Matthew Bourne’s coming to Newcastle twice and you won’t want to miss it

Matthew Bourne is bringing his acclaimed dance company New Adventures to Theatre Royal Newcastle not just once but twice this year, and the two shows couldn’t be more different.

Matthew’s the choreographer who reimagined Swan Lake with an all-male corps and turned The Nutcracker into a Dickensian fever dream, so when his name’s on a poster, you know you’re in for a night worth talking about. First up in September is The Car Man, a sun-scorched noir thriller.

Then next spring, Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella returns for its 30th anniversary, swapping fairy tale sparkle for wartime romance.

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THE CAR MAN – A SMOULDERING THRILLER KICKS THINGS OFF

The Car Man is coming to Theatre Royal Newcastle from Tuesday 8th to Saturday 12th September 2026, and it isn’t the Carmen you’re picturing. Matthew strips out the cigarette factory and the bullfighters, dropping you into a sweaty, sun-baked American garage diner in the 1950s. A stranger rolls into town, and what follows is pure noir: greed, lust, betrayal and revenge, set to Terry Davies’ score built around Rodion Shchedrin’s electrifying Carmen Suite.

The reviews back it up. The Observer called it a “shatteringly good piece of storytelling”, while the Daily Express described it as “thrilling and seriously sexy”. It’s rated 15+ for strobes, smoke, adult themes and a gunshot or two, so this one’s a date night pick rather than a family outing.

CINDERELLA – A WARTIME LOVE STORY FOLLOWS

Next year comes something altogether more tender. Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella comes to Theatre Royal Newcastle from Tuesday 20th April to Saturday 1st May 2027, marking 30 years since the production first took flight. Matthew moves the story to London during the Blitz, where Cinderella falls for a dashing young RAF pilot during one perfect, fleeting night before the war threatens to tear them apart.

It’s got all the romance and spectacle you’d hope for, wrapped in striking design work from Olivier winners Lez Brotherston on sets and costumes and Neil Austin on lighting, set to Prokofiev’s soaring score. It’s a little more heartache than fairy tale, but no less magical for it, suitable for ages over eight years old.

TWO VERY DIFFERENT EVENINGS AT THE THEATRE

What we love about seeing these two shows side by side is how differently Matthew can tell a story with the same toolkit. It’s the same company and the same instinct for a killer visual moment, just pointed in opposite directions. One’s a smouldering, dangerous thriller, the other’s a wartime love letter with real heart underneath the sparkle.

If you can only catch one Matthew Bourne show this year or next, either will do the job. If you can stretch to both, even better – just don’t leave it too long to book.

Theatre Royal Newcastle, 100 Grey Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 6BR

WHAT’S ON AT NEWCASTLE THEATRE ROYAL