I'm there on a Thursday, but it meant having to take time off work for both me and my dad. Plus there were travel costs to consider so for me, the mid-week thing is what it is. Even lower prices wouldn't mean more people going. There are only so many people in Manchester itself that will want to see the musical, and there aren't as many random tourists there to add numbers. In London, people are there for reasons other than just going exclusively to see a show, so there are people who will likely arrive, see it advertised locally and purchase tickets on the day.
It is a lot of money, but so it anything in theatre. If you want cheap, go in the gods. For me, "previews" have always been for ironing out the things that happen to go wrong that weren't expected but can be avoided, and for making changes IF some aspects of the show doesn't work or isn't received well. From the opening night comments, I see a total of nothing that is of immediate concern for change so Manchester will be every bit as good as London, Broadway or anywhere else it goes to afterwards. It could naturally progress and change from production to production over years if it really becomes a long standing musical, just like We Will Rock You and such have seen changes from the original versions.
In the end you are buying a ticket for a few hours of escapism which is exactly the same as if you are booking Wicked, The Lion King, Phantom or any other established and long running show. The cast don't work any less, the production is no less impressive and professional and the running costs of the venue and wage are no lower, so why should the ticket prices be any different.
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