In Baltimore, so the show song goes, every day's like an open door and Workington Amateur Operatic Society certainly opened the door to another fantastic production when the curtain rose on its run of Broadway musical Hairspray this week.

The society may be celebrating its 110th anniversary but it was to 1962, rather than 1906, the audiences at the Carnegie Theatre have been transported back this week.

And it's well worth the time travel.

As the teens of Baltimore are gripped by the Corny Collins TV show and the forthcoming contest to see who will be crowned Miss Teenage Hairspray, Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with a big hairdo, arrives and puts the cat well and truly among the pigeons of 1960s segregation.

As Tracy leads an unexpected revolution in a shallow showbiz world, the show introduces a wealth of characters diverse not only in skin tone.

Natasha McKenzie proves her versatility as she takes on her biggest challenge and dream role as Tracy, alongside the task of being artistic director and choreographer for the show.

She is joined on stage by Mark Stilwell, rocking the tank top look as Tracy's joke-shop-proprietor father Wilbur, and Daniel MacCreedy, playing his biggest role yet - and taking commendably well to all manner of dresses and high heels - as her mother Edna.

Graham Hawley is TV show host Corny Collins, Liz Turnbull is the show's producer Velma Von Tussle, and Evie Askew plays her daughter Amber, who exudes every confidence that she will win the popularity contest.

Peter McGuckin plays Link Larkin, who will find himself choosing between Amber's and Tracy's affections, Kimberley Fisher is record producer Motormouth Maybelle and Adam MacCreedy and Chelsea Fisher play her children Seaweed J Stubbs and Little Inez.

Jen Walker provides plenty of laughs as Tracy's ever-enthusiastic friend Penny Pingleton, while Kris White is a mixture of amusing and slightly scary as her mum Prudy.

The show is completed by a supporting cast featuring Andrew McMinn as Brad, Beth Foster as Brenda, Andrew White as Fender, Connor McClenan as IQ, Rebekah Jardine as Lou Ann, Dani Beverley as Shelly, Brendan O'Hagan as Sketch, Lauren Stilwell as Tammy, Donna Bradley as Judine, Philippa Hawley as Kamilah, Becca Milligan as Shayna, Ryan O'Hagan as Harriman Spritzer, Daniel O'Hagan as Mr Pinky, Pauline Fox-McNab as Matron, Valerie Cuthbert as the gym teacher and Craig Hodgson as the prison guard.

The show begins with a bang with the opening number Good Morning Baltimore and it the pace and enthusiasm continue throughout.

Early highlights include Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now, where clever use of staging showcases a three-pronged story as Tracy, Penny and Amber each try to secure some independence from their very different but equally control-focused mothers.

The second half brought a fantastic comedy performance from Daniel MacCreedy and Mark Stilwell in the shape of Edna and Wilbur's duet You're Timeless To Me, gaining them the biggest laugh of the night, and possibly the odd tears of laughter from the audience.

But the whole company stole the show as they prepared to bring the curtain down with a top-class rendition of You Can't Stop The Beat.

The whole show was energetic, enthusiastic and fun.

The Corny Collins show may claim to feature the nicest kids in town but it appears it's Waos that can claim to have some of them, even if a number are actually big kids.

As well as being a fun night out, Waos' latest show is a reminder that everyone can play a part in helping to change the world. Just don't forget to have your breakfast first.

Hairspray continues at the Carnegie Theatre at 7.15pm daily until Saturday.

SARAH MOORE