Spice Girls musical premiere

The long-awaited Spice Girls musical has failed to go down well with the critics after its premiere last night.

The Daily Mirror called the plot "cliched" and the dialogue "leaden", and said that "laughs, from writer [Jennifer] Saunders, are surprisingly few and far between".

"You would think it would be easy to strap the songs of one of the biggest girl groups in recent history to an exuberant story of girl power to create a worldwide money-making machine. But you would be wrong," Alun Palmer wrote.

The Independent's Paul Taylor said the show was "lacking in any true original or challenging spark of its own".

The Daily Mail's Quentin Letts was also unimpressed, calling the musical "a prize Christmas turkey".

The Sun's Poppy Cosyns, who said that seeing the Spice Girls at Wembley at the age of eight had been one of her childhood highlights, had some good words.

Writing that the show had "lived up to all the hype", she said, adding that "Saunders has done a great job with the script and the show flows really well."

The Spice Girls said they were "excited, humbled and proud" to be at the musical inspired by their music Viva Forever!

The singers also praised the writer Jennifer Saunders as well as the cast of the musical.

The Spice Girls were reunited again tonight for the opening of the musical Viva Forever! in London.

Victoria Beckham arrived 40 minutes after the other four band members with her three sons and husband David.

The singers were joined by the writer of the musical Jennifer Saunders who wrote the show to the songs of the Spice Girls. Tonight she said the show "is not the story of the Spice Girls, it's a story that is inspired by their music".

Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton, Mel C and Mel B all sat together in the Piccadilly Theatre, reportedly posing for pictures on their mobile phones, giggling and hugging whereas Victoria sat with her husband and their three sons.

Viva Forever! the new musical written by Jennifer Saunders and inspired by the story about the Spice Girls opens in London tonight.

The Spice Girls arrived a short while ago with actress Jennifer Saunders, all are expected to take to the stage at the end of tonight's show.