The Diary of Horace Wimp

ELO, Slade, Black Sabbath….what talent we have in this area, and I’m not just talking about the bands, the future of Amateur Musical Theatre is very bright if Spotlight Youth are anything to go by.

Many people may know the song ‘The Diary of Horace Wimp’ by ELO but how many actually understand it? Well Spotlight brought the song to life from a very clever book by Steve Groves. It follows the life of a teenage Horace through his daily routines, his struggle to get up for work until he meets a girl, sounding familiar?

Horace was played by Ben Coleman who brought the character to life with confidence, portraying the change in each stage of his life. Lottie Carter was the love interest, in the form of Rio. She displayed a good stage presence and sang with expression. Nadine Hewitt and Immy Green were given the task of linking it all together in the form of narrators and did a very professional job! Alfie Stokes was the boss who frequently lost patience with Horace’s punctuality. He commanded the stage each time he appeared.

All of the main characters were well supported by a large ensemble, praise to the production team of Andrew Cox, Michelle Windsor and Nigel Anderson for the way they involved everyone and divided them into the three groups. They sang accurately and hung onto harmonies with confidence. Dance routines were well designed, catering for all levels of ability, and executed extremely well, it’s always difficult with so many on stage.

The scenery was very effective and scene changes happened smoothly by a well-drilled team, lighting adding to the overall effect of the scenes. The band were very proficient and supportive rather than being at the fore, they have a good understanding of each other and of their Musical Director, Ian Windsor.

It is always an ‘occupational hazard’ of running a Youth Group, as they start to get older and have to move on. This was the last performance for Ben Coleman, Lottie Carter and Nadine Hewitt, I hope that they continue to ‘tread the boards’ in the future and I’m sure they will be an asset to whichever company they join.

Thank you for a very warm welcome and congratulations to everyone involved in a very good production.

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