Spend Spend Spend
Encyclopedia
Spend Spend Spend is a musical
with a book and lyrics by Steve Brown
and Justin Greene
and music by Brown.
In 1961, Yorkshire
housewife Viv Nicholson
won £152,319 in the football pools
. When a reporter asked her what she planned to do with her new fortune, she replied, "I'm going to spend, spend, spend!," which is exactly what she did. Her rags-to-riches-to-rags-again story takes her through five husbands, expensive sports cars, fur coats, and jewelry, a battle with alcohol, and bankruptcy
as, unable to cope with her new-found wealth and fame, she rapidly spirals downward.
Spend Spend Spend premiered in 1998 at the West Yorkshire Playhouse
and won the Barclays Theatre Award for Best Musical of the Year. After a week of previews, the West End
production, directed by Jeremy Sams
and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood
, opened on October 12, 1999 at the Piccadilly Theatre
, where it ran until August 5, 2000. The original cast included Barbara Dickson
, Steven Houghton
, and Rachel Leskovac
.
Shortly after closing in London the production, with most of the original cast, went on a UK Tour. The Musical Director for the tour was Steve Hill.
On July 8 2009, the Watermill Theatre presented a revival of the musical, which would follow with a 7 week tour across the country, beginning September 28 2010 to November 9 2010. It was awarded the 2010 TMA award for Best Musical and Kirsty Hoiles (young Viv) was awarded the TMA award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical.
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
with a book and lyrics by Steve Brown
Steve Brown (composer)
Steve Brown is a British composer.He wrote the book and lyrics and composed the score for Spend Spend Spend, which chronicled Viv Nicholson's rise and fall after winning a fortune in the football pools in the early 1960s....
and Justin Greene
Justin Greene
Justin Greene is a NCAA Division I men's basketball player for the Kent State Golden Flashes. On May 20, 2008 Justin committed to attend Kent State University. In his freshmen season, Justin saw limited playing time only averaging 8.8 minutes per game and 2.2 points per game...
and music by Brown.
In 1961, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
housewife Viv Nicholson
Viv Nicholson
Vivian Nicholson became publicly known overnight within Great Britain in 1961 when she received £152,319 in a football-pools win and announced to the press that she was going to "spend, spend, spend"...
won £152,319 in the football pools
Football pools
A football pool, often collectively referred to as "the pools", is a betting pool based on predicting the outcome of top-level association football matches set to take place in the coming week. The pools are typically cheap to enter, with the potential to win huge money. Entries were traditionally...
. When a reporter asked her what she planned to do with her new fortune, she replied, "I'm going to spend, spend, spend!," which is exactly what she did. Her rags-to-riches-to-rags-again story takes her through five husbands, expensive sports cars, fur coats, and jewelry, a battle with alcohol, and bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
as, unable to cope with her new-found wealth and fame, she rapidly spirals downward.
Spend Spend Spend premiered in 1998 at the West Yorkshire Playhouse
West Yorkshire Playhouse
The West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, England is a theatre which opened in March 1990 as part of the regeneration of the Quarry Hill area of the city...
and won the Barclays Theatre Award for Best Musical of the Year. After a week of previews, the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
production, directed by Jeremy Sams
Jeremy Sams
Jeremy Sams is a British film director, writer, translator, orchestrator, musical director, film composer, and lyricist....
and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood
Craig Revel Horwood
Craig Revel Horwood is an Australian-British dancer, choreographer, and theatre director in the United Kingdom.-Biography:...
, opened on October 12, 1999 at the Piccadilly Theatre
Piccadilly Theatre
The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regent Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, England.-Early years:Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A...
, where it ran until August 5, 2000. The original cast included Barbara Dickson
Barbara Dickson
Barbara Ruth Dickson, OBE is a Scottish singer whose hits include "I Know Him So Well" and "January February"...
, Steven Houghton
Steven Houghton
Steven Houghton is a British actor and singer.-Early life and career:Born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Houghton trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds. His first West End production was Children of Eden...
, and Rachel Leskovac
Rachel Leskovac
Rachel Leskovac is an Olivier award-nominated British actress best known for playing hairdresser Natasha Blakeman in the British soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life:...
.
Shortly after closing in London the production, with most of the original cast, went on a UK Tour. The Musical Director for the tour was Steve Hill.
On July 8 2009, the Watermill Theatre presented a revival of the musical, which would follow with a 7 week tour across the country, beginning September 28 2010 to November 9 2010. It was awarded the 2010 TMA award for Best Musical and Kirsty Hoiles (young Viv) was awarded the TMA award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical.
Awards and nominations
- Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical (nominee)
- Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical (Dickson, winner)
- Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical (Leskovac, nominee)
- Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance In A Musical (Houghton, nominne)
- Laurence Olivier Award for Best Director (nominee)
- Laurence Olivier Award for Best Choreography (nominee)
- Laurence Olivier Award for Best Set Design (nominee)
- Evening Standard Award for Best Musical (winner)
- Critics Circle Award for Best Musical (winner)