Caitlin Moran in The Times said it is “scrappy, lazy, clichéd and inconclusive. Even the end makes no sense, suggesting no jeopardy, choice or sacrifice.”
Charles Spencer in The Telegraph was just as unimpressed, writing: “I’ll tell you what I wanted, what I really, really wanted – I wanted this terrible show to stop.
He went on to say that the show is “ tawdry, lazy and unedifying,” and added that “one could sense a miasma of disappointment emanating from an audience of up-for-it Spice Girls fans slowly realising that they had paid top whack to see a clunker.”
Produced by Judy Craymer, who had worked the jukebox musical format well with the mega-successful Mama Mia, which shoehorned a story around ABBA songs, Viva Forever has not proved as successful so far.
The premiere was attended by the five girls themselves, but Posh arrived late and so left the other four – Emma Bunton, Mel B, Mel C and Geri Halliwell – to run the red carpet without her.
She then sat separately to her former bandmates during the show, too, and avoided the performance’s aftershow party as well.
There were though, some positive endorsements of the new musical.
“As a true fan I was worried the jukebox musical formula might not work with their songs,” wrote Poppy Cosyns in The Sun. “But Jennifer Saunders has done a great job with the script and the show flows really well.”
Photo: Getty.
