The Car Man

- Matthew Bourne’s celebrated hit The Car Man is back on stage, reimagining a classic operatic tale with the bold theatricality and instantly recognisable musical motifs that have made it a standout in the New Adventures catalogue—expect award-winning choreography, cinematic storytelling, and moments that stay with you long after the curtain falls. - Transporting Bizet’s familiar world into a smoky, sun-baked 1950s American Midwestern garage-diner, the production replaces a 19th-century Spanish cigarette factory with a place of grease, chrome and neon, where the arrival of a handsome, mysterious stranger lights a fuse beneath a tight-knit small town and begins to unravel everything people thought they knew. - Driven by simmering heat and raw desire, the characters are pulled into an escalating, irresistible spiral of greed, lust, betrayal and revenge; the emotional stakes are high and the choreography channels that tension into visceral, unforgettable moments of physical storytelling. - Bourne’s vivid direction is matched by one of the most passionately dramatic scores you’ll hear in contemporary dance theatre—Terry Davies’ arrangements spotlight Rodion Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite (after Bizet’s Carmen), marrying classical resonance with modern intensity to create a soundscape that propels the drama forward at every beat. - For travellers looking to spice up an evening away from home, The Car Man is a theatrical thrill ride that will ignite your senses, leave you breathless and make for a memorable night out—an ideal pick-me-up between sightseeing and dining, and a story you’ll be eager to share long after the final bow.