Spice Girls to reunite for West End musical

London: All girls band ‘Spice Girls’ is all set to reunite for their big West End first night. The women behind Girl Power will all be at the world premiere of ‘Viva Forever’, which will open at the Piccadilly Theatre in December, well before Christmas.

‘Ghost The Musical’, which is currently running at the Piccadilly, will close in the autumn. Based on the Oscar-winning movie that starred Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg, ‘Ghost’ has some terrific moments but, but it seems that there are not enough such moments that can draw the kind of audiences that will keep the show running. ‘Viva Forever’, created by Judy Craymer, the powerhouse behind Mamma Mia!, and award-winning funny lady Jennifer Saunders, will feature around 16 numbers associated with the ‘Spice Girls’ line-up Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton, Victoria Beckham, Melanie Chisholm and Melanie Brown, respectively Ginger, Baby, Posh, Sporty and Scary, a leading daily has reported. Previews will begin in November. Auditions will start later this month and run into July, and Craymer and director Paul Garrington want to begin rehearsals around September. Workshop versions of the show have already been held, enabling the creative team, which also includes top choreographer Lynne Page, designer Peter Mackintosh and orchestrator Martin Koch, to explore how to stage the show ahead of rehearsals. Viva Forever will face stiff competition from another show, ‘The Body-guard’, featuring music connected with iconic singer Whitney Houston, as they will also begin performances at the Adelphi Theatre at around the same time. Both are hot-button productions featuring songs that are already hummable and well known. The ‘Spice Girls’ show has a mother and daughter story at its heart, with a television talent show as a backdrop. Emma and Mel C apparently cried when they watched footage of the workshops; both felt it reflected the group’s ethos — friendship, identity and being true to yourself — and also saw it as an astute commentary on today’s obsession with celebrity. Although, Craymer had said a few months ago that ‘the show isn’t about the Spice Girls directly, but it’s sprinkled with their essence’. ‘Viva Forever’ will include hit songs ‘Wannabe’, ‘The Lady Is A Vamp’, ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ and ‘Mamma’. ANI