An explosion of dance with a dash of seduction and thrills had the audience gasping with delight as The Car Man burst onto stage with real energy and panache!
Choreographer Sir Matthew Bourne is a modern day genius who takes traditional tales and turns them into brilliant blockbusters, from Swan Lake and Romeo and Juliet to Edward Scissorhands and The Red Shoes.
The Car Man is perhaps one of his boldest and it’s captivating. Loosely inspired by Bizet’s Carmen, the show transforms a 19th century Spanish factory into a 1950s American garage-diner.
The stage at the King’s Theatre in Glasgow was a hive of activity as the audience arrived. Big classic American cars being tinkered with as guys and girls flirted.
It’s 26 years since the New Adventures production premiered, yet the latest production is fresh, full of fizz and intoxicating.
Set in the town of Harmony, the story begins with the arrival of mysterious Luca (Harrison Dowzell) who joins the local garage and his good looks attract the attention of his boss Dino’s (Alan Vincent) wife Lana (Ashley Shaw) and fellow mechanic Angelo (Jarrod McWilliams), leading to lust, betrayal and the ultimate revenge.
It’s on the edge of the seat theatre with nonstop drama and sublime dancing as the scenes seamlessly glide through the terrific tale.
With an amazing two level set from Lez Brotherston, it is transformed from a garage to a diner, soft lit cabaret bar and prison, combined with bright and elegant costumes.
Music by Terry Davies and Rodion Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite (after Bizet’s Carmen), is complemented by sound from Paul Groothuis and lighting by Chris Davey.
There’s no dialogue in the play, yet the dancing cast make it easy to follow the story. All the lead characters are perfect in their prose and precision, with Lana’s sister Rita (Kurumi Kamayachi) factory girls, Mercedes (Serena McCall), Monica (Rae Miller), Gina (Tanisha Addicott), Frankie (Eleanor McGrath), Delores/Shirley (Eve Ngbokota), mechanics Rocco (Callum Mann), Bruno (Nikolas Shikkis), “Hot Rod” (Cameron Flynn), Chad (Xavier Andriambolanoro-Sotiya), Vito (Will Markendale), Marco (Jamie Duncan Campbell) and Dirk/Chuck/Dexter (Danny Reubens) adding to the energy.
The Car Man is simply unmissable and runs at the King’s Theatre in Glasgow until 31st October, before moving to The Festival Theatre, Edinburgh from 3rd to 7th November, The Marlow in Canterbury from 10th to 14 November, Congress Theatre, Eastbourne from, 18th to 21st November and the Koninklijk Theater Carré, Amsterdam from 25th to 29th November 2026. For performance times and ticket availability, visit: www.atgtickets.com and www.new-adventures.net.
Author Bio:
Rebecca Hay is an experienced travel writer and member of The British Guild of Travel Writers. Follow her adventures with her family on Twitter and Instagram @emojiadventurer and on Facebook via EmojiAdventurers2.
Photographs by Johan Persson
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