Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell to bring intoxicated tales from darkest Soho to Nottingham’s Theatre Royal
A troupe of talented dancers are to whisk audiences away to the pubs of 1930s Soho, London, and tell the tales of the occupants’ love and longing.
Full casting has been announced for the 2025 tour of Matthew Bourne’s award-winning The Midnight Bell — which will call at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, from Tuesday, September 2, to Saturday, September 6.
In 1930s London ordinary people emerge from cheap boarding houses nightly to pour out their passions, hopes and dreams in the pubs and fog-bound streets of Soho and Fitzrovia.
Step inside The Midnight Bell, a tavern where one particular lonely-hearts club gather to play out their lovelorn affairs of the heart; bitter comedies of longing, frustration, betrayal and redemption.
The cast features fourteen of New Adventures’ finest leading actor-dancers, who together have nearly 30 years of critically acclaimed Matthew Bourne performances under their belt.
Matthew Bourne said: “This is, without doubt, the finest company of quintessential New Adventures actor-dancers ever assembled for a single production. Together they represent nearly 30 years of critically acclaimed performances and created roles in my work.
“In fact, it would be hard to imagine a cast more perfectly suited to the challenging world of Patrick Hamilton and his exploration of the darker reaches of the human heart. I’m thrilled to welcome back many of the superb original cast, Reece Causton, Glenn Graham, Daisy May Kemp, Andrew Monaghan, Liam Mower, Bryony Pennington and Michela Meazza, who won a National Dance Award for her role in this production.
“Making their debuts in The Midnight Bell are some of New Adventures most beloved stars of the last 25 years, Cordelia Braithwaite, Dominic North, Edwin Ray, Danny Reubens, Ashley Shaw and Alan Vincent. They are also joined by rising star Hannah Kremer, most recently seen as Juliet in my ‘Romeo and Juliet’. I urge you not to miss this never to be repeated opportunity to join us for an evening at The Midnight Bell and raise a glass to the very best that New Adventures has to offer.”
The Midnight Bell is inspired by the work of English novelist Patrick Hamilton, who created authentic fictional stories borne out of years of social interactions with the working man and woman at his favourite location — the London Pub.
The production will again see Matthew Bourne join forces with the Olivier and Tony award-winning team of Terry Davies (music), Lez Brotherston (set and costume design), Paule Constable (lighting design) and Paul Groothuis (sound design).