Manchester Arena

Marvel Universe LIVE!

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Opening Night verdict ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reviewed by Kate Goerner

It’s been hard to avoid the all-conquering global domination of the Marvel universe in the past decade, thanks to the big screen smash hits of the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy. And now you can see your superhero faves up close and personal in a new Arena size show – Marvel Universe LIVE!

In Manchester this weekend, the show features aerial stunts, martial arts, daring motorcycle skills, pyrotechnics, special effects, 3D video projection and much more. Called on by Doctor Strange, the Guardians of the Galaxy join the Avengers on a momentous crusade against the scheming Nebula who teams up with the conniving and loathsome villains Loki and Green Goblin.

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The incredible superhuman forces of Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther, Hulk and Black Widow will unite in clashes that pit student against mentor, sister against sister and brother against brother.

Given that the popularity of the Avengers & Co is so huge that parents would probably fork out for anything branded under that banner, it’s gratifying to see the level of work and sheer skill that has gone into this massive show. All credit to Marvel and producers Feld Entertainment for delivering a budget-busting, large-scale production that’s chock full of thrilling stunts and action packed dramatics. You really do get plenty of bang for your buck here.

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The main attraction is certainly the much loved characters – who jump, punch, kick, fly and web-sling their way through proceedings. The costumes and wigs etc are spot on, with a special shout out for our favourites Groot and Rocket Racoon from Guardians of the Galaxy.

A stunning sequence on motorbikes had us holding our breath and a scene-stealing appearance by the mean, green Hulk was well worth the wait! The fight choreography is spot on, executed with precision by the impressive hardworking cast of over 25 performers. But it’s not all explosions and punch-ups though, there’s some really artistic moments to enjoy too, including a stunning display of aerial artists on silks and a dramatic section with a host of fire jugglers. And the terracotta warrior statues that ‘come to life’ were beautifully realised too.

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My little Captain America certainly didn’t want it to end, declaring it “the best show he had ever seen!” Which is high praise indeed.

Marvel Universe LIVE! definitely puts the super into superhero!

Further information, tickets and tour dates can be found here.

 

Preview | Marvel Universe LIVE!

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If you have a little Captain America or Black Widow who loves all things Marvel – then Manchester Arena is the place to be this week!

Marvel Universe LIVE! Is an action packed arena stunt show, where audiences can enjoy seeing all their favourite heroes and villains do battle live!

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The brand new show – from the team behind Disney on Ice – is at the Arena from Thursday 28th November to Sunday 1st December and features aerial stunts, martial arts, daring motorcycle skills, pyrotechnics, special effects, 3D video projection and much more.

From Spider-Man to The Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy, this really sounds like a must-see show for any comic book-mad little (and big!) kids.

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Called on by Doctor Strange, the Guardians of the Galaxy join the Avengers on a momentous crusade against the scheming Nebula who teams up with the conniving and loathsome villains Loki and Green Goblin.

The incredible superhuman forces of Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther, Hulk and Black Widow will unite in clashes that pit student against mentor, sister against sister and brother against brother.

Marvel Live

“Our tremendously talented creative team and a nearly super human cast, have created a show that brings Marvel to life,” said Juliette Feld, producer of Marvel Universe LIVE! “The show creates an experience that immerses families in non-stop action, creating movie-style thrills and jaw-dropping stunts that showcase the powers of your favourite Super Heroes right before your eyes.”

For tickets and more information visit www.marveluniverselive.co.uk

 

Disney on Ice – 100 Years of Magic

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Reviewed by Kate Goerner

Opening Night verdict ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

From the hundreds of children dressed as their favourite Disney idol to the myriad of swirly flashy things lighting up the inside of Manchester Arena – it was definitely Disney on Ice time!

The always-popular ice spectacular is a staple of the family entertainment calendar, offering people the chance to get a glimpse of their Disney favourites without having to go to Paris or Florida. Throw in dazzling skating skills, gorgeous costumes and plenty of iconic Disney songs and you have all the elements for a magical night out.

This year’s Disney on Ice show is called 100 Years of Magic and sees a loose plot of Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy trying to decide on a movie to make – drawing inspiration from Disney‘s back catalogue of celluloid smashes.

Perhaps less Princess-centred than Disney on Ice shows I’ve seen before, 100 Years of Magic includes tributes to some absolute classics like Beauty & The Beast, Aladdin (why have one ice skating Genie when you can have 20!) The Lion King and more.

Of course there is the chance to see all the Princesses and their Princes skate as well as a fabulous extended section that gives the delighted audience Frozen in about 20 minutes – this is a real highlight with goosebumps galore as Elsa twirls and swoops across the ice to Let It Go. And it even snows!

Our other favourite bit was a simply gorgeous tribute to Mulan featuring a beautiful solo to Reflections followed by the very talented full company of skaters performing a stunning martial arts-inspired routine to I’ll Make a Man Out of You. This was followed by the entrance of an impressive Chinese Dragon onto the ice – that drew gasps from the audience.

But probably the crowd-pleasing cameo of the night was from Toy Story 4 scene-stealer Forky, whose arrival on the ice brought cheers of joy from the youngster sat around us. Indeed the whole Toy Story section was clearly a hit with the young fans of Woody, Buzz and the ‘plastic’ effect wigs on the toys were a nice witty touch too.

But the whole show was fantastic – a welcome bit of Disney magic delivered on skates. We had an absolute blast!

Further information, tickets and tour dates can be found here.

Preview | Disney on Ice

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Writer Kate Goerner

The ever-popular Disney on Ice spectacular returns to the rink at Manchester Arena next month – offering a timely opportunity to get a bit of Disney magic in your life in these unsettled times!
So why not grab those Mickey Ears and prepare to celebrate 100 Years of Magic in this all-new arena show that’s led by the Mouse-ter of Ceremonies (ahem, sorry!) Mickey Mouse with Minnie and lots of other pals and princesses alongside him.
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The family friendly production will be skating into Manchester from the 9th to 13th October and features more than 50 performers, a sing-along score of Disney musical masterpieces, exhilarating choreography and beautiful costumes and sets.
The show is packed with iconic Disney characters from much-loved films that Disney fans young and old will love seeing in the flesh – with added ice theatrics!
Audiences will travel to the heart of Africa with Disney’s The Lion King, come along for an adventure in friendship with the gang from DisneyPixar’s Toy Story, and watch as Belle breaks the Beast’s curse in the tale of Beauty & The Beast.
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And OR COURSE no Disney on Ice show would be complete without a trip to the kingdom of Arendelle from Disney’s Frozen and journey up the North Mountain with adorable snowman Olaf and hunky Kristoff, as they help royal sisters Anna and Elsa discover that true love conquers all.
Over 14 tales are featured, with some absolute classic songs like Hakuna Matata, You’ve Got A Friend in Me, Let It Go, At Last I See The Light, A Whole New World and loads more.
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Producer Kenneth Feld said: “This is a show, more than any other, which is truly for everybody. When I sit with the audience, I see those that are grandparents, like I am, enjoying a lot of the classic Disney stories, while young kids and parents really respond to modern day favourites like Frozen.”

Disney on Ice: 100 Years of Magic is produced by live family entertainment specialists Feld Entertainment.

Tickets and more information are available here.
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Take That – Greatest Hits LIVE

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Writer Kate Goerner

Regular readers of Opening Night will know that we’re pretty big fans of The Band, the musical based around the songs of Take That.

Combining a moving coming-of-age story of acceptance and loving yourself with the many hits of Gary, Robbie, Howard, Mark and Jason was a recipe for theatre magic in our (often tear-filled) eyes.

But disclaimer, we were fans of the group itself first – so as such here at Opening Night we were looking forward to going back to The Band’s roots thanks to Take That’s current Greatest Hits 2019 tour. Always theatrical, always dramatic – what would the group have in store this time?

The tour, which is in Manchester all this week, followed their recent album Odyssey – itself a tribute to those hits, reimagined.

Looming over proceedings is a giant orb, recreated from the from the Odyssey album cover, in spectacular fashion. Part stage, part projections, it really is a spectacular backdrop to the show.

And what a show! It’s as nostalgic as you’d expect – but with dazzling hi-tech staging that means the material and performances never feel old hat.

In fact it feels like the freshest tour in a while – while being a genuine love letter to a 30 year career.

There’s a feeling of the passing of the decades that’s reflected throughout the evening in the staging – from the Seventies-style Evel Knievel jumpsuits the lads wear to open the show (to the uplifting Greatest Day) to the monochrome Sixties section, the Eighties hair metal motorcycle tribute and a nice nod to the Nineties.

The hits are all there – with some real ‘lump in the throat’ moments on the big screen like a video of Robbie performing Everything Changes, or the Bee Gees in How Deep is Your Love.

We even got Mark singing Babe, a beautifully stripped back version of Pray with sign language (although we did miss the Pray dance!) and Lulu – YES LULU – joining Gary, Mark and Howard for Relight My Fire.

The evening ended in magical fashion with Rule The World complete with fireworks.

So while Opening Night hopes to see The Band hit our stages again some day, Take That prove that the original is usually the best!

Further tour information can be found here.

Disney on Ice | Dream Big

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Opening Night verdict ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reviewed by Kate Goerner

Created in the late 1980s and seen in over 65 countries around the world, Disney on Ice as a brand is now a firmly established part of the Disney family. And the current tour – billed Dream Big – is indeed a  bit of a dream for fans young and old.

Produced by live family entertainment specialists Feld Entertainment, Dream Big is a lavish all-twirling, all-jumping show that packs in more than enough Disney princes and princesses, songs (and special effects) to keep audiences in a Disney dreamworld.

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For those who are unfamiliar with a Disney on Ice production. Minnie and Mickey act as hosts and introduce segments devoted to various iconic movies – this time round including Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Tangled, Cinderella (complete with coach) and recordings of the soundtracks are played that the skaters perform and mime too.

With a stunning set backdrop and literally dazzling costumes and perfect wigs – we really do see our favourite heroes brought to life in front of our eyes. (It was particularly lovely to see them all regularly waving at audience members throughout the show). The skating was stunning – and for some of the performers (Maui and Sebastian the Crab – I’m looking at you) some in what must be quite tricky costumes.

A real highlight was the (new for this tour) Moana section – the solo skating routine performed by ‘Moana’ to How Far I’ll Go was a perfect example of music, performance and skating combining perfectly. I had goosebumps and a large lump in my throat – just stunning! It was as it had always been on ice!

Be Our Guest from Beauty and the Beast was a big company number, and a real crowd pleaser, as was Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid.

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Another favourite was the extra-long segment donated to Frozen, that was basically a mini version of the movie. Yes we’ve all heard Let it Go a million times, but it was pretty special seeing a version on ice! With twirling! Yet more goosebumps.

My 3 year old was admittedly a little scared of Ursula the sea witch from The Little Mermaid and the fire-breathing dragon from Sleeping Beauty (we took the opportunity to beat the loo queues and later on get an ice cream when it got a bit too scary for him), but he loved the Genie from Aladdin, Mickey and Minnie, Belle and (of course) seeing Elsa. He genuinely did not want to leave when the house lights went up.

Cynics begone – if there’s a more magical and uplifting way to spend an autumn evening, well…..I’ll get my skates on!

Preview | Disney on Ice

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D27dragonSpreadRuss

There’s no disputing the magic of Disney for little (and hey, who are we kidding, and big!) kids, and the regular visits by Disney on Ice bring a real element of enchantment to Manchester.

The popular arena shows give fans the chance to see some of their favourite Disney characters performing live on ice – bringing to life much-loved tales and songs from classic animated movies from over the years.

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This time round the show is billed Dream Big – and seems likely to make plenty of dreams come true for Disney fans, not least because the show brings the first appearance on skates by Moana, the most recent inspirational heroine from the House of Mouse.

Theatre fans will no doubt be aware that the Oscar-nominated Moana had songs co-written by Hamilton’s Lin Manuel Miranda, who is now clearly firmly part of the Disney family thanks to this, and his forthcoming role in Mary Poppins Returns.

Expect lots of excitement from Moana fans at seeing Disney’s latest heroine in Manchester – with Demi God Maui (brilliantly voiced by Dwayne Johnson in the movie) also promised to make an appearance.

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Also in the show – which features spectacular figure-skating, beautiful costumes and stunning sets – will be sections dedicated to classic tales including Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and more.

As well as – of course! – a suitably icy section dedicated to all things Frozen!

Opening Night also hears tales of a fire breathing dragon…….we can’t wait!

Disney on Ice presents Dream Big at the Manchester Arena from Wednesday 10th October until Sunday 14th October.

For more information visit www.disneyonice.co.uk