A train journey with a difference has rolled into Workington this week, and what a journey it is.

There’s no waiting around on a draughty platform for Workington Amateur Operatic Society’s junior production of Starlight Express as it sets off on time and provides a fast-paced whistle-stop tour filled with fun, rivalry, love and laughter.

Thirty nine members of the society’s junior section are taking the tracks to tell the story of a train set that comes to life and the engines that compete to be the world’s fastest.

Most of the actors donned roller skates for the show, which was performed on a stage extended for the purpose.

Their months of dedication to skating lessons and rehearsals paid off as the young stars sang, danced and skated all at once, with some impressive stunts thrown in.

And while there were one or two unintended falls, the performers never once slipped out of character as they quickly recovered and continued with their routines.

Every performer shone but there were some particularly notable contributions.

Chloe Steadman’s performance as Dinah the dining car provoked an enthusiastic round of applause for her believable rendition of U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D, while Amelia Crawford’s portrayal of Pearl the observation car was emotive and engaging. These are two stars in the making who together with Becca Milligan as Buffy the buffet car and Evie Askew as Duvay the sleeping car provided a brilliantly entertaining quartet of carriages.

The boys were equally entertaining, with Harry Douglas-Brown (Electra), Andrew McMinn (Greasevall) and Owen O’Donnell (Red Caboose) receiving huge cheers and applause for their fantastic performance of One Rock ‘n’ Roll Too Many, complete with brilliantly stage-managed falls.

And while I’d had some reservations about whether an amateur group would be able to pull off the show’s race scenes without the kind of extended stages available in the West End, the cleverly-used combination of staging and effects provided a result that not only worked but drew the audience into the action.

Aside from the individual performances, the show’s finale was a spectacle, with the number of youngsters skating around each other in such a small space without incident a testament to the hard work of the performers themselves and their production team.

Well done to all involved.

Rusty and the Hip Hoppers sang about being in the right place at the right time. If you’re at the Carnegie Theatre at 7.15pm on today, tomorrow or Saturday, you’ll definitely be in the right place at the right time.

SARAH MOORE