A wheelchair-bound, terminal cancer patient named Bev Stoker was passing through her local city center with her family when an “interviewer” approached her, asking if she’d like to talk about her unique fashion look.
Little did pink-haired Bev know that this was an ingenious setup designed to get Bev in place, on film, and ready for an epic ABBA flash mob to unfold before her eyes!
Music Man readers can watch the wholesome magic play out in the viral video above. But be warned – this 507,000-times-viewed clip has already moved hundreds of its admirers to tears!
As the faux-interview commences, Bev tells her interviewer, Naomi, that she “normally wears the sort of clothes no one else would wear,” earning some cackles from her family around her.
However, before the “interviewer” could squeeze another question out, the moment was interrupted by a man with an acoustic guitar slung around his neck, asking curiously, “Did you say your name was Bev?” As Bev confirms, the guitarist tells her, “Bev, I think I’ve got a perfect song for you…” before breaking out into the first verse of ABBA’s “Mamma Mia”!
This isn’t your usual rendition of the ABBA hit, though. The guitarist molds the legendary lyrics in the ultimate, day-brightening dedication to Bev, who watches on with smiles of astonishment. He sings, “I’ve been dazzled by you since I don’t know when … Look at you now, such a superstar, I don’t know how, but you’re perfect the way you are, I just had to get my guitar.”
Then, the “interviewer” joins in on the surprise, harmonizing with the guitarist on “Mamma Mia”’s prechorus. As a crowd of passers-by slowly gathers to watch the moment, two ladies step out of the audience to lend their voices to a revamped version of “Super Trouper,” which sends tears streaming down Bev’s face.
The growing vocal group serenades Bev with stylized versions of “Fernando” and “Dancing Queen,” before Naomi reveals how this jaw-dropping surprise came about.
She tells Bev and her family, “We just wanted to do this for you today because Sophie [Bev’s niece] got in touch with us and told us about the hard time you’ve been having. And, you’ve inspired a lot of people in your life and today you’ve inspired a lot of people who have never even met you before [hinting at the crowd around them] to come together for you.”
Naomi encourages Bev to turn around to find a host of her friends and family standing in support of her. A final rendition of “Thank You For The Music,” or in this case, “Thank You For Bev Stoker,” wraps up the flash mob performance. But the flash mob has one more surprise up their sleeves for Bev: a gift basket of cheese, which Bev adored, followed by four VIP tickets to see “Mamma Mia! The Party”!