"A LAUGH a minute" perfectly sums up Mum's The Word - a comedy about the trials and tribulations of having children and the effect they have on your life.

You wouldn't think a simple performance involving six women sitting in a semi-circle relating their experiences of motherhood could inspire much of a reaction, but the talented all-star cast had audiences rolling in the aisles and eager for more.

Beverley Callard headlines as Deborah -- whose frizzy hair, plain face and baggy clothes are a far cry from the high maintenance of Beverley's better known persona Liz McDonald. She is accompanied by Julia Watson (Dr Baz in Casualty), Tina Malone (Brookside's Mo McGee), Polly Highton (Brookside's Barbara Newton) and theatre actresses Carole Anders and Anna Healy.

The six play average down-to-earth mums, with everyday lives, who proceed to unveil their individual characters and intimate personal experiences of child-rearing, from a painfully graphic labour scene to rip-roaring tales of obsessive rocking, opening the door to the postman 'sans' skirt and nasty nappy incidents.

Anecdote after anecdote rings true to anyone who has ever been through motherhood -- as a mother or a child.

Not content with the comedy, heart-warming stories of premature babies, missing kids, disabled children and the strains on marriage also ensue.

Highlights of the show have to include the opening scene when Beverley Callard gives the audience a right eyeful! And something that cannot go without a mention is the bravery of Polly Highton, who streaks across the stage completely starkers, not once but TWICE.

Mum's The Word plays at Manchester's Opera House until September 21 and tickets are available from the box office on 0161 242 2524.