Last Updated on 16 May 2024 by Colette
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A midweek trip to the theatre always feels like a bit of a treat – especially when it’s a trip to the theatre with one of my best friends.
Mich and I took our seats for An Officer and a Gentleman at The Opera House Manchester, not really knowing what to expect. Neither Mich or I had ever seen the film nor read the book so went in totally blind as to what the storyline actually was! All Mich could tell me was that ‘he lifts her up’ but actually we both really liked that we didn’t know the story, that we didn’t go in with any preconceived ideas. What it does mean is that I can’t tell you at all how closely the musical sticks to the classic An Officer & a Gentleman film (which was actually released in 1982!) but there is a lift!
From the off there’s some quite strong language and sexual references and there are some difficult themes covered throughout including suicide, alcoholism, abandonment and trust issues. But alongside those more difficult themes, we also are taught about the value of friendship, of team work, and of sheer grit and determination
We see the strength that comes from women sticking together, the camaraderie in the workplace (whilst belting out strong hits like This is a Man’s World ), the women supporting each other through the daily grind of factory work and the daily grind of life.
This is a story of young women wanting to better themselves – to break the cycle of their past. One girl (Paula Pokrifki) is fighting to escape factory life through education and has ambitions to be a nurse, the other (Lynette Pomeroy) hoping to snag herself a pilot and with him an escape route. As an aside to this, there’s another young woman from the ‘ghetto’ – Casey Seegar, working to escape her roots through becoming a pilot herself.
This is a story of young men wanting to better themselves – to stop history from repeating itself, to make a better life for their wife and kids or to try and make their parents proud. Some succeed, other’s find the intense training under Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley too much to bear.
As an added bonus to the story being set in officer training camp, we’re treated to a number of hot, muscular men with shaved heads, in uniform . . . it might be a cliché but there’s a reason for that cliché and I certainly wasn’t sad when Mayo was forced to do press ups as a punishment!
There were several collectives gasps from the audience at certain parts during the show be it a unexpected dance move from the General or a surprising confession from Lynette. We were all fully invested in the lives of the characters on stage in front of us.
A key indicator for me as to how involved I am in a performance is whether I get emotional or not – and actually rather than getting teary over the death of one of the characters, it was the graduation ceremony that was got me in the feels! I left the theatre feeling uplifted and glad that, for the most part things had worked out.
There are lots of fun 80s hits cleverly woven through the story from Blondie to Madonna and Bon Jovi. The lady in front of me kept making me smile with her little shoulder dances through the performance and I definitely had a foot tap going on at points. The choreographed fight scene was pretty epic but my favourite dance came after the last assault course – it was high energy, celebratory and just really good fun to watch!
Book tickets for An Officer and a Gentleman at Manchester Opera House from just £13!
If you’re looking for parking near Manchester Opera House, you’ll find a list of all the closest places here and if you fancy a bite to eat before the show, check out this list of great restaurants near Manchester Opera House!
Check out our guide to going to the theatre in Manchester too!
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