Cinderella at the Opera House Manchester Review
Cinderella
Opera House, Manchester
5 December 2015 to 3 January 2016
Reviewed by Lucy Gwilliam
Last night my husband and I took our daughter and her best friend, both 5, to see Cinderella at the Opera House in Manchester. They were both extremely excited and we even had a little strop before leaving as my daughter couldn’t find her Cinderella dressing up dress. Eventually we found and alternative and the little princesses were set to see their favourite fairy tale.
As we knew that there was a big football match being held in Manchester at a similar time to the show starting we set off one and half hours before the show was due to start. It takes us 20 minutes to get into Manchester usually and we arrived just before show was due to start. Luckily we found a parking space on a side road and quickly ran to the theatre to collect our tickets.
Staff were very friendly and showed us to our seats promptly. Once seated, we were soon set in the Christmassy, magical mood from the stage setting, which was shown to the audience. They then showed audience members with typical panto catchphrases in speech bubbles such as ‘he’s behind you’; this had the audience in fits of laughter and warmed everyone up for the amazing show which was to come.
The show opened with an enchanting dance from Torvill and Dean, they were on roller blades which gave the effect of them being on ice. My daughter and her friend loved this and stared on in amazement. Then the panto began and we were introduced to all of the characters we know and love such as Cinderella, Buttons, Dandini and Prince Charming, even the ugly sisters- Cheryl and Rita were well received.
I loved how there were many references to areas of Manchester, this went down well with the audience. The set even took place in Eccles Hall, Eccles, we live in Eccles so my daughter and her friend found it fascinating that the play was in their home town.
The set and costumes were out of this world and probably the best we have seen at a live performance. The acting and script was excellent and highly amusing, the whole audience had an amazing time and interacted continuously.
My favourite part of the show was the Ariel skills performance by Torvill and Dean, my daughter’s friend attends an Ariel skills session and the girls were in awe of this. The whole show was outstanding and the two girls were completely engaged throughout, dancing and singing along to the songs that they hear on the radio.
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost from £11.90 to £42.40 (plus £4 transaction fee).
Cinderella is at the Opera House in Manchester until 3 January 2016. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0844 871 3018.
Opera House, 3 Quay Street, Manchester, M3 3HP | 0844 871 3018
