Back together and spicing up our lives once more

The Spice Girls were reunited once more yesterday on the very staircase which proved to be their step to stardom.

The group were back together for the first time since they completed their 2008 reunion tour as they launched a stage musical inspired by their songs, Viva Forever.

The staircase at St Pancras Hotel in London famously featured in the video for the quintet’s debut single, ‘Wannabe’, as they colourfully ran amok in the building.

When it was filmed in 1996, the property was unoccupied but it has since been lavishly refurbished, and is known as the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel.

And the Girls — Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton, Victoria Beckham, Mel C, and Mel B — looked similarly elegant as they lined up, looking remarkably youthful despite the passage of time.

They were joined by producer Judy Craymer, the theatrical impresario behind the success of Mamma Mia, and Jennifer Saunders, who has written the new production.

Viva Forever will feature numerous chart hits recorded by the Spice Girls during their years of chart domination in the late 1990s when they become one of the UK’s biggest exports. Their chart-topping hits included ‘Two Become One’ and ‘Spice Up Your Life’.

The musical is due to open at the Piccadilly Theatre in London’s West End on Dec 11.

The group said they were thrilled to see each other again and found the musical an “exciting” project.

And they said there was an added resonance now they were all mothers.

Halliwell said: “We’ve all got children now and I think that’s something else that has united us. Our musical Viva is really about being a mum, children, family, joy, and fun — and that’s what we have in common now, being mums.”

The singer — who quit the band at the height of their fame in 1998, launching a solo career — added: “I’ve got to say these girls are amazing and brilliant and loving.

“Every time I see them, and I don’t see them that often, they’re lovely, independently and collectively, and I’m so lucky to have them.”

Mel C joked: “She’s only saying that because she left.”

The musical follows a talented girl and her friends who find overnight fame and it looks at the impact that sudden celebrity has on their lives and their relationships with their families.

Mel C said: “Us girls, we have a long-standing friendship and we’re in touch and we see each other as often as we can so we don’t get to do things like this publicly very often.

“Victoria’s flying off, but we’re all going to see each other soon.”

She said the project had been “a lot of fun”, as the creative work was in the hands of others.

Mel B chipped in: “We’ve giggled all day.”

The group aim to reunite again during the audition stages and intend to put on a united front for the opening night.

Explaining the show, Craymer said: “This is not a tribute show but the positivity, energy, humour, excitement and friendships that encapsulated the Spice Girls and their songs have inspired the whole creative team, and infuse Viva Forever.”