The Spice Girls said, “We want to thank thecast and all the fans for their support, and although Viva Forever won'tcontinue in the West End we are thrilled that the thousands of people who cameto the show had as much fun as we did.”
Producers of the show, which charts the trials and tribulations of wannabe girlband Eternity, say "with a heavy heart" they've decided to close.
– Judy Craymer, Producer of Viva Forever"The show has evolved since we first opened and is now brighter, lighter and funnier, but despite the wonderful audiences and extremely positive feedback we just can’t make it work. I'm so proud of everyone involved in this production. Viva Forever! _may be taking it’s leave for now in the West End but the legacy of Spice Girls will never fade."_
Viva Forever!, the musical inspired by the Spice Girls is to close after just seven months. A closing notice has been posted at the Picadilly Theatre for 29 June 2013. Poor ticket sales are being blamed.
The long-awaited Spice Girls musical has failed to go down well with the critics after its premiere last night.
The Daily Mirror called the plot "cliched" and the dialogue "leaden", and said that "laughs, from writer [Jennifer] Saunders, are surprisingly few and far between".
"You would think it would be easy to strap the songs of one of the biggest girl groups in recent history to an exuberant story of girl power to create a worldwide money-making machine. But you would be wrong," Alun Palmer wrote.
The Independent's Paul Taylor said the show was "lacking in any true original or challenging spark of its own".
The Daily Mail's Quentin Letts was also unimpressed, calling the musical "a prize Christmas turkey".
The Sun's Poppy Cosyns, who said that seeing the Spice Girls at Wembley at the age of eight had been one of her childhood highlights, had some good words.
Writing that the show had "lived up to all the hype", she said, adding that "Saunders has done a great job with the script and the show flows really well."
The Spice Girls were the star attraction at the launch of the new musical Viva Forever which is based on their music. It's being staged at the Piccadilly Theatre in the West End and was written by the comedian Jennifer Saunders.
The Spice Girls were re-united for the launch of a new musical, called Viva Forever
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