The Stage

Spend Spend Spend!

Published Tuesday 21 September 2010 at 10:29 by Julie Watterston

With an impressive number of tours and West End and Broadway transfers under its belt, the Watermill’s production of Spend Spend Spend! returns to this unique producing house a year after it was staged and prior to a national tour.

Greg Barnett (Keith) & Kirsty Hoiles (Young Viv) in Spend, Spend, Spend at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury

Its hard-hitting message - whether money is the path to happiness - follows the true story of 1960’s Pools winner Viv Nicholson and her rags to riches win, which eventually leads her back to her tough working class existence.

Directed and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood, who is currently exercising his sharp tongue in the new series of TV’s Strictly Come Dancing, this revival has been assisted by Robin Colyer as Associate Director. Colyer’s experience as a member of last year’s cast has left him in excellent stead and the gritty vivacity of Revel Horwood’s energetic routines and earthy direction is brought to life by the cast of actor musicians.

Kirsty Hoiles repeats her role as the young Viv, with sexually charged energy and spirited determination and Greg Barnett returns as her well-suited second husband Keith. With the two of them recreating their roles from the original production, the return of Karen Mann as well is the icing on the cake. As the older Viv, she is constantly watching over her younger self and reliving the story for today’s audience. Her heartfelt honesty is poignant as Viv makes no excuses for past behaviour and personifies the grotesque absurdity of overnight wealth and an inbred instinct to stick two fingers up to society.

Graham Kent is Viv’s bullying father, with the harder-hitting scenes interjected with some great comedic moments from the rest of the ensemble, including Susannah van den Berg, Jack Beale, Neil Ditt, T J Holmes, Jane Milligan, Tara Nelson and Tom Yeates.

It is a pleasure to see Spend Spend Spend! return to the stage and even better now that other theatre audiences around the country will be able to share in this excellent production.