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REVIEW | Matthew Bourne's The Car Man, UK Tour - The Lowry, Salford
- Harry Brogan
- Jun 24
- 3 min read
AD | Tickets gifted in exchange of an honest review
TW/CW: contains scenes of a sexual nature, brief nudity, strobe lighting and gunshots.
Matthew Bourne’s latest revival of The Car Man, the show inspired by Bizet’s opera Carmen, is currently on its latest UK and European tour. A small town in Mid-Western America is in the heart of a series of greed, betrayal and revenge, due to the arrival of an enigmatic stranger, with dreams and passions being shattered in the process.
A massive strength of The Car Man is how well all of the technical elements compliment each other, to help entice the audience, and make them believe that they are in the converted garage. The set and costumes were designed by Lez Brotherston, and while fairly minimal, it is the right amount to not overcrowd the stage, and still manages to make the 1950s come to life, as well as portraying what life was like at the time. Alongside this, Chris Davey’s lighting complimented Bourne’s choreography, highlighting certain aspects at certain times, and diminishing what was necessary. Certain scenes that needed lights to depict vehicles were used well, and Davey’s designs often worked alongside Brotherston's, creating the illusion of moving vehicles, and contrasting lighter aspects against those that needed to be darker. My only downside of this is the use of the projector at the start and the end, which isn’t the clearest, but is still used effectively enough.
Bourne’s choreography was complimented by the music, which was created by Terry Davies & Rodion Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite, with there being a range of upbeat and emotional numbers. I thoroughly enjoyed how they envisioned the Act 2 opener, and how the lightness of both the music and choreography heavily contradicted the heaviness and deeper moments at the end of Act 1. These contradiction's worked perfectly, to help with the flow of the story, and engrossing audiences throughout. Alongside the music and choreography, the sound, designed by Paul Groothuis, was an excellent quality, and filled the auditorium spectacularly, to ensure that everyone felt part of the story.
The cast of this production also added excellent value to the overall experience, with their storytelling perfectly complimenting all of the hard work that Bourne has put into his adaptation of the famous opera. With many cast members being on stage for longer periods of time, and being able to change quickly between dance styles, it made the show incredibly smooth, and on the same strong level of all of Bourne’s previous productions. The fact that all of the dancers have had some training with Bourne’s company, New Adventures, means that there is a constant quality that is never lacking, and has made another production of his a great night at the theatre.
Overall, Bourne and every other creative member of staff have managed to brilliantly translate one of the most popular operas of recent times into a compact, yet impactful 2 hour dance show. All elements are to one of the highest standards within the world with regards to how to put on a dance show, and will continue to draw crowds for years to come.
★★★★
Matthew Bourne's The Car Man plays at the The Lowry Theatre in Salford until 27th of June and then continues its tour around the UK and into Europe, including a stint at Sadler’s Wells. Tickets, dates and more information can be found here:
