Carmel ThomasonIt is doubtful that Matthew Bourne’s ‘The Car Man’ could have arrived at Lowry on a better week. For while you might get some respite from the current heat wave in the theatre’s air-conditioned auditorium, things are about to get much hotter on stage. And stepping from the stifling weather outside only intensifies the atmosphere of this steamy dance thriller.
Fasten your seat belts because you’re in for a ride, with no let-up in this roller coaster of a two-hour show.
It opens on a scene reminiscent of ‘Grease’ – a stage full of muscly young men working on cars and girls in swinging circle skirts working the nearby bar. The familiarity of Bizet’s Carmen score, with additional orchestration by Terry Davies, immediately draws us into the life of small-town Harmony. Its vibrancy is matched by the energy of Bourne’s choreography. Everywhere you look there are pairs of dancers, each telling their own story of playful youth, seduction and lust. When in the first five minutes dancers strip off and head for a cold shower Bourne sends the audience a tongue-in-cheek knowing that this show too darn hot for its own good.
As you’ve probably guessed, this isn’t the Carmen opera in a dance form. Rather Bourne has taken the essence of the tale along with the music to create something new, but equally thrilling. Bourne’s new story takes the desire and violence of the original and layers it with the noir fatalism of James M. Cain’s novel ‘The Postman Always Rings Twice’, giving the piece a sticky inevitability.
Here the handsome drifter is Luca, an imposing and mysterious Will Bozier. He crackles with sexual energy attracting both men and women and destroying any chance Harmony had of living up to its name.
His first conquest is the beautiful and feisty Lana (Cordelia Braithwaite), a name that nods to Lana Turner who played Cora in the 1946 film version of Cain’s thriller.
Alan Vincent, who played Luca in the 2000 premiere returns now as garage owner and Lana’s abusive husband, Dino. He is a giant of a man and yet Bozier lifts him as if he weighs no more than a child.
The acting as well as the dancing from this cast is phenomenal as they draw us into their dark and complex world. Leonardo McCorkindale captures this to heartbreaking effect as young Angelo who is also captivated and seduced by this enigmatic stranger.
Betrayal and jealousy fire the story forward to its tragic end. It’s a scorcher of a show made for these hot summer nights.
Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man is at Lowry. Salford from 23-27 June 2026. Age recommendation 12+
Dave Porter
Martin Thomasson