Interview: Lucy Phelps from the Spice Girls musical ‘Viva Forever!’
By River Reporter
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Alexia Ganotaki & Zoe Birdsall
Even from a young age Lucy Phelps showed signs of being a musical star. As a little girl she would re-enact performances by her favourite girl group and dream that she was one of the famous five. Now her childhood fantasy has become a reality.
“I was a big Spice Girls fan,” said Lucy. “I was about nine when they first came out. I remember writing a sitcom with my sister called ‘The Spicy Girls’. They made a massive impact on me.”
Nineties Nostalgia
There’s nothing like a bit of nineties nostalgia: Furbies, Tamagotchis, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and of course, the Spice Girls playing on your Walkman.
It’s been over 10 years since the girls from the chart topping group went their separate ways, but now their songs can be heard again in the Spice Girls inspired musical Viva Forever!
The show, which was written by Absolutely Fabulous star Jennifer Saunders, has been long awaited by Spice Girls’ fans.
Lucky to be part of it
Lucy said: “I think lots of young people dream of this sort of thing and the fact that this is a reality is quite a privilege and I feel lucky and shocked to find myself where I am now.”
Viva Forever!, which opened last week, promises to take its audience right back to the 90s with a score of 16 Spice Girls’ songs, including Wannabe, Mama and 2 Become 1.
According to Lucy it has done just that, with the audience “leaping to their feet, singing along and having a really good party.”
The show tells the story of a teen named Viva who enters a TV talent show with her three best friends, and explores the ups and downs of the reality of fame.
Diamond
Lucy tells us: “I play a character called Diamond; she is one of the best friends of Viva. She is very strong minded, opinionated and likes to have a lot of fun with her friends. Her friendship with the girls is paramount.”
As the star of the show studied languages at university, it seems somewhat surprising that she is now acting in one of the most anticipated shows of this decade.
The Spice Girls will be watching
On December 11 the Spice Girls themselves will be in the audience of the Piccadilly Theatre in London for Viva Forever! The cast is particularly excited to perform in front of such special guests, but the pressure will be on.
“We’re really excited about it, and it’s a real privilege to stand there and sing their songs for them. It will be somewhat nerve wracking. We’re going to try and not get too daunted by it,” explains Lucy.
It looks like Viva Forever! will not disappoint. The pressure may be high, as the Spice Girls are a precious childhood memory to so many, but it already seems to have lived up to expectations.
And for now Goodbye, My Friend and Say You’ll Be There.