REVIEWS

Spend Spend Spend - Watermill, Newbury
Ian Willox

On Saturday 23 rd September 1961 Keith and Viv Nicholson won over £152,000 on the Littlewood Pools. The (slightly) younger Bruce Forsyth presented them with the cheque. They spent every penny. Keith died. Viv survived. The Nicholson investment resulted in an autobiography (with Stephen Smith), an award winning BBC film (with Jack Rosenthal) and, finally, this musical - all titled Spend Spend Spend!

Craig Revel Horwood has now directed and choreographed three shows for the Watermill (his sizzling Hot Mikado is being revived at the Watermill next month), each one better than the last. This production eclipses them all.

His cast of 12 actor musicians - small by West End but huge by Watermill standards (the tiny stage can barely contain them and their instruments all at one time) exhibit virtuosity of every kind. But you have to be some kind of critic to pick this out of an ensemble performance that left the audience gasping (literally in some cases - the Watermill don't have the youngest patrons) with laughter and delight. This was the sort of experience the West End is supposed to deliver - and so rarely does. A really, really good night out.

The razor edged choreography is a wonder to behold - from the slow motion pub brawl through which the young Viv emerges untouched to the all singing, all dancing, high kicking title song which sent the audience reeling into the interval with silly grins on their faces. Musical arrangements framed the songs perfectly. In this outstanding production two performers stood out among equals - Kirsty Hoiles and Karen Mann as the Young and Older Viv respectively. Karen Mann, long an award nomination magnet regular in Watermill musicals, was wonderful. Kirsty Hoiles was utterly magnificent: totally convincing acting, subtle precision singing, and glorious dancing - a star on the ascendant.

Craig Revel Horwood and Sarah Travers are doing something rather wonderful at the Watermill.