Spice Girls power up for stage musical

By Pete Jeary , NBC News

The iconic songs of Girl Power will be back on stage this Christmas, when "Viva Forever!" takes to the stage at London?s Piccadilly Theater.

This new musical features many of the songs made famous by Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell -- corporately better known as the Spice Girls.

And in a rare show of public unity, the five Spice Girls appeared together, briefly,?on Tuesday to launch the show -- which is produced by Judy Cramer, the lady behind the Abba musical "Mamma Mia!"

Geri Halliwell (the original Ginger Spice) said, ?Years ago we thought -- wouldn?t it be a great idea to turn all this into musical. And all these years later Girl Power is still going strong -- it?s living proof to follow your dreams.?

The musical has been written by British comedian Jennifer Saunders, who has woven Spice Girls songs into a story of talent, fame and the pressures of celebrity on the relationships that really matter.

Emma Bunton (Baby Spice, in her former life) described the transformation from page to stage as an incredible creative process. ?It?s a great story,? Bunton said. ?The words and the music work so well together, it?s very moving.?

"Viva Forever!" profiles the life of Viva, a talented girl and her best friends, who get swept up in today?s obsession with celebrity culture and talent shows.

?It?s a story that clearly refers back to the early days of the Spice Girls,? writer Jennifer Saunders said, ?But it?s as contemporary as the next series of 'The X Factor.'?

As the latest in a series of so-called Jukebox musicals, everyone behind "Viva Forever!" hopes it will introduce a new generation of audiences to the phenomenon that was Girl Power.

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