WISH-LIST WEDNESDAY: Half a Sixpence

Artwork for the 2016 west end revival

In the first time I've ever posted one of these on here, I thought I would start this new direction with a show based on an H. G. Wells novel that premiered over 60 years ago. With music and lyrics by David Heneker, Half a Sixpence tells the story of Arthur Kipps an orphan who unexpectedly inherits a fortune, and climbs the social ladder before losing everything, exemplifying the notion that money can't buy happiness, and that real contentment comes from those around you, rather than what you have.

After first premiering at London's Cambridge Theatre in 1963, starring Tommy Steele, it transferred to broadway two years later, where it ran at the Broadhurst Theatre for 15 months and over 500 performances. It's perhaps the 2016 revival that perhaps sticks in the minds of most; starring Charlie Stemp as Kipps, the show opened at the Chichester Festival Theatre, later transferring to London's Noël Coward Theatre where it ran for just over 10 months after being extended multiple times.

The original broadway company of Half a Sixpence (credit: Friedman Abeles, 1965)

This revival earned both WhatsOnStage awards and Olivier nominations for Stemp and Emma Williams, amid 11 total award nominations. Additionally the original broadway production received a total of 9 Tony nominations, but did not win any. Overall this is a show that has had far more success with fans than critics, especially the film adaptation from 1968. All this aside, there is certainly an audience for it, and with the right cast it's clear it can sustain a good run, so will we see this hidden gem of a show again in the coming years?