An intense night of stunning dance drama
Naomi MacKay watched Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man at Milton Keynes Theatre, which runs until Saturday 11 July.
Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man returns on its 2026 UK tour with all the heat, danger and seductive power that have made it one of the choreographer’s most enduring works. More than 25 years after its premiere, this dance thriller still feels startlingly modern, combining cinematic storytelling, breathtaking choreography and a simmering atmosphere of desire that keeps audiences gripped from beginning to end.
Loosely inspired by Bizet’s Carmen, the production relocates the action to a dusty, small town in the American Midwest in the 1960s, where a charismatic drifter arrives at a garage-diner community and quickly ignites a web of lust, jealousy and betrayal. Bourne creates a world where every glance, touch and movement advances the narrative. The result is dance theatre at its most compelling, proving that words are often unnecessary when movement is this expressive.
The choreography remains extraordinary. Bourne effortlessly blends sensual duets, explosive ensemble sequences and moments of chilling stillness into a seamless dramatic whole. The dancers are required to be not only technically superb but also accomplished actors, and the touring company rises magnificently to the challenge.
Every character feels fully realised, from the swaggering mechanics to the vulnerable outsiders caught in the story’s emotional crossfire.
Visually, The Car Man is striking. Lez Brotherston’s evocative designs perfectly capture the sun-baked, grease-stained world of Harmony, while Chris Davey’s atmospheric lighting shifts effortlessly between romance, suspense and outright menace.
Despite its glamorous surface, this has some uncomfortable themes – violence, sexual obsession, repression and revenge unfold with increasing intensity, and Bourne never shies away from the darker aspects of human nature. Yet the production is never gratuitous; every shocking moment serves the drama, making the eventual climax both devastating and inevitable.
And of course you always have to have some light to balance the shade, and there are more comedic moments to interject the suspenseful atmosphere – the steamy shower scene, for instance, is memorable!
The Car Man remains a thrilling reminder that dance can tell stories with as much emotional force as any spoken drama. It is an unforgettable evening of theatre that will leave audiences breathless.
Tickets from: atgtickets.com/MiltonKeynes
Image credit: Johan Persson