The Car Man
Sadlers Wells
5/5 based on 2 reviews (read reviews)- Opens: Tuesday, 28 July 2026 -
Booking until: Saturday, 29 August 2026 - Running time: 1hr 55 min. Incl. 1 Interval.
The Car Man description
Fancy a thrilling, sexy, sensational ballet? You'll adore The Car Man.
The Car Man is an award-winner by Matthew Bourne, loosely inspired by Bizet's beloved opera Carmen. This is your chance to experience the soaring delights of the thrilling music, based on Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin's Bolshoi Ballet version of Bizet's 1875 opera with additional music by Terry Davies.
The plot roughly follows James M. Cain's 1934 novel The Postman Always Rings Twice, and the two movies of the same name. The result isn't what you'd usually expect from a ballet, with frank scenes of sex, violence and homoeroticism. As you can imagine, all this, combined with the music, makes it an explosive experience.
Instead of Bizet's 1800s Spanish cigarette factory, the setting is a greasy 1950s garage-diner in the American Midwest, where a mysterious and enigmatic stranger arrives to shatter the dreams of the small town's residents. Before long, everyone is hurled into a lethal spiral of greed, lust, betrayal and revenge.
This blistering thriller, like no other, is directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne, with Music by Terry Davies and Rodion Shchedrin's Carmen Suite, itself written after Bizet's Carmen. The Design comes from Lez Brotherston, the Sound is by Paul Groothuis, and the Lighting comes from Chris Davey. Expect a contemporary musical dance extravaganza that fires the senses to leave you breathless.
A huge success since its premiere in the year 2000, The Car Man tickets deliver you to an unusually powerful piece of modern dance theatre.
Playing at Sadlers Wells
Age restrictions
Age 12+. Children under 5 are not permitted into the theatre
Important information
This production uses haze & theatrical smoke effects, and a gunshot effect.
Performance Times
The Car Man news
06Apr