The Car Man

Sir Matthew Bourne (chor); Terry Davies and Rodion Shchedrin (music)1

New Adventures production

Lowry, Salford

June 23-27, 2026; 2hrs

(also at Hull New Theatre, June 30-July 4; Sheffield Lyceum, July 21-25; Newcastle Theatre Royal, September 8-12; Bradford Alhambra, October 20-24)

Harrison Dowzell as Luca with the Company of The Car Man. Photo by Johan Persson (pictures might not reflect the current cast)

Well welcome to Harmony, y,all; Mathew Bourne’s steamy, sexy, mosquito-ridden paradise, in the (first half) homage to Bizet. Set appropriately on a 28 degree night in deepest Salford...

The Car Man brings the multi-talented dancers of New Adventures in this revival of dance noir, with elements of the original opera combined with film references to Jack Nicholson, to superb effect.

The first words to capture the feel of the production are sex, on, and wheels - car wheels, that is, as the action is set in a car repair workshop. And not one you might find in Didsbury or even Salford .

From the start, the dancers are encouraged by the music and choreography to flaunt their sexuality. With equal parts of Spanish and Italian culture and American pizzazz, the action moves at the speed of a glance from the sexual heart of the play, Luca (Will Bozier), through cool male arrogance to multi-dimensional sex - literally on wheels, at one point. Who knew dogging would make it into mainstream theatre?

Cordelia Braithwaite plays Lana like an old-style movie star - in line with the references to 1940s and 50s Hollywood. A wonderful dancer, as light as a moth with a leaning towards the darker corners of the world. The one weakness is that it's hard to believe she would fall so hard for a worker in her husband’s workshop - though if the husband is Allan Vincent, all fat and hands-on, then perhaps she would.

The second half of the action isn't quite up to the magnificent first. Mathew Bourne likes to throw in some curious figures; a French-style mime group, all in black, in a south-western town's night club?

Even the climatic action lacks a little passion; and the references to Chicago look a little laboured. But - there's always a but - the wonderful dance macabre with its Macbeth references lifts the action to a higher level.

The dancers as a company are worth the price of admission. The music, especially in the first half, is a joy. Terry Davies does a great job - though itmust be said that when the original creator of the tunes is more obviously Bizet, the feel of the action is more effective.

So for a great night out with wonderful choreography, a little bit of sex, and music to die for, then the Lowry is the place to be this appropriately hot week.

More info and tickets here