Judy Craymer Looks Back On Spice Girls Musical

During a recent interview with the Daily Express, Judy Craymer (the woman behind Mamma Mia!) was asked about Viva Forever!: the musical created around the music of the Spice Girls that, sadly, didn't outlast its initial six-month run.

The Spice Girls and Judy Craymer at the Viva Forever! premiere in London

The musical saw the involvement of the five original Spice Girls. It was promoted with a hugely hyped London premiere that introduced us to a new, Posh-less version of the Spice Girls, and a TV documentary featuring interviews with all the Girls.

But the critics killed the project before it even had a chance to get off the ground.

Now, almost two years after its debut, Judy Craymer looks back on the project.

Why does she think the musical wasn't half as successful as Mamma Mia!?

"We are in a slightly different world of celebrity. Also people used to buy tickets further in advance, crucial for musicals which survive on advance sales. 

I suppose the music wasn’t like Abba’s music.

Is there anything that could have been done differently?

There are always things I could have done differently. I blame myself for various aspects. It was meant to be a wink at that world of celebrity culture, reality shows, family... maybe it was too early.

With the Spice Girls, they’ve earned their place in our history of pop culture and that landscape in the Nineties. They have become iconic in that sense.

But maybe it should have been in five years’ time. I hope it gets revisited. There have been shows in the past that did not open well and are now revered as the greatest revival.

It didn’t quite get right [sic]. You think, ‘Did we open too close to Christmas?’ or ‘If only Victoria [Beckham] had smiled more [at the premiere].’ It was meant to be the coming together [of the Spice Girls], a jolly experience.”

I felt a big responsibility to them [Spice Girls]. You have to move on. I got back under the Mamma Mia! blanket."

The press focused on Victoria's attitude