Spice Girls Reunite to Launch a Stage Musical 'Viva Forever' in London, Panned by Critics

London's West End was illuminated for the premiere of the new stage musical of girl power British pop band Spice Girls "Viva Forever," Dec. 11.

All the five members of the girl pop band, that included Melanie Brown (Scary Spice), Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice), Melanie Chisholm (Sporty Spice), Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) and Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice) reunited for the pemiere of the show at the Piccadilly Theatre.

Celebrities like legendary actor Michael Caine, actress and writer Joan Collins, Soccer Star David Beckham and music composer Andrew Lloyd Webber were also part of the audience.

Chisholm thanked the crowd, "There are so many people to thank, thank you all for being here but the people I'd like to thank is the wonderful cast," the Daily Mail reported.

"It was [expletive] great!" added Scary Spice girl Brown. "The whole show is about a celebration," Brown later told Rolling Stone. "It's fun and very passionate and exciting and that's what Mamma Mia is also. [Although] I don't think you can compare [the two] . . . you would hope that it's going to be as successful. All you can do is hope and wait and see."

The musical was scripted by comedian Jennifer Saunders. The crowd gave a standing ovation.

The musical though was panned by various critics.

"A is a phoney, manufactured musical about a phoney, manufactured band, marooned by a structurally inept, unfunny script," tweeted Mark Shenton, critic for The Stage.

"I'll tell you what I wanted, what I really, really wanted - I wanted this terrible show to stop," wrote Charles Spencer of The Telegraph. "This is a fatuous show with nothing fresh to say about popular culture and our fixation with fame. If you love the Spice Girls stay at home and listen to their greatest hits."

The Independent's Paul Taylor criticized the show for the lack of "any true original or challenging spark."

"If people criticize it, we don't care -- because we love it," said Chisholm.