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Willpower Youth Theatre Group
February 25th 2007
by Richard Lord
 “Oh Horror” is certainly a disturbing name for a youth theatre
production, but The LINC was more stupefied than horrified by this
enticing ensemble. It is the result of the Willpower Youth Theatre’s
hard work, dedication and a whole lot of stage make-up!
A series of unexplained events bring together the good, the bad and the
just plain weird under the roof of a “haunted” mansion. A lost group of
school children, teachers, a reality TV crew, well-named Goth band
“Knights of Depression” and a gang of film students enter the house, all
unaware of each other’s presence…and the presence of the resident
ghosts.
As the humans run about the house, troubled by strange noises and near
misses, the spooks worry that they have lost their power to scare. They
call upon Count Dracula and his little gremlins to help out, which leads
us to wonder if the humans will be frightened away before dawn
approaches.
The young actors play their characters realistically, putting a comical
twist on your every day, chavs-for-TV-contestants scenario. Likewise,
the teacher-pupil relationship was exaggerated to resemble an episode of
Itchy and Scratchy. The ghosts represented famous people from history
such as Florence Nightingale and Vlad the Impaler, proving that
historical accuracy can be entertaining. I myself particularly enjoyed
the characterisation of Bob Marley - the focus stage presence commanded
a certain respect for what would otherwise be a “joke” character.
No one can accuse the drama group of trying to show off. The broad range
of young and old humour appealed to the audience and almost seemed to
mock the very concept of performance, especially as the film student
director was quick to praise the zombie – vampires repeatedly for
“staying in character”, a phrase you’re more likely to hear from a
school drama teacher whilst pretending to be a tree. This humour kept
the play running along nicely, ensuring that you never got bored of
vampires flapping about everywhere.
The choreography may have looked dry at times but despite this, it’s
worth watching “Oh Horror” for the imaginative array of musical styles,
the concentration of all the cast and the down-to-earth humour that
sealed the drama group’s reputation entirely. In the words of Sam of
“Knights of Depression” - “Cool!”
For details on how to join Willpower Youth Theatre Group, check out the
‘Things To Do’
page of The LINC Online.
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