Hats off to Charlie for a West End role in scenes from Seussical

Charlie, 14, practises as an actor with theatre arts school Stagecoach Swindon at St Joseph’s Catholic College, and won a role in a major national Stagecoach production of Seussical.

As a circus animal in the show inspired by the stories of Dr Seuss, Charlie performed with an international cast at the Leatherhead Theatre in Surrey this summer.

The Highworth Warneford School pupil will reprise that part this weekend, as scenes from Seussical are taken forward as part of Stagecoach Charity Gala in aid Macmillan Cancer Support and The Performing Arts Children’s Charity.

“I am feeling very excited about it,” said Charlie, of Baxter Close in Abbey Meads. “The best part will be meeting a lot of my friends who I met in Seussical again.”

As a part of the gala, which will also include guest performances from the well-known Horrible Histories stage show and Britain’s Got Talent’s Charlotte Jaconelli, Charlie will take part in three of the songs from Seussical.

Despite Charlie’s success as the only member of the Swindon school to make it to either the summer showcase or Sunday’s gala, he is remaining level-headed.

“This has boosted my ambitions, but it’s going to be really fun to do,” he said. “I am just going to carry on giving it my all on the stage. I would like to make a career being an actor and I wish to go on to drama college. Starting off in the West End would be amazing, but maybe TV and film could be options after that.”

Sheryll Fox, principal at Stagecoach Swindon, said: “It probably won’t sink in for Charlie until he arrives at the theatre.

“When they get there and see the stature of the venue and get an idea of what exactly has been performed there in the past, the excitement will build.

“I would imagine he will be very keen to see all his friends again, those that he met over the summer during Seussical.

“He said those two weeks in the summer were the best of his life, so he is bound to enjoy himself on Sunday.”