Hello again, readers!
It has recently come to my attention that a certain girl group from the 90's who made up words like zig-a-zig-ah and believed strong in "girl power" will have an entire musical based on their catalog of music opening on London's West End soon. Can you guess which band I'm talking about? The Spice Girls (a.k.a. Scary Spice, Ginger Spice, Baby Spice, Sporty Spice and Posh Spice)! While I'm a little bit embarrassed to admit that I can name all the members of the Spice Girls without help from Google, I will say that I'm extremely interested in seeing this musical. Please don't throw things at me just yet and hear me out!
VIVA FOREVER!, the musical based on the music of the Spice Girls, was written by one of my all-time favorite writers and funny ladies Jennifer Saunders. Her biggest claim to fame is from the hit British series she created, wrote and starred in called “Absolutely Fabulous”, but American audiences will know her as the voice of Fairy Godmother in Shrek 2. If there is one thing I know about Jennifer Saunders - she can take garbage and turn it into gold!
The following is a description of the show from the official website: "As one girl follows her dreams, VIVA FOREVER! charts her journey into the world of overnight celebrity and its impact on her mother, and the friends she thought she’d have forever. From London to Spain and back again, as the world judges you, it’s all about who you really are and who you want to be, whatever the cost." It sounds like it could be a fun, entertaining couple of hours at the theatre that obviously will not require you to think much, but just have a good time. The show officially opens on December 11, 2012 so I may have to report back once the reviews are out! And I hope one of my readers can tell me – is this the first juke box musical composed around an all-girl band’s music?
A good friend of mine recently opened in another musical in Las Vegas based on the song catalog of the Beach Boys called Surf the Musical. It makes me wonder if more musicals will be written based on previously recorded music by a single band or artist. I'm not necessarily talking about a stage show with just dancing to one artist's music like Movin' Out or Come Fly With Me, but a true story with previously recorded music that help progress the plot. I must admit, I love some of the shows I have seen so far that were developed on this concept. Here is a small list of musicals I can think of:
- Mamma Mia based on the music of ABBA
- We Will Rock You based on the music of Queen
- American Idiot based on the music of Green Day
- Jersey Boys based on the music of the Four Seasons
Can you think of any musicals where a story was developed around a single band or singer's catalog of songs? Whose music would transition to a great musical?
Until next time,
Thea