Cast announced for Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man at London’s Royal Albert Hall

Casting has been announced for Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man at London’s Royal Albert Hall this summer.

New Adventures and the Royal Albert Hall are to present a reimagined version of the dance show for the Royal Albert Hall’s 150th Anniversary, featuring an expanded company of 65 dancers and musicians.

Directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne, The Car Man will play 14 performances only at the iconic venue from Thursday 9 – Sunday 19 June 2022.

Based on Bizet’s beloved Carmen, the production has music by Terry Davies & Rodion Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite (after Bizet’s Carmen), designs by Lez Brotherston, lighting by Chris Davey and sound by Paul Groothius.

The title role of Luca, The Car Man, will be played by Will Bozier and Richard Winsor while the role of Lana will be danced by Ashley Shaw and Zizi Strallen.

The role of Angelo will be shared by Paris Fitzpatrick and Dominic North. Rita, Lana’s older sister, will be performed by Kayla Collymore and Kate Lyons. The role of Dino, Lana’s violent husband will be played by Alan Vincent.

Completing the company are Jonathon Luke Baker (Franco), Benjamin Barlow Bazeley (Fabio), Alistair Beattie (Marcello), Stephanie Billers (Delores), Isaac Peter Bowry (Elio), Cordelia Braithwaite (Mercedes), Ben Brown (Ricardo), Reece Causton (Dirk), Jade Copas (Natalie), Harrison Dowzell (Rocco), Cameron Flynn (Roberto), Rose Goddard (Sophia), Glenn Graham (Bruno), Bryony Harrison (Frankie), Shoko Ito (Elisabetta), Monique Jonas (Bianca), Nicole Kabera (Gina), Kurumi Kamayachi (Silvana), Katrina Lyndon (Monica), Rory Macleod (Marco), Andrew Monaghan (Vito), Stephen Murray (Chad), Harry Ondrak-Wright (Lorenzo), Edwin Ray (Alberto), Danny Reubens (Hot Rod), Sam Salter (Raf), Gabrielle de Souza (Giulietta), Catrin Thomas (Claudia), Christopher Thomas (Ugo) and Bryony Wood (Elsa).

The line up of principal performers for each show will be revealed on Tuesday, 10 May.

Matthew Bourne’s vivid storytelling combines with one of the most passionately dramatic scores ever written, with musical arrangements by Terry Davies featuring Rodion Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite (after Bizet’s Carmen), to create a dance event like no other.

The 19th Century Spanish cigarette factory becomes a greasy garage-diner in 1960s America where a small-town’s dreams are shattered by the arrival of a handsome stranger. Fuelled by heat and desire, the inhabitants are driven into an unstoppable spiral of greed, lust, betrayal and revenge.

For tickets and more information, visit www.royalalberthall.com

About the author: Josh Darvill

Josh is Stageberry's editor with over five years of experience writing about theatre in the West End and across the UK. Prior to following his passion for musicals, he worked for more than a decade as a TV journalist.