If I Could Turn Back Time

It’s not very often that you go to see a show which has a moral meaning behind it, but this latest one from Spotlight Youth Productions certainly had. When two students get locked in a museum after hours, they discover that their exam grade could decide the fate of the future. Meeting characters from different historical periods, they must learn from the legends to save their friendship, their presentation and the world!

Once again, Spotlight came up with an original idea to entertain the audience. From the off, you knew that this was not going to be any ordinary story – the sight of two inflatable T-Rex in the opening number sort of gave that away! The students, Tom and Beth, played by Jake Silvester and Ellie Coleman respectively, led us confidently through the different time zones, each of them knowing what was expected from them in each scene. Both portrayed their character with experience and if things didn’t go quite according to plan, then no-one would have known. Vocally, they are both strong performers and can hold harmony lines without any problem. In charge of the time travel was Doc Chronos, played by Jessica Walker. She had bags of energy and brought enthusiasm and excitement to the stage with each appearance. I must say that one of my favourite moments in the show was Jessica’s rendition of One Moment in Time, a big song but handled expertly with super control. As the show progressed, our time travellers met so many figures from history, each bringing different aspects to the story in their own character’s way. Along with the named characters, there were also the traditional three groups of youngsters who make up the ensemble. Spotlight are such a popular group and the way they incorporate everyone on stage is now a proven method, that is why home-grown scripts work so well for them. And this was a very clever script by Mike Groves. As I said, it had the back story of helping to save the world which made everyone stop and think beyond the storyline.

Once again, Spotlight came up with an original idea to entertain the audience. From the off, you knew that this was not going to be any ordinary story – the sight of two inflatable T-Rex in the opening number sort of gave that away! The students, Tom and Beth, played by Jake Silvester and Ellie Coleman respectively, led us confidently through the different time zones, each of them knowing what was expected from them in each scene. Both portrayed their character with experience and if things didn’t go quite according to plan, then no-one would have known. Vocally, they are both strong performers and can hold harmony lines without any problem. In charge of the time travel was Doc Chronos, played by Jessica Walker. She had bags of energy and brought enthusiasm and excitement to the stage with each appearance. I must say that one of my favourite moments in the show was Jessica’s rendition of One Moment in Time, a big song but handled expertly with super control. As the show progressed, our time travellers met so many figures from history, each bringing different aspects to the story in their own character’s way. Along with the named characters, there were also the traditional three groups of youngsters who make up the ensemble. Spotlight are such a popular group and the way they incorporate everyone on stage is now a proven method, that is why home-grown scripts work so well for them. And this was a very clever script by Mike Groves. As I said, it had the back story of helping to save the world which made everyone stop and think beyond the storyline.

Something else you can rely on when going to see a Spotlight production is the quality of music and choreography, Ian Windsor as MD and the choreography team certainly know how to get the best out of the cast and everyone seemed confident in what their role was on stage.  The backstage crew certainly had to work hard in this one as the travellers moved around the different zones of the museum. The costumes and scenery were well thought out and very appropriate for the era they were depicting, again, very good use of projection.

The one disadvantage of running a youth-group is the fact that, at some point, some of the members will have to move on to pastures new. And this time it is farewell to Ellie, Jake and Isla, who all move on to the next steps in their education. I know they will be greatly missed by Spotlight but also know that the next generation of members are ready to fill their shoes. Good luck to all of you for the future.

Thank you Spotlight for another entertaining evening and look forward to your next production.

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