VICTORIA Wood is a national treasure and with The Day We Sang she deservedly has a huge hit on her hands.

Spare seats were at a premimum in the Opera House as the affectionate audience lapped up every minute of this remarkable, feel good production.

Where there’s nostalgia there’s brass and the story remembers the now defunct Manchester Children’s Choir, which famously gathered for a recording of Purcell’s Nymphs and Shepherds at the Free Trade Hall in 1929. Four members of the original ensemble gather to make a documentary marking the 40th anniversary of the landmark recording.

A relationship develops between former choir members Tubby (Vincent Franklin) and Enid (Jenna Russell). Tubby thinks he’s found his soul mate but faces an uphill struggle to turn a friendship into something more. Franklin and Russell are irresistible together and give the sort of performance that awards are made of.

The Day We Sang takes us back to a Manchester that only exists in folk memory, where a trip to the Berni Inn or the local Wimpy bar was a real treat and the streets surrounding Piccadilly Gardens were nowhere near as clogged up with traffic as they are today.

For me, this is one of the best pieces of theatre this year and the story is an ideal vehicle for Wood’s homely and clever humour. Brilliant. * Until July 17. Star rating - ***** For booking details, visit www.manchesteroperahouse.org.uk