A wonderful Abigail’s party style dive into the lives of ordinary people- this time at a Mansfield wedding. Caroline Steinbeis directs

The ceremony plays out in real time at Beth Steel’s Till The Stars Come Down, a Regional premier after now running in the West End following an opening at the National Theatre . The two acts of 75 minutes and fifty minutes are bookended by two very different but compelling scenes.

The wedding itself is followed by a live screen roving camera and characters enter and exit via the auditorium making the paying audience part of the action.

The opening scene introduce us to most of the female characters as they glam themselves up for the big day. It is hilarious and laugh out loud funny with one liners ricocheting around the stage. A schoolgirl dreams of being an astronaut, her aunty subsequently struggles to differentiate between the sun and moon as worlds collide

AK Golding is our bride Sylvia getting ready for her big day. Obviously we have a dress drama with her two sisters Hazel and Maggie in close support and conflict. But star of the show is Aunty Carol ( Sadie Shimmin) a wonderful amalgamation of Mrs Slocombe and Vera Duckworth.

Sylvia’s husband Marek ( Ivan Ivashkin) to be is Polish providing the catalyst for exploring racism and Xenophobia.Asked if there will be any Polish traditions in the wedding, Aunty Carol retorts : ‘Well, we’re not in Poland,’ then adds: ‘Not that you’d know.’

This is a world of warehouse jobs and delivery drivers replacing the pitmen of the past whose pits are given a roll call of honour during the wedding speeches, and the pain of the miners strike still lingers.

The final scene of the second act is compelling theatre at its best with Emma Pallant as Hazel blistering.