May is set to be a jam-packed month for Manchester’s Opera House, with eight shows being performed on stage throughout the month. And one of the most popular is set to be the touring production of Chicago .
The opening night will be held on Monday, May 23, running until Saturday, May 28 and stars some huge showbiz names.
The Manchester leg of the tour will see ex-Corrie actress Faye Brookes star as Roxie Hart, with Djalenga Scott as murderess Velma Kelly.
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Best known for being a singer with The Three Degrees, 74-year-old Sheila Ferguson will join the cast as Matron ‘mama’ Morton.
Set amidst the razzle-dazzle of the 1920s, Chicago follows housewife and nightclub dancer Roxie Hart, who murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to walk out on her.
The description reads: “Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer to transform her malicious crime into a barrage of sensational headlines, the likes of which might just as easily be ripped from today's tabloids.”
Tickets for the two-and-a-half hour performance cost up to £45.50 - but there are cheaper tickets available.
The cheapest tickets are £13 , but are extremely limited, only available for shows on the Monday, Wednesday and Thursday showings.
The ATG tickets site uses a traffic light system to indicate ticket availability, and there are only a low or medium number of tickets available for each of the days. Other tickets are priced at £22 and £32.50, depending on where you’d like to sit.
Also at The Opera House in May is Seven Drunken Nights - The Story of the Dubliners on May 1 for their fifth anniversary tour, celebrating the iconic Irish group. Tickets for the one-night show are priced from £23, with some costing £28, but availability is limited.
Another one-night show comes from drag queen Trixie Mattel with their Grown Up tour. It comes after a successful tour in 2018 for the Ru Paul All Stars winner, and she’s back with a four-piece band. The show starts at 8pm with tickets from £34, though it’s very close to selling out so you’ll have to be quick.
From Tuesday, May 5 to Saturday, May 7, Britain’s Got Talent sensations Diversity will be entertaining audiences with two hours of their energetic and daring dance routines. Tickets for their Connected 2022 tour cost upwards of £33.90 , up to £131.40 for front row views.
Since winning the third series of Britain’s Got Talent in 2009, Diversity have so far sold out nine UK and Irish tours, sold over 600,000 tickets, with countless television and live performances. And they’re promising this tour to be bigger and better than ever.
The following week, from Monday, May 9 to Saturday, May 14, Singin’ In The Rain will be making a splash at the Opera House. Starring Adam Cooper, who was in the Billy Elliott movie, tickets for the show start at £13 and go up to £62, with £20, £32, £42, £52 and £57 tickets also available.
The Barricade Boys - Bring Him Home Tour will run on Sunday, May 15 for one night, starring past performers from Les Misérables. The tour will feature music from some of the best-loved shows from the West End and Broadway stage, including Phantom Of The Opera, Miss Saigon, Jersey Boys and, of course, Les Misérables, as well as hits from some of pop and rock music’s all-time greats including Queen, Elton John, The Beatles, Ed Sheeran and Adele.
Limited tickets are available, ranging from £24.40 to £36.90.
Like Chicago, The Cher Show is offering some cheap £13 tickets to their Manchester leg, which runs from Tuesday, May 17 to Saturday, May 21. From the writer of Jersey Boys, the musical documents the pop icon’s rise to fame, with a score of all her smash hits from If I Could Turn Back Time to Believe.
And what’s more is that it’s been choreographed my two-time Strictly Come Dancing winner Oti Mabuse. There is good availability for £13 tickets throughout the week, with the most expensive tickets costing £60.
Finally, taking theatre goers into June is The Play That Goes Wrong , with opening night falling on May 30. The comedic show sees the Cornley Drama Society put on a 1920s murder mystery, but as the title suggests, everything that can go wrong… does.
Running until Saturday, June 4, tickets are from £13, with plenty of availability all week.
Meanwhile at Palace Theatre, Beauty and the Beast continues to dazzle audiences until June 4. You can read our review here.
