Zip Goes a Million

Zip Goes a Million
Music	George Posford
Lyrics	Eric Maschwitz
Book	Eric Maschwitz
Basis	Brewster's Millions
Productions	1951 West End 1953 UK tour 2001 London

Zip Goes a Million is a musical with a book and lyrics by Eric Maschwitz and music by George Posford, based on the 1902 novel Brewster's Millions. It premiered in London in 1951, starring George Formby, and ran for 544 performances.

Percy Piggott, a window cleaner, stands to inherit a fortune. To receive the money, however, he is required to spend a million dollars in a hurry without letting anyone know what he is doing. He decides to invest in a musical comedy, The Garter Girl, starring Lilac Delaney, which he thinks will be a failure. Other spendthrift ideas include putting money in the and betting on the ponies. Each of these dubious investments is a success, even though a shady banker, Van Norden, and his daughter try to separate Percy from his money and from Sally Whittle, Percy's innocent girlfriend. In the second act, on a South Seas island, Percy succeeds in wrecking a yacht, which is hugely expensive to salvage. After various complications, Percy finishes spending the million dollars and finally inherits the money.

Zip is based on the 1902 novel Brewster's Millions by G. B. McCutcheon and a 1906 play adaptation of the same novel by Winchell Smith and Byron Ongly. In 1919, a musical adaptation of the novel, with music by Jerome Kern, including "Look for the Silver Lining" was slated to open on Broadway, but it closed after out of town tryouts.

Maschwitz began writing the piece for variety performer George Formby, who had never starred in a musical. After writing most of the libretto, Maschwitz discovered that the theatrical impresario Emile Littler had the same idea. Instead of duelling over the work, however, they joined forces, with Littler as producer and Maschwitz writing book and lyrics. Maschwitz had already worked with composer Posford on Balalaika, Goodnight Vienna and Magyar Melody.

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