Overview
Matthew Bourne’s award-winning The Car Man is back! Loosely based on Bizet’s ever-popular opera, The Car Man has one of the most thrilling and instantly recognisable scores in New Adventures’ repertoire.
The familiar 19th Century Spanish cigarette factory becomes a greasy 1950’s garage-diner in the American Mid-West where the dreams and passions of a small-town are shattered by the arrival of a handsome and enigmatic stranger. Fuelled by heat and desire, the inhabitants are driven into an unstoppable spiral of greed, lust, betrayal and revenge.
Matthew Bourne’s vivid storytelling combines with one of the most passionately dramatic scores ever written, with music by Terry Davies featuring Rodion Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite (after Bizet’s Carmen), to create a dance thriller like no other.
The Car Man will ignite your senses and leave you breathless.
Content warnings:
The Car Man contains scenes of a sexual nature, brief nudity, strobe lighting and gunshots. Age guidance 12+
Running time; 2 hours including an interval
Buckle up for the ride of your life. Gripping, gasp-making, edge of your seat stuff
Daily Mail
A shatteringly good piece of storytelling. Terrific
Observer
A thrilling and seriously sexy sensation
Daily Express
Music by Terry Davies & Rodion Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite (after Bizet’s Carmen)
Sound by Paul Groothuis
Lighting by Chris Davey
Designed by Lez Brotherston
Directed & Choreographed by Matthew Bourne
The History of the Show
World Premiere: 16 May 2000 at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth
After opening in Plymouth in May 2000, it played London’s historic Old Vic Theatre for an extended 19 week run from 4 September 2000 and was subsequently the winner of the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Outstanding Musical Event. A UK and International Tour followed in 2001/02 and included Lisbon, Amsterdam, Tel Aviv (2 weeks), Saint Paul, MI (2 weeks), Los Angeles, CA (8 weeks), Berkeley, CA, and Tokyo Otsu Osaka Kobe.
Dubbed ‘an auto-erotic thriller’, the production was filmed in 2001 at Pinewood Studios (still available on DVD).
The show was revived in 2007 and played a smash hit UK Tour opening on 18 June that year at the Plymouth Theatre Royal. It was then revived again in 2015 for a limited 16 week UK tour. The tour opened at The Churchill Theatre, Bromley, on 14 April 2015, with a four week summer season at Sadler’s Wells from 14 July to 9 August 2015.
The show was filmed live at Sadler's Wells in August 2015 and, following screenings in cinemas worldwide throughout 2016, was released on DVD & Blu-ray in November 2017. In 2020, The Car Man had its broadcast premiere on Sky Arts and became available to purchase or rent digitally as part of New Adventures' Festival of Classics.
It was last seen in a unique revival for The Royal Albert Halls 150th Birthday in 2022. This expanded production received rave reviews and nightly standing ovations.
Company
Photos & Videos
Awards & Reviews
EVENING STANDARD AWARD 2000
Winner of Musical Event of the Year
OLIVIER AWARDS 2000
Nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Dance
NATIONAL DANCE AWARDS 2015
Zizi Strallen won Outstanding Female Dancer (Modern) Award for her role as Lana
Learn & Explore
Matthew Bourne's Vision
Access
Audio Described Performances and Touch Tour
Leicester Cuve
Lowry, Salford
Hull New Theatre
MK Theatre
Theatre Royal Plymouth
Lyceum, Sheffield
Sadler's Wells, London
Bristol Hippodrome
Newcastle Theatre Royal
Mayflower, Southampton
Nottingham Theatre Royal
Norwich Theatre
Birmingham Hippodrome
Alhambra, Bradford
King's Theatre, Glasgow
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury
Congress Theatre, Eastbourne