Viva Forever! | |
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Music | Various artists |
Lyrics | Various artists |
Book | Jennifer Saunders |
Basis | Songs by the Spice Girls |
Productions | West End: 11 December 2012 – 29 June 2013 |
Viva Forever! is a jukebox musical based on the songs of 1990s British girl-group the Spice Girls. It was written by Jennifer Saunders, produced by Judy Craymer and directed by Paul Garrington.
The show began previews at the Piccadilly Theatre, London, on 27 November 2012 and had its Press Night on 11 December 2012. In addition to their many hits, such as "Wannabe" and the eponymous "Viva Forever", the show's score draws heavily from and features nearly every song on the Girls' debut and second albums, Spice (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 and "I Turn To You" by Melanie C. 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. [1] 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. [2] In a 2016 interview, Spice Girls group member Mel B admitted to disliking the musical, stating that it "wasn’t actually the kind of show the group hoped for." [3]
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.
In 2010, Judy Craymer teamed up with Geri Halliwell, Simon Fuller (the one-time manager of the Spice Girls) and Universal Music to start developing a musical entitled Viva Forever!, based on the songs of the Spice Girls. [4] 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's music in Mamma Mia! , a show which Craymer produced and helped turn into a global phenomenon. [5]
On 26 June 2012, to promote the launch of the show, all five former Spice Girls attended a press conference in London [6] 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. [7]
On 13 July 2012, the first casting was announced with Hannah John-Kamen as Viva and Sally Ann Triplett as her mother Lauren [8] and following previews from 27 November 2012, Viva Forever! opened in the West End on 11 December 2012 at the Piccadilly Theatre [9] after a delayed start, due to the late arrival of Victoria Beckham, one of the original group members. [10] [11] It was announced on 2 May 2013 that the show would close after only seven months, with a loss of "at least £5 million". [12] Due to poor ticket sales, the show closed on 29 June 2013. It was replaced at the Piccadilly Theatre by the musical Dirty Dancing from 13 July 2013. [13]
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." [12]
When the show first opened, it included 23 musical numbers, featuring some of the Spice Girls' biggest hits including a mashup of "Mama" and "Goodbye", as well as two solo songs from the group's solo efforts: "I Turn to You" by Melanie C and "Look at Me" by Geri Halliwell. [14] [15]
The following musical numbers were part of the show on opening night:
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The following cast and characters are part of the show:
Character | Character description | Original West End actor / actress |
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Viva | A 20-year-old girl, who lives on a houseboat with her adoptive mother, and is a member of a four piece all-female band. | Hannah John-Kamen |
Lauren | Viva's adoptive mother, who lives with her daughter on a houseboat. | Sally Ann Triplett |
Luce | A member of Viva's band, and Viva's friend. | Siobhan Athwal |
Diamond | A member of Viva's band, and Viva's friend. | Lucy Phelps |
Holly | A member of Viva's band, and Viva's friend. | Dominique Provost-Chalkley |
Suzi | Lauren's best friend. | Lucy Montgomery |
Mitch | Lauren's friend. | Simon Slater |
Simone | A TV talent show judge. | Sally Dexter |
Johnny | A Judge on Viva's TV talent show. | Bill Ward |
Karen | A Judge on Viva's TV talent show. | Tamara Wall |
Angel | The musical director of the TV talent show | Ben Cura |
Minty | A production assistant for the TV talent show | Hatty Preston |
Leon | A stylist for the TV talent show | Simon Adkins |
Lance | The presenter for the TV talent show | Anthony Topham |
Ensemble | Ensemble members | Tom Kanavan, Zak Nemorin, Curtis Angus, Luke Jackson, Oliver Roll, David Rudin, Darren Carnall, Myles Brown, Charlotte Gorton, Rebecca McKinnis, Lucy Thatcher, Roxanne Palner, Charlotte Walcott, Sophie Carmen-Jones, Carla Nella, Kirstie Skinvington, Helen Ternent |
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 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.
The theatrical reviews following the opening Press Night (First Night) were largely negative:
The Spice Girls are an English girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Mel B ; Melanie C ; Emma Bunton ; Geri Halliwell-Horner ; and Victoria Beckham. They have sold over 100 million records worldwide, making them the best-selling girl group of all time. With their "girl power" mantra, the Spice Girls redefined the girl-group concept by targeting a young female fanbase. They led the teen pop resurgence of the 1990s, were a major part of the Cool Britannia era, and became popular culture icons of the decade.
Emma Lee Bunton is an English singer, songwriter, media personality, and actress. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Baby Spice, reflecting the fact that she was the youngest member.
Geraldine Estelle Halliwell-Horner is an English singer, songwriter, television personality, author, and actress. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Ginger Spice. With over 100 million records sold worldwide, the Spice Girls are the best-selling female group of all time. Their slogan "girl power" was most closely associated with Halliwell and her Union Jack dress from the 1997 Brit Awards also became an enduring symbol. Halliwell left the Spice Girls in 1998, citing exhaustion and creative differences, but rejoined when they reunited for a greatest hits album (2007) and two concert tours: the Return of the Spice Girls (2007–2008) and Spice World (2019).
Melanie Janine Brown, 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 girl group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Scary Spice. With over 100 million records sold worldwide, the group became the best-selling female group of all time.
"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. It is a pop ballad with Spanish-style elements. The song's theme is about a summer romance during a holiday vacation, as the lyrics discuss recent experiences and memories. It was released as the album's fourth and final single on 20 July 1998 by Virgin Records.
"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, released in November 1996. The song was originally mixed by Dave Way, however the Spice Girls were not pleased with the result, and the recording was instead mixed by Mark "Spike" Stent. A dance-pop song, its lyrics address the value of female friendship over heterosexual relationships. It has since became a symbol of female empowerment and the most emblematic song of the group's girl power philosophy.
Spiceworld is the second studio album by English girl group the Spice Girls, released on 1 November 1997 by Virgin Records. Its music incorporates dance-pop music and production. The album became a commercial success worldwide, lengthening the so-called "Spicemania" of the time. It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, with first-week sales of 190,000 copies and shipped 1.4 million copies in two weeks. The album also reached number one in 13 countries, while peaking inside the top three in Australia, Canada, France, Switzerland and the United States. Spiceworld has sold over 14 million copies worldwide, making it one of the world's best-selling albums by a girl group.
"Goodbye" is a song recorded by British girl group Spice Girls. It was written by the group, Richard Stannard, and Matt Rowe, while it was produced by the latter two. The song became the group's first song without the vocals of Geri Halliwell. It was released by Virgin Records on 14 December 1998 and was later included on their third studio album Forever (2000). "Goodbye" is a pop ballad that lyrically consists of the group's farewell to a friend, specifically Halliwell. The lyrics were also seen, by the media and fans alike, as the group's end, although the idea was dismissed by the members.
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.
"Look at Me" is the debut solo single by British singer Geri Halliwell from her debut solo studio album, Schizophonic (1999). It was written by Halliwell in collaboration with Andy Watkins and Paul Wilson, members of the Absolute production duo, who also produced the track. The song was released on 10 May 1999 in the United Kingdom by EMI Records as the lead single from Schizophonic. Musically, "Look at Me" is a jazz-pop song featuring a nine-piece brass section, while the autobiographical lyrics depict Halliwell demanding the attention of everyone around her.
The Spiceworld Tour was the debut concert tour by English girl group the Spice Girls. It was launched in support of their first two studio albums, Spice (1996) and Spiceworld (1997). The sell-out European/North American tour ran from February to August 1998, after which it returned to the UK in September 1998 for a series of stadium shows. The final concert at London's Wembley Stadium was filmed and broadcast live on pay-per-view, for later VHS release in 1998 and eventual DVD release in 2008.
Stephanie Leanne Fearon is a British stage and television actress most noted for her TV appearances in the CITV show My Parents Are Aliens and the BBC talent-search Over the Rainbow.
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