Spend Spend Spend! (Tour – Salford)

If you belong to a wealthy family, you are told not to spend ‘capital.’ If you are the working class wife of a coal miner who has never had her hands on it before, ‘capital’ is money and money is for spending. And boy doesViv Nicholson – the true life heroine of Spend Spend Spend!- the musical, know how to do that!

After winning £152, 319 ( £3 million today) on the pools in 1961,Viv sets about buying anything she can get her hands on, including ; a pink chevrolet, holidays and a house in an upmarket area. After the death of her beloved second husband, Keith, made believable by Greg Barnett, the money gets her three more spouses, two of whom beat her, but she never finds love again and ends up penniless.

The show is narrated by Karen Mann as the brash, older Viv who shares the stage with award winning Kirsty Hoiles as her bouncy younger self. The two are well-matched and a highlight is when they perform a fantastiic duet “Who’s Gonna Love Me?” The result is incredibly moving.

Thanks to the encouragement of Director and Choreographer Craig Revel Horwood (Strictly come Dancing), the versatile 12 strong cast become the band as well as dancers, singers of 25 songs, and actors and their versatility is a joy to witness.

Tony award-winning Sarah Travis arranges Steve Brown’s music. Her title track is particularly good and the cast including men dressed as bunny girls throw themselves enthusiastically into this number and deliver it with panache and wit.

But the joy of this production is that it is equally poignant, so have your hankies ready because this excellent musical will make you cry.

– Julia Taylor