'˜They said we were stark raving mad'

“When we got the keys to this place, our friends and family and others in the business said: ‘Are you sure you know what you’re doing?’, says Leye D Johns, reflecting on the five years which have passed since Viva Blackpool opened.

“People were saying we were stark raving mad.

“We heard that people were saying we wouldn’t last six months; it was the wrong time and the wrong place to do something like this.”

It’s safe to say, today, as they celebrate five years since first opening the Church Street box office doors of their cabaret venue to audiences, that Leye D Johns and Martin Heywood have proven those doubters wrong.

With business partner Phil Jeffries, Leye and Martin ploughed £200,000 of their own money - selling cars and remortgaging homes, ‘willing to lose everything’ - into transforming the Mecca bingo hall, which had lain empty and abandoned for seven years, into Viva.

Leye and Martin met at the Alabama Showboat at Liberty’s Hotel, on North Promenade. Leye had been the star turn there for 15 years and Martin the sound and lights guy, but when they were let go from the venue, the idea of Viva was born.

“This time five years ago we were very much in nervous anticipation, not knowing what to expect,” Leye said. “I had followers from the Alabama Showboat, but were they going to follow us? Could we sustain the size of the building, could we get the audience? We had never run a business of that size and including things like staff. It was a massive eye opener with things like bills, the massive responsibility soon became apparent. Behind the glitz and glamour, it was that side of things which we had to learn.”

EARLY SUCCESS

Within a month of opening, Viva had made its mark, and they grew in confidence.

“It took us by surprise to be really honest,” entertainment director Leye said. “Hoteliers’ and locals’ support was massive, which goes back to my Alabama days and we cherished that and went forward thanks to their word of mouth. Within six months we had to double the size of the bar - which was a really big thing, a marker of what we’d done. Anyone who’s been in there when it’s empty can see, it’s a huge, daunting venue, but we were getting full audiences very quickly.”

Initially, the Viva in-house show was the team’s focus, with Leye’s comic skits and Phil’s vocals, supported by Martin on the tech desk.

But they soon looked to branch out, and invited touring acts into the cabaret spot.

“Entertainment is not a trusting industry, it’s easiest and safest in a lot of ways to be dismissive of something you don’t know - whether a venue or an artist,” managing director Martin said. “And that’s something we faced when we started looking into artists coming in.

“You have to build a reputation and use that to get and to keep artists coming.”

Luckily many of the big name stars they’ve welcomed have enjoyed their Viva shows so much that they have spread the word about Viva.

Leye attributes the popularity of the venue with performers to their hands on, personal approach.

“I know how people want to be treated as an entertainer,” he explained. “If someone wants Champagne - pink - and egg mayonnaise sandwiches with the crust off, then we do that.

“We don’t let them down.”

The Viva Vegas Show is still central to the diary 52 weeks a year, but with the addition of in-house magic and tribute shows, as well as a busy calendar of touring star acts already booking up into 2019.

GROWING PAINS

Until this year, much of Viva’s expansion has been somewhat hidden up in their first-floor property.

From the initial original Cabaret Theatre, they’ve added the Festival Suite often used for weddings and functions, and the Round Room, an intimate bar space.