Viva Forever? Or just a short run then back to the drawing board?

So news broke this week of the new Spice Girls musical 'Viva forever' making it's way to the West End. 


As a musical lover, and a Spice Girls 90s kid, I would normally be all over this like a moth to a flame, but I just can't get hyped about it. It just seems, to me that Jukebox musicals have been and gone. Maybe if it was released at the same time as 'Jersey Boys' or 'Mamma Mia', it might have got me more excited. 

I might be wrong. There may be some fabulous songs and dance numbers and some witty one-liners, as Jennifer Saunders is helping to write the book. It might be a hit. According to theatrepeople.com, 'Viva Forever! is a feel-good fable about the ups and downs faced by a mum and her daughter Viva, when the latter enters a TV reality singing contest.'.  To me, and this is my personal opinion, it seems a little bit cliché. Although musicals are good when they're cheesy, there is often a line that you shouldn't cross. I can see that they're aiming for a 'Glee' and 'Smash'-type audience with the plot, but I'm not sure if I can see it being a rock solid plot.

I'll leave an open mind about the show. I may be wrong, it may be the new 'Mamma Mia' and I'm just here saying bad things about it for no reason. I really hope it is a good show simply so that the Jukebox musical isn't given a bad name. 

The shows 'Jersey Boys', 'American Idiot' and 'Mamma Mia' have all set a high bar for The Jukebox Musical. Will 'Viva Forever' reach their high standards?