Dickson Plays Pools Winner Nicholson, 12 Oct

The new musical Spend, Spend, Spend has confirmed its West End opening. Starring singer Barbara Dickson, the show will open at the Piccadilly Theatre on 12 October 1999 (previews from 5 October).

In 1961, housewife Viv Nicholson became a household name in Britain when she won the biggest ever jackpot on the football pools. But her infamy was assured not just by the size of her win but by the speed with which she went through it. She promised she would 'spend, spend, spend' and spend she did.

Spend, Spend, Spend premiered last year at the West Yorkshire Playhouse where it received favourable reviews as well as the 1998 Barclays/ TMA Theatre Award for Best New Musical. Written by Steve Brown and Justin Greene, the musical is based on the auto-biography of Nicholson, co-written by Stephen Smith. It is directed by Jeremy Sams.

Barbara Dickson stars as Nicholson. Well known for her recording career which includes hit singles like 'Answer Me' and 'January, February', Dickson's stage credits include Blood Brothers, Chess and The Seven Ages of Woman. She appeared most recently in the touring production of A Slice of Saturday Night. In the revival, the starring role of nightclub owner Eric Devize was made into a woman, Erica, to cater for Dickson. The production, which opened in late April at Bournemouth, was due to tour until September but last month announced cancellations of its final dates in Richmond, Edinburgh, Sheffield, Aberdeen, Woking and Bradford and finished instead on 21 June in Manchester.

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