New Adventures has announced that Matthew Bourne’s award-winning dance thriller The Car Man will return for a 2026 UK tour, visiting Birmingham Hippodrome in 2026.

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.

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.

The Car Man comes to Birmingham Hippodrome from Tuesday 13 October - Saturday 17 October 2026. Tickets will go on sale to Friends of Birmingham Hippodrome on Thursday 20 November at 11am and on general sale on Monday 24 November at 11am at birminghamhippodrome.com