McCann takes on the role of matriarch Donna Sheridan while Krndija plays bride to be Sophie.

While the ABBA songs that punctuate the story throughout get the audience singing along and jumping to their feet, Krndija said its vital to get the timbre of that single mother and daughter relationship right for the show to really connect with a live audience.

“For me it’s just about keeping it very fresh and modern, and especially that mother daughter dynamic, just making it make sense in the world today,” Krndija said.

“That dynamic is not an unfamiliar one, a single mother and an only child. For Elise and I at least, we definitely go at it from an acting perspective.

“It’s always about bringing it back to the story and to them as a team. So anytime that we can find pockets of connection and that real moving unit dynamic that they share, I think is where things go right for us.”

They’re aware of how beloved the characters are, with many people in the audience having grown up with the movie. But McCann said they enjoy bringing a fresh perspective.

“I think we all know that experience with mothers and daughters where you absolutely love each other and you also drive each other bonkers,” she said.

“For these two characters, they’ve only ever had each other. And so for us, we try and find the moments where it just feels like second nature, but also when there is the tension, we lean into it because that’s what Mums and daughters do.

“In terms of the role, for me anyway, I’m basically right on the right age for this. I’m 38 in a couple of weeks, and so I would’ve been 18 when I had Sophie. And I love that. I know that typically Donna has sometimes been played by slightly older women, which is also a beautiful dynamic.

“I’ve been able to just find my own version of Donna that’s not trying to play what someone else has played, but rather bring some of my own elements of, I’m still young, I’m still cool, I’m still sexual.

“All of those elements that women experience in their late thirties and early forties and that Donna is experiencing as a strong independent woman that’s running her own business, that has had love, that has a daughter, we can be full humans.”

McCann said a whole new demographic are coming to see the show, and there’s so much that’s unique to seeing the musical live on stage to bring people off the couch and into the theatre.

“Abba is huge on TikTok right now. So we have a whole bunch of 15 to 23 year old girls and boys, and really people that come to the show and love it because they know the songs and they know Abba, and they know the movie,” she said.

“That brings its own unique energy and they really bond with Sophie and Sky and the younger roles in the show.

“But also you get to stand up and be part of it. At the end of the show, we have this full mega mix dance party, and it’s amazing.

“Because it’s live, it changes every night. The audience are the other actor with us. Their responses inform our responses. So you’re really, you are part of it, and that’s really exciting. You can’t do that anywhere else.”

The multi-generational appeal of ABBA’s musical soundtrack never ceases to amaze Krndija.

“I’ve never been part of a production – I don’t think I ever will be – where the audience reacts so viscerally, they leap to their feet,” she said.

“They’re singing in a hundred different keys, and we get to the end of the show and we’re like, oh, we could go again. It’s like a rock concert. For ABBA diehard fans, that’s their moment to breathe into the nostalgia.”

McCann said the best parts about performing the show in Brisbane – are the weather, the holiday vibe, and bringing the relatives along to see the show.

“There’s a few little adjustments for Brisbane – just to bring in some local jokes and local flavour,” she said.

“I’ve got my grandmother, who’s 94, she’s going to come to the show and my aunts and uncles and cousins. And so it always feels like Brisbane feels like the perfect city, the weather’s so beautiful and everyone here has a real calmness about them and a generosity of spirit that you get because it’s not quite so hustle bustle as Sydney or Melbourne.”

While Krndija is looking forward to performing in a place closer to the idyllic Greece presented on stage.

“I’m really excited to wear costumes that reflect the climate that I’m in,” she said. “In Sydney, we’re coming in scarfs and trench coats, and then we’re out in denim shorts and bikini tops. It’s going to be lovely.”

Mamma Mia! The Musical opens at QPAC’s Lyric Theatre on August 6 for a short season before going to Melbourne as part of a national tour.