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| Spice Girls musical Viva Forever! to close in June | Spice Girls musical Viva Forever! to close in June |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Spice Girls musical Viva Forever! is to close at the end of June, producer Judy Craymer has confirmed. | Spice Girls musical Viva Forever! is to close at the end of June, producer Judy Craymer has confirmed. |
| "We just can't make it work," admitted Craymer, who previously staged the hit Abba musical Mamma Mia! | "We just can't make it work," admitted Craymer, who previously staged the hit Abba musical Mamma Mia! |
| The production, which was written by Jennifer Saunders, suffered poor ticket sales after damning reviews.. | The production, which was written by Jennifer Saunders, suffered poor ticket sales after damning reviews.. |
| In a statement, the Spice Girls said they were "thrilled that the thousands of people who came to the show had as much fun as we did". | In a statement, the Spice Girls said they were "thrilled that the thousands of people who came to the show had as much fun as we did". |
| Individual members of the chart-topping group have since expressed their disappointment about the news, with Emma Bunton tweeting she was "totally gutted". | |
| Melanie C, who is currently starring in a touring production of Jesus Christ Superstar, echoed those sentiments, saying she was "absolutely devastated" by the news. | |
| The West End musical, which tells the story of a girl band who pursue stardom on a reality TV series, will close at London's Piccadilly Theatre on 29 June. | The West End musical, which tells the story of a girl band who pursue stardom on a reality TV series, will close at London's Piccadilly Theatre on 29 June. |
| The musical opened in December with more than £4 million in advance sales, and had been accepting bookings up to February 2014. | The musical opened in December with more than £4 million in advance sales, and had been accepting bookings up to February 2014. |
| "It is with a heavy heart that we've had to make this very difficult decision to post closing notices," said Craymer. | "It is with a heavy heart that we've had to make this very difficult decision to post closing notices," said Craymer. |
| "Viva Forever! may be taking its leave for now in the West End, but the legacy of Spice Girls will never fade." | "Viva Forever! may be taking its leave for now in the West End, but the legacy of Spice Girls will never fade." |
| Cast members were reportedly told after Wednesday night's performance and took to Twitter themselves to share their disappointment. | |
| Anthony Topham, who plays the role of Lance, tweeted: "My show catchphrase could never be truer. 'What a shocker!'" | Anthony Topham, who plays the role of Lance, tweeted: "My show catchphrase could never be truer. 'What a shocker!'" |
| "That's the way it goes - can't win them all!" Ben Cura, who plays Angel in the musical, wrote on his Twitter feed. | "That's the way it goes - can't win them all!" Ben Cura, who plays Angel in the musical, wrote on his Twitter feed. |