Quentin Letts of The Daily Mail said the show was a "prize Christmas turkey".
"What a disappointment. The Spice Girls were fun, full of beans, a greater force for feminism than Harriet Harman or even Nick Clegg...
"So how come this new musical featuring the group's songs is so drudgy, so sour and focused on failure?"
Tabloid The Daily Mirror was even more scathing, saying a talented cast had been let down by a cliched plot and leaden dialogue.
It said the laughs were "few and far between" while the show lacked the feminist edge the Spice Girls wielded in their 90s heyday.
"There is more female empowerment at a Taliban finishing school than in this show... It's a shame"
The Guardian said the show "zips along cheerily enough." but was let down by its script and a lack of good musical material.
"There aren't enough memorable hits in a career that lasted for three albums to support two hours of theatre."
Only Poppy Cosyns of The Sun gave the show a positive review.
"Now that the hits have been immortalised in this way, I hope that generations of little girls to come will love them as much as I did.
"Long live Girl Power!"
- Herald Online
