October 5, 2010
Spend Spend Spend!, on at the Oxford Playhouse all this week, is a musical of two halves. Two utterly entertaining, equally terrific halves, but two halves nonetheless. It is based on the true story of Viv Nicholson, a miner’s daughter from North Yorkshire, who in 1961 won the biggest sum ever won to that date on the pools.
The first half is a riot, and hilariously follows Viv on her way from rags to riches, with coarse humour taking in bunny girls, a fireman with dancing pecs, and a song incorporating an impressively wide variety of ways to say sex. This gives way to a more moving (though no less funny) second half as riches return to rags, the raucous energy quieting a little to reveal a very timely message about the true value of money.
The real strength of the show lies in the multi-talented cast. They create all of the music themselves, and the incorporation of the instruments into the staging is really well done. I also found myself humming the title song on the way home, and that is always a good sign.
If I had to be find fault with anything, it would be that Karen Mann as senior Viv’s Yorkshire accent isn’t always perfect, but the heartbreaking performance she puts in as a woman full of regret, living on memories, more than makes up for it. I was also ready to complain about choreographer and director Craig Revel Horwood’s vanity in inserting a quick Strictly Come Dancing reference, but I have since learned that Viv and her husband Keith did actually receive their big cheque from Bruce Forsyth! What a small world.
So, I urge you to spend spend spend your money on a ticket this week. Ba dum cha. Yes, if I were as talented as the cast and were holding a drum right now, I would say that was deserving of a rimshot. I thank you. I’m here all week. As is Spend Spend Spend.
The first half is a riot, and hilariously follows Viv on her way from rags to riches, with coarse humour taking in bunny girls, a fireman with dancing pecs, and a song incorporating an impressively wide variety of ways to say sex. This gives way to a more moving (though no less funny) second half as riches return to rags, the raucous energy quieting a little to reveal a very timely message about the true value of money.
The real strength of the show lies in the multi-talented cast. They create all of the music themselves, and the incorporation of the instruments into the staging is really well done. I also found myself humming the title song on the way home, and that is always a good sign.
If I had to be find fault with anything, it would be that Karen Mann as senior Viv’s Yorkshire accent isn’t always perfect, but the heartbreaking performance she puts in as a woman full of regret, living on memories, more than makes up for it. I was also ready to complain about choreographer and director Craig Revel Horwood’s vanity in inserting a quick Strictly Come Dancing reference, but I have since learned that Viv and her husband Keith did actually receive their big cheque from Bruce Forsyth! What a small world.
So, I urge you to spend spend spend your money on a ticket this week. Ba dum cha. Yes, if I were as talented as the cast and were holding a drum right now, I would say that was deserving of a rimshot. I thank you. I’m here all week. As is Spend Spend Spend.