Scarborough: New musical inspired by resort

Hannah - The Soldier Diaries will run from 9 to 14 April

A writer has revealed how he was so charmed by the beauty of a coastal town in North Yorkshire that he decided to create a musical about it.

Steve Wallis moved to Scarborough around six years ago and quickly realised during a walk one day that it would be a "fabulous" setting for his new play, Hannah - The Soldier Diaries.

The show, which will run at the Scarborough Spa in South Bay from 9 to 14 April, follows the story of Hannah and Jack who meet and fall in love during the summer of 2012.

But their romance is short-lived as Jack has to return to the army to fight in Afghanistan after only four weeks with Hannah.

The musical features a number of locations in the town

Scarborough, which is sometimes described as England's first seaside resort, is home to the picturesque Grade II listed Italian Gardens, Peasholm Park, alongside beaches, amusement arcades and beaches.

Mr Wallis said he had been inspired by the beauty of the town and said he had harnessed that with the talent of the local community to create the show, which feature a local cast.

The show also features a number of popular locations in the town, Mr Wallis said.

He added that the show had started off as an audiobook, but turned into a musical when he realised "it needed to be on the stage".

"I feel nervous but excited - it's a fine line between the two.

"But in the grand scheme of things it is going fabulous, I'm so thrilled with what we're achieving, we've got a fantastic group.

"I devised some characters, some of which are based on true-life characters and then intertwined the story about the soldier who would leave Scarborough and then go and fight in the Afghanistan war."

Hannah and Jack's summer romance is cut short

The show features a foreword by EastEnders veteran Ross Kemp, as well as a guest appearance from the D-Day Darlings Trio, who appeared on Britain's Got Talent.

Mr Wallis said that after writing the story, he asked around to find a composer in the area and ultimately partnered with Nik Martin to create 13 original songs together.

"It has got such a lot to offer and looks amazing, the choreography is amazing, and the feedback we've had from the songs have been so positive," he said.

"I have every reason to be optimistic, and if the people of Scarborough love it as much as we do, we're going to tour it next year."