Spend, Spend, Spend, The Opera house, Manchester

SPEND, Spend, Spend tells the real life tale of a rags-to-riches housewife who wins a fortune -- and blows the lot.

Set in Castleford, Yorkshire, in the early 1960s, where men earn a pittance for working down the pit, life is hard and so are the people.

Pregnant and married at 16, Viv Nicholson's life changes forever when she falls in love with the boy next door, leaves her husband and wins a fortune on the pools.

From the outset, this brilliantly performed musical draws you in and keeps you hooked.

Barbara Dickson stars as a mature Viv, rolling back the years to tell her story of amazing luck and tragic heartache.

Through her eyes, the audience see her as a young woman, played by Rachel Leskovac.

Used to hard knocks and rough round the edges, Viv is brash and hard-faced, but at the same time vulnerable and lovable.

Both stars portray their characters to a tee, taking the audience through a rollercoaster ride of belly laughs and tears.

The music is powerful, with Barbara Dickson's impressive voice and amazing stage presence shining through.

Leskovac is convincing and larger than life as the young Viv and the combination of the two stars makes for a very real, poignant and fabulously feel-good musical.

The show concludes with Viv making a sentimental journey back to the house where she lived as a penniless housewife before her big win.

As she reflects on what she once had, it leaves you questioning the age-old belief that money can solve all your problems.

Spend, Spend, Spend runs until Saturday, December 8. Louisa Gregson