Ginger, Sporty, Posh, Baby and Scary, ring a bell? Rejoice all children of the Nineties, the Spice Girls are set to be welcomed back in an on stage musical reincarnation Viva Forever. The show is due to preview in November, premiering at the West End’s Piccadilly Theatre. The sad news, therefore, for Ghost the Musical fans is that it will close this autumn to make may for a resurgence of Girl Power.
The Spice Girls became a global phenomenon with their debut album, Spice, selling more than 28 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling album by a female group in music history. They also starred, as themselves alongside myriad other celebrities, in the 1997 film Spice World. Their various awards as a group included four Brits, three American Music Awards, three MTV Europe Music Awards, three World Music Awards, and one MTV Video Music Award.
The show will be produced by Judy Craymer and directed by Paul Garrington, both responsible for the irrepressible smash hit Mamma Mia!. The remainder of the creative team also includes choreographer Lynee Page, designer Peter Mackintosh and orchestrator Martin Koch. The show, which features a book by comedian Jennifer Saunders, will feature an abundance of the group’s classic hits and most loved songs such “Wannabe”, “Who Do You Think You Are”, “The Lady is a Vamp” and “Mamma”. The musical will be set around a mother and daughter story, with a television talent show as a backdrop, with Craymer saying ‘the show isn’t about the Spice Girls directly, but it’s sprinkled with their essence’.
