Jennifer Saunders is collaborating with Mamma Mia! mastermind Judy Craymer on a musical featuring the songs of the Spice Girls, and the storyline will shine a spotlight on the tawdry side of ’search-fora-star’ TV shows.
Ms Craymer was cautious to emphasise that the show-withinthe-show will be fictional.
Spice Girls Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell, Melanie Chisholm and Victoria Beckham have given the project their blessing, and are in touch with Craymer and Saunders.
The producer, who controls a multi-million-pound empire that oversees every aspect of stage and movie versions of Mamma Mia!, told me that the Spice Girls production, Viva Forever, will be a contemporary tale about a group of young women, with particular focus on one girl and her mum.
She explained that although Viva Forever will encompass the Spice Girls ethos of friendship, identity and being true to yourself, it won’t be a tribute or bio show, nor will it feature characters with any of the names of the famous five-piece.
That said, essences of the Spice Girls’ personalities will be spinkled onto various characters. ‘It has a glimpse of the underbelly of TV talent shows, an invented show, and a little bit of comedy romance,’ Ms Craymer explained.
‘We live in a world dominated by people wanting to be famous. What they (the Spice Girls) did was before those shows became really what they are, and before the world become slightly obsessed by such shows.’
Ms Saunders, who co-wrote Absolutely Fabulous and many of the French and Saunders sketches, was initially worried about whether she’d get the gig writing the book for the musical.
She and French did a hilarious Mamma Mia! movie spoof for last year’s Comic Relief. ‘She didn’t think I’d see her,’ Ms Craymer said.
But Saunders’s daughters were insistent she get the job. ‘I really didn’t want anyone else to write this musical. The Spice Girls were such a great part of my daughters’ growing-up and I wanted to make sure that this didn’t disappoint.’
Saunders joked that she was now ’superglued’ to the project. ‘I hope they all realise that!’
Craymer was cheered that Saunders was very much onboard and explained how the actress-writer had an insight into the songs associated with the Spice Girls, about 20 of which will be used in the show, which is set to open in 2012, hopefully before the Olympics. ‘I’m relying on her to be funny. Banking on it,’ Craymer told me.
As the two women conceive the show’s structure, more members of the creative team will join the production. A director will be contracted by early next year.
No theatre has been set, but I have heard rumours that Viva Forever might go to the Prince Edward, should it become available. At the moment, the brilliant Jersey Boys is still packing them in.
Source : Daily Mail
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