Viva Forever! to Close End of June

[Rainbowhigh23]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 5:39pm

So much for a Broadway transfer
Viva Forever! to close end of June

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 6:29pm

I'm not speaking hyperbolically, it was one of the WORST things I've ever seen on a stage. Not a single cast member even tried to act, the music and a lot of the vocals were sweetened or prerecorded, the plot made no sense and was full of holes, the choreography was boring, and the costumes were outright hideous. As a huge Jennifer Saunders and Spice Girls fan, I wish them better luck and success in the future.

[broadway guy]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 6:38pm

Thank god.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 6:40pm

Wish they'd just go back and redo the whole thing. The story sounded awful.

[FishermanBob]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 7:03pm

It would be one thing if the original Spice Girls themselves were in it. The group had a nice 3-4 year run in the late 90's but they are not iconic nor do they have the lengthy list of hits like the Beatles or the Four Seasons. Basically you are paying top dollar to see a cover band doing their 3-4 recognizable hits. They got 7-8 months out of it. They should be pleased with that.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 7:09pm

I'd say that for their time period and generation they are pretty iconic--but I agree that, especially without them singing the songs, theyt don't exactly have a huge string of hits (and since the songs were written by many different teams, there's not even the strylistic cohesion of ABBA or Four Seasons.)

[broadway guy]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 7:12pm

It was dumb to even do a musical IMO. The Spice Girls were only popular for 3-5 years and they weren't even that good. This show was doomed from the start because of the uninteresting source material.

[bdn223]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 7:25pm

Of the late 90's to early 2000's bubblegum/pop scene there are only 2 artists/singers/groups you could conseivably turn into a jukebox musical and those are Pink and Britney Spears, not because their songs are the best in terms of creating a musical, but their cataloges are large and recognizable enough that once could find 10-15 songs to use easily.



Updated On: 5/1/13 at 07:25 PM

[xoffender45]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 8:47pm

Updated On: 5/1/13 at 08:47 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 8:58pm

I think you could totally make a Spice Girls musical. The problem is the story just wasn't strong or interesting.

Mamma Mia has a great storyline. Sure, not all of the songs work in the storyline, but it's been pretty darn successful. I think leave out certain songs like "Spice World" as that just wouldn't work, and leave that for the mega mix at the end. Make it about mother/daughter bonding and you got a hit musical.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 9:07pm

It was doomed from the start, the Spice Girls may have been popular but the songs are not really story based, they are cheesy pop with awful lyrics. Abba were cheesy but many of the songs were very story based.

[kadu335]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 9:10pm

I totally agree with Eric. I'm not sure about older generations, but for my generation the Spice Girls were pretty iconic.

I always took the Broadway transfer "rumors" as a joke (as most people did). Even though they were a big success in the USA as well, they never achieved the same "phenomenon status" there as they did in the rest of the world. If the show was struggling in the UK, where their brand was massive, I couldn't see it working on Broadway.

Updated On: 5/1/13 at 09:10 PM

[Rainbowhigh23]

Posted: 5/2/13 at 12:06am

Perhaps if the storyline was more like Spiceworld the movie it might have worked. When I saw it in December I got the feeling that the actors knew what a turkey it was; it was a show that was so bad it was good. Many walkouts at intermission; I saw the interval as a chance to get more drinks to make it through Act 2. Spice Up Your Life was classic.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/2/13 at 12:16am

I think it could be good cheesy fun now that Mamma Mia is lagging.

[SweetLips]

Posted: 5/2/13 at 12:59am

Kylie has more than enough great songs to make an interesting juke box musical--just so long as there are lots of dancing boys wearing very little in the mix.

[caadian_turtle]

Posted: 5/2/13 at 3:15am

No surprise there, it was easily one of the worst shows I've ever seen and I'm surprised it held out as long as it did.

The book is rubbish and filled with tasteless and misjudged jokes (repeatedly making fun of cancer patients and critising the body images of the UK size 6/8 actresses on stage, really?!?), and the performances were amateuristic at best with terrible acting skills on display and even worse singing voices.

The only bit I liked was the re-arranged version of "Viva Forever", which was now acoustic and sung by a male voice (partly in Spanish too!) but it was ruined as soon as the character of Viva joined in as she arguably had the worst voice of the lot on stage. I was mostly bored throughout the performance and it was painfully obvious that the four lead girls were as well.

The only thing I was grateful for was that out tickets had been comps when we saw it.

[West_London]

Posted: 5/2/13 at 7:49am

"The only thing I was grateful for was that out tickets had been comps when we saw it."

Errr...hang on. I think the fact you didn't part with any money means that you should really keep your opinions to yourself! If someone buys you dinner would you then tell them how awful you thought the food was?

[Princeton Returns]

Posted: 5/2/13 at 8:00am

No, but I would tell others not to waste their money going to said restaurant. Actually if someone had paid I would ask were they enjoying it, and if they hinted they werent I would say my opinion, but in nice and subtle way.

Being free doesnt invalidate your opinion

[caadian_turtle]

Posted: 5/2/13 at 8:25am

Because I saw something for free I shouldn't have the right to have an opinion on said show? So because reviewers see it for free they should also keep their opinions to themselves?

And sure if someone invited me out for dinner and I didn't like the food I would be honest about this too when asked. This doesn't make their gesture to me any less appreciated but not paying doesn't equal I have to have a favourable opinion or none at all. Your reasoning is very flawed.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 5/2/13 at 9:02am

I must agree – large catalogue or not, they were definitely one of the most iconic musical groups of the time.

I would love for them to completely rework this and try again. I agree that their songs don’t necessarily lend well to an intricate storyline, but I think they could be successful in a musical where the main goal is to just have a fun time at the theatre.

Also, for the record, just because someone saw a show for free does not mean that they are not allowed to express their opinions. Many of us are in the business or have friends in the business and see shows through comps often. If we follow your line of thinking, then those who paid for premium seats have more of a right to express their opinion than those who paid for cheaper seats.

[Rainbowhigh23]

Posted: 5/2/13 at 10:37am

1) How do you get comps in London aside from knowing the producers or those involved in the show?

2) "Kylie has more than enough great songs to make an interesting juke box musical--just so long as there are lots of dancing boys wearing very little in the mix."

If Kylie and her people would bring "Aphrodite - Les Folies" to the stage - complete with all 7 Acts and encore, water effects, the hot dancing boys from Chelsea, Foxy Roxy and Juicy Lucy, and the chance to hear "What Do I have to Do" night after night, I would be the worst repeat attender.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 5/2/13 at 8:11pm

The only thing I can say about this is...w.g.a.f.

[ryandl15]

Posted: 5/23/13 at 9:51am

Does anyone know if "Viva Forever!" will be getting a cast album?