REVIEW: Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man at the Royal Albert Hall

Having long been a fan of Matthew Bourne’s, I was excited to see the reimagining of Bizet’s Carmen at the iconic Royal Albert Hall for its 150th birthday celebrations. Famously working his magic by modernising operas and ballets to appeal to a wider audience, The Car Man, et in 1960s America at a grubby garage-diner, is a dramatic- and steamy! - thriller. 

A small town named ‘Harmony’ becomes the scene of infidelity and murder when an attractive stranger arrives and stirs the pot, causing devastating scenes. It goes without saying that the New Adventures dancers are at the top of their game, especially when Bourne’s choreography is satisfying in every sense. 

Matthew Bourne's THE CAR MAN & CINDERELLA to be released for Cinemas and on DVD

New Adventures is delighted that Matthew Bourne’s “THE CAR MAN” is now available on DVD, with a Blu-Ray release set for Monday 11 December 2017, produced by Illuminations. The company is also thrilled to announce that Matthew Bourne’s “CINDERELLA”, filmed live at Sadler’s Wells, will be broadcast on the BBC over the Christmas period ahead of a worldwide cinema release from February 2018. 

Matthew Bourne said today, “The release of “THE CAR MAN” for home entertainment and the new recording of “CINDERELLA” for national and international broadcast is bringing the work of New Adventures to an even larger new audience who maybe do not have access to our live performances. It is part of a long held ambition to film all of our work for posterity but also as an inspirational educational tool for our work with young people.”

First seen in 2000, “THE CAR MAN” has been a smash-hit in the UK and around the world and this recording for Sky Arts was made at Sadler’s Wells during the show’s most recent revival in 2015. The DVD and Blu Ray release includes an exclusive 17-minute behind the scenes featurette, “The Making of The Car Man”.