Casting revealed for 'The Car Man' at Sadler's Wells

Loosely based on Bizet’s opera, Bourne's The Car Man transposes the piece from a 19th century Spanish cigarette factory to a greasy 1950s garage-diner in the American Mid-West.

Casting has been revealed for Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man, which heads to Sadler’s Wells in London for a five-week summer season as part of a UK tour.

The title role of Luca, “The Car Man”, will be played by Will Bozier and Harrison Dowzell, both former lead Swans in Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake. Cordelia Braithwaite and Ashley Shaw will play Lana, with Leonardo McCorkindale and Harry Ondrak-Wright as Angelo, and Anna Maria de Freitas and Kurumi Kamayachi as Lana’s sister, Rita. Danny Reubens and the original “Car Man”, Alan Vincent, will portray Lana’s husband, Dino.

Joining them in the cast are Jack Frame, Serena McCall, Rae Miller, Jack Widdowson and Karishma Young, who all make their New Adventures debuts in the production, alongside returning New Adventures performers, Tanisha Addicott, Jamie Duncan-Campbell, Cameron Flynn, Rory Macleod, Callum Mann, Eleanor McGrath, Jarrod McWilliams, Eve Ngbokota, Nikolas Shikkis, Xavier Andriambolanoro-Sotiya and Lyra Treglown.

Bourne said: “As we announce a thrilling new 2026 cast for our dance thriller, The Car Man, it’s interesting to reflect on how iconic, unique and sought after the leading roles in this show have become since it was made in 2000. We are still the only company in the world to perform this production and yet the roles of Luca, Lana, Angelo, Rita and Dino have become as legendary as the show itself and a unique part of the UK dance landscape for several generations of young dancers.

"I’m proud that New Adventures never just “revives” a show; we re-invent, question and grow with each new cast which is why I’m so excited to revisit the small town of Harmony this summer and, much like Luca himself, shake things up a bit!”

Loosely based on Bizet’s opera, Bourne's The Car Man transposes the piece from a 19th century Spanish cigarette factory to a greasy 1950s garage-diner in the American Mid-West. The dreams and passions of a small-town are shattered by the arrival of a handsome and enigmatic stranger.

The Car Man also has music by Terry Davies and Rodion Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite (after Bizet’s Carmen), with sound by Paul Groothuis, lighting by Chris Davey and design by Lez Brotherston.

Book The Car Man tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Photo credit: Harrison Dowzell and Will Bozier. (Courtesy of production)