YOU can always rely on the Forest Forge Theatre Company to come up with something innovative, and this season’s family show is no exception with its original choreography, eye catching visuals and verbal wit.

Joan Aiken’s children’s novel, Midnight is a Place, is sensitively staged by Forest Forge’s artistic director Kirstie Davis with a production that intertwines comedy with the hardship of industrialisation.

An excellent cast of four actors take on a dizzying array of roles, we counted 18, ranging from a medley of market traders and mean machines to the terrifying Robert Bludwerd and hilarious Mr Oakapple, not forgetting Old Towzer the butler and the beloved pet dog Redgauntlet, in a fast-paced tale that stirs a little bit of pop music into the mix as well.

Inside the gloomy Gothic Midnight Court, Lucas Bell and Anna-Marie Murgatroyd live under the stewardship of Sir Randolph, owner of Blastburn’s dangerous carpet factory, where many a child has met their death.

Amysterious fire forces the pair onto the icy streets where they face danger at every turn. Will virtue triumph over evil? Aiken never pretended that life is a bed roses.

Midnight is a Place is a shadowy but uplifting family adventure that works on several levels, appealing to the very young, the very old and everyone in between.

For details about performances call Forest Forge on 01425 470188 or see a full list at forestforge.co.uk.