Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man will return to Sadler’s Wells for a five-week summer season next summer as part of a UK tour in 2026.
Loosely based on Bizet’s opera, 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.
The Car Man was first seen in 2000, and was last revived for The Royal Albert Hall’s 150th Birthday in 2022. However, this will be the first time The Car Man has has toured since 2015.
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.
Tickets here from November 17, 2025.
Top image: The Car Man artwork (image supplied)