Though talk is back and forth about the Spice Girls reuniting in celebration of their 20th anniversary, member Mel B confirmed that it is, in fact, on—and it may even happen at Broadway’s Ambassador Theatre, where she’ll star as Roxie Hart in Chicago.
“[The reunion] was meant to be this year because it was our 20th anniversary this year, but everybody’s diary is all messed up,” the group’s Scary Spice told Playbill.com at the press event for her return to Broadway. “We managed to get in the studio—a few of us [Geri Horner, Emma Bunton, and Mel B under the new moniker GEM, featured on their website]—and we did a couple of songs. One of them got leaked, which I didn’t mind, because I thought, ‘It’s a good song,’ although it wasn’t completely mastered. It was a demo. Our vocals weren’t great on it, but I’m hoping [the celebration will come together] at some point next year.”
It may happen sooner rather than later, though, as the other members of the group are planning to see Mel B in Chicago during her eight-week run, which begins December 28 at the Ambassador Theatre. “I told them they can’t come until mid-January,” she said. “Emma’s coming. Geri’s coming, and I think Victoria [Beckham] is coming. Mel C said she was going to try and sort something out, but I said, ‘You’re only allowed to come in January!’”
As for the Spice Girls’ music on Broadway, Mel B would love to see a jukebox musical—but one that tells the story of the popular 1990s group and how they rose to fame. Viva Forever!, the musical featuring their songs that opened in the West End in 2012, wasn’t actually the kind of show the group hoped for.
“I wish that the musical that did come and go was written like how we wanted it to be written,” admitted Mel B. “We wanted the Spice Girls story to be portrayed in a musical, not for the musical to be about something else—a reality show.”
Viva Forever!, written by Jennifer Saunders (known for writing and starring in the BBC television sitcom Absolutely Fabulous), centered around a girl named Viva, whose band was in the running on a reality talent show à la The X Factor. Following a negative critical response, the show closed after only seven months with a reported loss of “at least £5 million.”
Mel B admitted that she “never approved” the story, adding that “it would be nice to see something along the lines of exactly what happened to all of us.”
She said that there are “no talks” of a new Spice Girls jukebox musical, “but I think that would be great,” she said.
Look for more from Mel B in an upcoming interview about her Broadway return.
