Matthew Bourne's Dance Thriller THE CAR MAN Will Embark on UK Tour

Matthew Bourne's award-winning dance thriller THE CAR MAN will return for a 2026 UK tour, opening at Curve, Leicester on 15 June 2026 before visiting a further 16 venues over 22 weeks, including a 5-week summer season at Sadler's Wells. Listings information below with casting to be announced.

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 said: “I never dreamed when we created this show at the beginning of the new millennium that it would still be around, thrilling audiences, 25 years later! Inspired by vintage movie film noir classics, it holds a unique and special place in the New Adventures repertory as the only piece based on an opera and possibly the first ballet to feature a bi-sexual anti-hero! I'm particularly happy that we are taking the show “on the road” again after more than 10 years and I can't wait to re-visit the hot and steamy town of Harmony USA – the best place to be next Summer!”

Directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne, THE CAR MAN has music by Terry Davies & Rodion Shchedrin's Carmen Suite (after Bizet's Carmen), with sound by Paul Groothuis, lighting by Chris Davey and design by Lez Brotherston.

15–20 June
Curve, Leicester
www.curveonline.co.uk
On Sale 11 November 2025

23–27 June
The Lowry, Salford
thelowry.com
On Sale 21 November 2025

30 June – 4 July
Hull New Theatre
www.hulltheatres.co.uk
On Sale 10 November 2025

7–11 July
Milton Keynes Theatre
atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre
On Sale 7 November 2025

14–18 July
Theatre Royal, Plymouth
theatreroyal.com
On Sale 6 November 2025

21–25 July
Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield
www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk
On Sale 5 December 2025

28 July – 29 August
Sadler’s Wells, London
www.sadlerswells.com
On Sale 17 November 2025

1–5 September
Bristol Hippodrome
atgtickets.com/venues/bristol-hippodrome
On Sale 7 November 2025

8–12 September
Newcastle Theatre Royal
www.theatreroyal.co.uk
On Sale 7 November 2025

16–19 September
Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
www.mayflower.org.uk
On Sale 14 November 2025

22–26 September
Theatre Royal, Nottingham
trch.co.uk
On Sale 17 November 2025

29 September – 3 October
Norwich Theatre Royal
norwichtheatre.org
On Sale 28 November 2025

13–17 October
Birmingham Hippodrome
www.birminghamhippodrome.com
On Sale 24 November 2025

20–24 October
Alhambra Theatre, Bradford
www.bradford-theatres.co.uk
On Sale 15 December 2025

27–31 October
King’s Theatre, Glasgow
atgtickets.com/venues/kings-theatre-glasgow
On Sale 7 November 2025

3–7 November
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
www.capitaltheatres.com
On Sale 24 November 2025

10–14 November
Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury
marlowetheatre.com
On Sale 24 November 2025