Matthew Bourne's 'The Car Man' will play at the Royal Albert Hall in June 2021

The reimagined dance production of Bizet's Carmen will be onstage for 14 performances.

UPDATE: New dates added 19 Apr. 2021.

As part of the 150th anniversary of the Royal Albert Hall, the venue and New Adventures announced today that Matthew Bourne's celebrated dance piece The Car Man will play at the Royal Albert Hall for 14 performances. Performances will run from 9 - 19 Jun. 2022.

"We're so incredibly excited to welcome The Car Man to the Royal Albert Hall as a highlight of our anniversary celebrations," Lucy Noble, Artistic Director at the Royal Albert Hall said in a statement. "This is one of modern dance's most thrilling shows, and to see it specially adapted to the scale and grandeur of this spectacular space promises to be an unforgettable experience."

Based on Bizet's Carmen, Bourne's piece transports the 19th-century Spanish cigarette factory to a 1960s American garage diner. The show features Rodion Shchedrin's "Carmen Suite"  and new arrangements of Bizet's legendary score by New Adventures Associate Artist, Terry Davies. 

"The Car Man may have found its perfect setting in the epic and spectacular surroundings of Britain's favourite venue, the Royal Albert Hall," Bourne said in a statement. "This unique and iconic landmark will only heighten the visceral thrill and emotional highs of a piece already regarded as a classic favourite in the New Adventures repertoire. As a lifelong lover and supporter of the Royal Albert Hall, I am delighted to be a part of its 150th birthday celebrations! it is a real career highlight for me to present my work here for the first time and create what will no doubt be, an important moment in New Adventures history.

Whether you have seen The Car Man before or not, you will not want to miss this re-imagined 'event' production of the show in an expanded staging that will also be a celebration of our return to live performance after more than fifteen months - We cannot wait to welcome you back too!."