Viva Forever!
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''Viva Forever!'' is a
jukebox musical A jukebox musical is a stage musical or musical film in which a majority of the songs are well-known, pre-existing popular music songs, rather than original music composed for the musical. Some jukebox musicals use a wide variety of songs, while ...
based on the songs of 1990s British girl-group the
Spice Girls The Spice Girls are an English girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Mel B ("Scary Spice"), Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"), Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"), Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"), and Victoria Beckham ("Posh Spice"). They have sold over 10 ...
. It was written by
Jennifer Saunders Jennifer Jane Saunders (born 6 July 1958) is an English actress, comedian, singer, and screenwriter. Saunders originally found attention in the 1980s, when she became a member of The Comic Strip after graduating from the Royal Central School ...
, produced by Judy Craymer and directed by Paul Garrington. The show began previews at the
Piccadilly Theatre The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at the junction of Denman Street and Sherwood Street, near Piccadilly Circus, in the City of Westminster, London. It opened in 1928. In its early years the theatre presented a wide range of ...
, London, on 27 November 2012 and had its Press Night on 11 December 2012. In addition to their many hits, such as "
Wannabe "Wannabe" is the debut single by the British girl group the Spice Girls, released on 26 June 1996. It was written by the Spice Girls, Matt Rowe and Richard "Biff" Stannard and produced by Rowe and Stannard for the group's debut album, ''Spice ...
" and the eponymous "
Viva Forever "Viva Forever" is a song by English girl group the Spice Girls from their second studio album, '' Spiceworld'' (1997). The song was co-written by the group with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard, while production was handled by the latter two. ...
", the show's score draws heavily from and features nearly every song on the Girls' debut and second albums, ''
Spice In the culinary arts, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, Bark (botany), bark, or other plant substance in a form primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of pl ...
'' (1996) and '' Spiceworld'' (1997), respectively. Also included were several songs from the group's third album—such as their hit " Goodbye"—as well as several solo single releases, including " Look At Me" by
Geri Halliwell Geraldine Estelle Halliwell-Horner (''née'' Halliwell; born 6 August 1972) is an English singer, songwriter, television personality, author, and actress. She rose to fame in the mid-1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which ...
and " I Turn To You" by
Melanie C Melanie Jayne Chisholm (born 12 January 1974), commonly known as Melanie C or Mel C, is an English singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in the mid-1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sporty Spice. W ...
. The show generated over £2,000,000 in pre-opening ticket sales. ''Viva Forever!'' was panned by critics, receiving some of the worst reviews of 2012. It was announced on 2 May 2013 that the show was to close on 29 June 2013 after seven months with a loss of at least £5 million. In a 2016 interview, Spice Girls group member
Mel B Melanie Janine Brown, Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 29 May 1975), commonly known as Mel B or Melanie B, is an English singer, songwriter, television personality, and actress. She rose to fame in the mid 1990s as a member of the Pop mus ...
admitted to disliking the musical, stating that it "wasn’t actually the kind of show the group hoped for."


Plot

The musical is based on a band member named Viva who lives on a houseboat. The story starts when her band gets through to the audition stages of a TV show. The band get through multiple rounds of the auditions, but on the final round, Viva gets through, without her bandmates. As Viva follows her dreams, ''Viva Forever!'' charts her journey into the world of overnight celebrity and its impact on her mother and the friends she thought she'd have forever.


Background

In 2010, Judy Craymer teamed up with
Geri Halliwell Geraldine Estelle Halliwell-Horner (''née'' Halliwell; born 6 August 1972) is an English singer, songwriter, television personality, author, and actress. She rose to fame in the mid-1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which ...
,
Simon Fuller Simon Robert Fuller (born 17 May 1960) is a British entrepreneur, artist manager, and film and television producer. He is the creator of the Idols (franchise), ''Idols'' TV format, including the British series ''Pop Idol'' and the American ser ...
(the one-time manager of the Spice Girls) and
Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum ...
to start developing a musical entitled ''Viva Forever!'', based on the songs of the Spice Girls. Although the Spice Girls themselves were not to be in the show, they were to influence the show's cast and production choices in a story which uses their music but bears no relation to their personal story. This approach is similar to that of
ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...
's music in '' Mamma Mia!'', a show which Craymer produced and helped turn into a global phenomenon. On 26 June 2012, to promote the launch of the show, all five former Spice Girls attended a press conference in London"Spice Girls unveil West End show"
BBC. Retrieved 26 June 2012
at the St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel, the location where the group filmed the music video for their breakthrough hit "Wannabe," sixteen years earlier, to the day.


Productions


West End (2012–2013)

On 13 July 2012, the first casting was announced with
Hannah John-Kamen Hannah Dominique John-Kamen (born 7 September 1989) is an English actress. She is known for her television roles in ''Black Mirror'' (2011–2016), '' Killjoys'' (2015–2019), ''Brave New World'' (2020), and Netflix miniseries '' The Stranger' ...
as Viva and
Sally Ann Triplett Sally Ann Triplett (born 15 April 1962, London, England) is a British singer and actress. She participated in two editions of the Eurovision Song Contest and West End productions. Career Triplett first represented the United Kingdom in the Eu ...
as her mother Lauren and following previews from 27 November 2012, ''Viva Forever!'' opened in the West End on 11 December 2012 at the
Piccadilly Theatre The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at the junction of Denman Street and Sherwood Street, near Piccadilly Circus, in the City of Westminster, London. It opened in 1928. In its early years the theatre presented a wide range of ...
after a delayed start, due to the late arrival of
Victoria Beckham Victoria Caroline, Lady Beckham (; born 17 April 1974) is an English fashion designer, singer, and television personality. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Posh Spic ...
, one of the original group members. It was announced on 2 May 2013 that the show would close after only seven months, with a loss of "at least £5 million". Due to poor ticket sales, the show closed on 29 June 2013. It was replaced at the
Piccadilly Theatre The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at the junction of Denman Street and Sherwood Street, near Piccadilly Circus, in the City of Westminster, London. It opened in 1928. In its early years the theatre presented a wide range of ...
by the musical ''
Dirty Dancing ''Dirty Dancing'' is a 1987 American romance film, romantic drama film, drama Dance in film, dance film written by Eleanor Bergstein, produced by Linda Gottlieb, and directed by Emile Ardolino. Starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, it tel ...
'' from 13 July 2013.Dirty Dancing to replace Viva Forever! in the West End – Production News – The Stage
/ref> Producer Judy Craymer told the ''Evening Standard'', "Despite wonderful audiences, standing ovations and positive social media it has proved very difficult to fight back when such negativity was cast, especially in these very tough economic times."


Musical numbers

When the show first opened, it included 23 musical numbers, featuring some of the Spice Girls' biggest hits including a
mashup Mashup may refer to: * Mashup (culture), the rearrangement of spliced parts of musical pieces as part of a subculture * Mashup (education), combining various forms of data and media by a teacher or student in an instructional setting * Mashup (mus ...
of "Mama" and "Goodbye", as well as two solo songs from the group's solo efforts: " I Turn to You" by
Melanie C Melanie Jayne Chisholm (born 12 January 1974), commonly known as Melanie C or Mel C, is an English singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in the mid-1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sporty Spice. W ...
and " Look at Me" by
Geri Halliwell Geraldine Estelle Halliwell-Horner (''née'' Halliwell; born 6 August 1972) is an English singer, songwriter, television personality, author, and actress. She rose to fame in the mid-1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which ...
. The following musical numbers were part of the show on opening night: ;Act I * Prologue / "
Wannabe "Wannabe" is the debut single by the British girl group the Spice Girls, released on 26 June 1996. It was written by the Spice Girls, Matt Rowe and Richard "Biff" Stannard and produced by Rowe and Stannard for the group's debut album, ''Spice ...
" – The Company * "Something Kinda Funny" – Viva, Luce, Diamond & Holly * "
Let Love Lead the Way "Let Love Lead the Way" is a song by British girl group Spice Girls, from their third studio album, ''Forever (Spice Girls album), Forever'' (2000). It was written by the band members, with additional writing by Rodney Jerkins, Rodney "Darkchil ...
" – Lauren, Suzi & Mitch * "Right Back At Ya" – Viva, Luce, Diamond, Holly & The Company * "Denying" – Simone & Johnny * "The Lady Is a Vamp" – Viva, Luce, Diamond & Holly * " Too Much" – Lauren & Suzi * " Look at Me" – Simone, Johnny & Karen * "Saturday Night Divas" – The Company * " Stop" – Viva, Luce, Diamond & Holly * "Do It" – Simone, Viva, Luce, Diamond & Holly * "
Say You'll Be There "Say You'll Be There" is a song by the English girl group Spice Girls from their debut studio album, ''Spice (album), Spice'' (1996). The Spice Girls co-wrote the song with Eliot Kennedy after the group left Heart Management in 1995. Later, Jo ...
" – Viva, Luce, Diamond & Holly * " Goodbye" / "
Mama Mama(s) or Mamma or Momma may refer to: Roles *Mother, a female parent * Mama-san, in Japan and East Asia, a woman in a position of authority *Maternal uncle, in some parts of South Asia Places * Mama, Russia, an urban-type settlement in the Mam ...
" / " Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)" – Lauren, Viva & Simone ;Act II * Entr'acte ("Who Do You Think You Are" / " Spice Up Your Life" / "Right Back At Ya" / "Say You'll be There") – Full cast * " Move Over" / " Tell Me Why" – Leon, Viva, Luce, Diamond, Holly, The Company * "Time Goes By" – Viva * "
Who Do You Think You Are Who Do You Think You Are may refer to: Television series * ''Who Do You Think You Are?'' (British TV series), a genealogy documentary with many adaptations: ** ''Who Do You Think You Are?'' (American TV series) ** ''Who Do You Think You Are?'' ...
" – Simone, Viva, & The Company * "
Spice Up Your Life "Spice Up Your Life" is a song by British girl group the Spice Girls from their second studio album, ''Spiceworld (album), Spiceworld'' (1997). The song was co-written by the group with Matt Rowe and Biffco, Richard Stannard, at the same time ...
" – Viva, & The Company * "
Viva Forever "Viva Forever" is a song by English girl group the Spice Girls from their second studio album, '' Spiceworld'' (1997). The song was co-written by the group with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard, while production was handled by the latter two. ...
" – Angel & Viva * "
2 Become 1 "2 Become 1" is a song by the British girl group the Spice Girls. Written by the group members, together with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard during the group's first professional songwriting session, it was produced by Rowe and Stannard for t ...
" – Lauren & Mitch * " I Turn to You" – Simone * "Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)" (reprise) – Viva & Lauren * "Saturday Night Divas" (Reprise) – The Company * "Wannabe" (Reprise) – Viva, Luce, Diamond, Holly & The Company ;Encore * "Stop" (Reprise) – The Company * "Spice Up Your Life" (Reprise) – The Company * Playout; ("Who Do You Think You Are") – The Orchestra


Principal roles and original cast

The following cast and characters are part of the show:


Changes to musical numbers

During the course of the show's run, several changes were made to the show's script and musical numbers. "Something Kinda Funny" was replaced with a reprise of "Wannabe", "The Lady Is a Vamp" was reinstated into the show after being removed, and "Say You'll Be There" was re-orchestrated into an up-tempo number more similar to the original version of the song. The
Entr'acte (or , ;Since 1932–35 the recommends this spelling, with no apostrophe, so historical, ceremonial and traditional uses (such as the 1924 René Clair film title) are still spelled . and ', , and ) means 'between the acts'. It can mean a pau ...
was shortened, "Time Goes By" was replaced with a reprise of "Mama", A few lines of "Never Give Up on the Good Times" were added and sung a cappella into the second act of the show, "I Turn to You" was removed from the show as well as the reprise of "Saturday Night Divas", and "Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)" was shortened.


Critical response

The theatrical reviews following the opening Press Night (First Night) were largely negative: *''
Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was foun ...
'': "I'll tell you what I wanted, what I really really wanted – I wanted this terrible show to stop. ''Viva Forever!'' has absolutely no redeeming features whatsoever. This show is not just bad, it is definitively, monumentally and historically bad. I shall not dwell on the plot because, goodness knows, Jennifer Saunders, its writer, certainly hasn’t done. Its producer, Judy Craymer, may profess to have spent some money on it, but I have no idea where it has gone and, as for the songs, they are uniformly scummy, scratchy and screechy. There is no acting to speak of, either, so I shall not identify any of the girls who appear in it, lest they be subjected to recriminations. Thrown together without any great thought and ugly in every respect, ''Viva Forever!'' marks the West End coming to an unequivocal dead end. This musical is tawdry, lazy and unedifying, and one could sense a miasma of disappointment emanating from an audience of up-for-it Spice Girls fans realising that they had paid top whack to see a clunker." *''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'': "Charmless, messy, lacklustre... so lacking in any truly original or challenging spark of its own. ''Viva Forever!'' forever? I rather think not." *''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'': "The real problem is the songs. For one thing, there aren't enough memorable hits in a career that lasted for three albums to support two hours of theatre." *''
The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. Founded in 1880, ''The Stage'' contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at thos ...
'': "One of the biggest disappointments is Jennifer Saunders’ rather trite book which is symbolic of what is sadly a lazily put-together show. Saunders exhibits her lack of experience in writing for the stage. It soon becomes clear that the Spice Girls’ back catalogue is not generally of a high enough standard to be reinterpreted in this way." *''
Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...
'': "Jennifer Saunders’s script, which ought to carry us efficiently from one song to the next, is ponderous. Aspects of it are positively bizarre." *''TQS magazine'': "''Viva Forever!'' is an overlong, (mostly) unfunny and underwhelming show which makes even the most devout Spice fan question their musical taste." *''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...
'': "The world premiere of the Spice Girls' musical certainly had its moments of high drama which kept the audience glued. Unfortunately, none of it was happening on the stage." *''What's on Stage'': "Jennifer Saunders’ confused narrative - totally un-theatrical, completely un-satirical."Viva Forever! Reviews at Piccadilly Theatre – London – Whatsonstage.com
/ref> *''
Sunday Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet ...
'': "''Viva Forever!'' is a phoney, manufactured musical about a phoney, manufactured band, marooned by a structurally inept, unfunny script."


References


External links


Official website
{{Spice Girls 2012 musicals West End musicals Spice Girls Works about the Spice Girls Jukebox musicals British musicals