WRITER and director Laurence Sach’s production for the Castle Players’ winter tour takes us on a dark music-hall inspired journey through the everyday lives of Victorians.

The production begins as the young, pretty Victoria becomes Queen in 1837. Her moral highness, Sarah Fells, has certainly mastered the royal wave and sings well, too.

Ian Kirkbride, an excellent singing master of ceremonies, leads us through Victoria’s reign all the way to 1901, introducing short excerpts starting with the Nailmakers, who produced up to 1,200 nails a day, each individually forged.

We find children as young as six down the mines carrying 56lbs of coal on their backs. Today’s health and safety inspectors would go nuts to see children so close to a blacksmith’s forge or carrying heavy loads up ladders to the surface of a dirty coal mine.

Some worked from home, like Sue Byrn’s thoughtful seamstress, who makes short work of shirt making, producing ten a day – all by hand.

Many people tried to bring about change, one of them the pioneering investigative journalist and one-time editor of The Northern Echo, William T Stead – a suitably inquisitive, moralistic performance from Andy Moorhouse.

Best performance must be Ben Pearson for his mastery of many parts and injection of much-needed comedy.

The rest of the multi-talented cast includes Chris Best, Trudi Dixon, Martin Foran and Ethan Rawlins, with music by Josie Pollard, lighting and sound from Vaughan Freeman and wardrobe by Lesley Cutting.

Helen Brown

Tour dates continue with performances today at Bowes & Gilmonby Village Hall; tomorrow, All Saints', Blackwell, Darlington; Sunday, Gainford Academy Theatre; January 27, St Mary’s Parish Hall, Barnard Castle; January 28, Dalton & Gayles Village Hall; February 4, Scarth Hall, Staindrop; February 5, Romaldkirk Reading Rooms.

For tickets and information visit info@castleplayers.co.uk.