The Spice Girls were often touted as potential Eurovision participants, due to their wide appeal and lifestyles. In a move to follow other musicals based on the back catalogues of famous names - most famously Mamma Mia - a musical, Viva Forever!, written by comedienne Jennifer Saunders based on the chart-topping songs of the Spice Girls.
Among the stars of this brand new show is one face that once graced the Eurovision stage. Sally Ann Triplett participated for the United Kingdom in the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest in Harrogate. This is the latest in a long line of musicals that have featured her musical talents. Most recently, she was Donna in Mamma Mia, but her credits include The Rocky Horror Show and Oliver!
The musical is about band member Viva, who lives with her adopted mother Lauren (played by Sally Ann). Viva and her band gets through to the audition stages of a TV show. The band get through multiple rounds of the auditions, but on the final round, Viva gets through,without her fellow band mates.
As Viva follows her dreams, Viva Forever! charts her journey into the world of overnight celebrity and its impact on her mother, and the friends she thought she'd have forever. From London to Spain and back again, as the world judges you, it's all about who you really are and who you truly want to be, whatever the cost may be.
For more information on the musical, currently at London's Piccadilly Theatre, and what Sally Ann's up to, click on the links below.
Below is Sally Ann's performance as part of Bardo along with her co-singer Stephen Fischer. One step further finished seventh behind winner Nicole and Ein bisschen Frieden.
