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New Era of Entertainment was promised, and now Eastbourne Theatres are delighted to announce that Matthew Bourne’s award-winning dance thriller THE CAR MAN will return to Eastbourne’s own Congress Theatre 18 – 21 November as part of its extensive 2026 UK tour.
Loosely based on Bizet’s ever-popular opera, THE CAR MAN has one of the most thrilling and instantly recognisable scores in New Adventures’ repertoire. 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.
Matthew Bourne said: “I never dreamed when we created this show at the beginning of the new millennium that it would still be around, thrilling audiences, 25 years later! Inspired by vintage movie film noir classics, it holds a unique and special place in the New Adventures repertory as the only piece based on an opera and possibly the first ballet to feature a bi-sexual anti-hero! I’m particularly happy that we are taking the show “on the road” again after more than 10 years and I can’t wait to re-visit the hot and steamy town of Harmony USA!”
THE CAR MAN was first seen in 2000, winning the Evening Standard Award for Musical Event of the Year and the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for Best Choreography. It was last seen in a unique revival for The Royal Albert Halls 150th Birthday in 2022. This expanded production received rave reviews and nightly standing ovations. However, this will be the first time THE CAR MAN has toured since 2015 and the first time the company have performed in Eastbourne in over two decades!
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.
Book now and allow THE CAR MAN to ignite your senses and leave you breathless. Congress Theatre 18 – 21 November 2026. Tickets from £26 available at eastbournetheatres.co.uk. Box Office 01323 412000. ENDS.
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