 The work was commissioned by Sveriges Radio Radioteatern , the radio drama department of Sweden 's national radio broadcaster . First released in the Swedish broadcast version in August 2009 , with an English @-@ language version following in November 2009 , it features a cast of Swedish and American actors and a variety of musical styles ranging from opera to vaudeville and pop . The album 's recording was a collaborative effort – while the music and English vocals were recorded by Sparks in the United States , the album 's Swedish vocals were recorded by Sveriges Radio in Stockholm , and then sent to the Maels via an FTP server . The album and its ambitious dramatic concept received favourable reviews , and the Mael brothers have said that they are planning both a live show and a film version of the musical . 
