be that it makes you want to like it and has the wit and construction to earn it. That’s not to say the story isn’t gripping. The cast all do a herculean job in making their characters well-rounded and, probably more crucially, likeable. Little personal stakes keep the audience invested in a script which is, thankfully, very funny. Sara Crowe needs extra credit, though, as the perpetually scene-stealing village pianist Mrs Campbell. “This looks like great fun,” goes her impeccably delivered catchphrase. It’s not hard to see what she means. The Way Old Friends Do is a play it’s surely near-impossible not to love. Light, hilarious and infectiously likeable, Hallard’s debut is the theatrical equivalent of an ABBA song. As I’m sure Peter would agree, it’s hard to give higher praise than that.

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The Way Old Friends Do plays at London’s Park Theatre until 15 April and is touring across the UK throughout 2023. Check out the tour dates here.