Dick Whittington

Jason Manford and Ben Nickless are back for Dick Whittington, the Opera House panto that Manchester treats as a civic duty. Cats, comedy, gold-paved streets, and a crowd that has the responses ready before the lights go down. Manford holds the story. Nickless handles the chaos around it. Between them you get the songs, the mess, and the “oh yes he is” that this building does every winter.

The run opens on 5 December and plays through to 3 January, with tickets from £15.60. There is a relaxed performance on 30 December if you want a softer show: quieter, with the surprises signalled. Quay Street is central, and matinees are the ones that fill with school holidays. Book the date that suits bedtime. The evening shows run long in the way a good panto does, with the extra business the cast finds once the audience is on their side.