Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell to tour in 2025 including Sadler’s Wells in London

A revival of Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell from his dance company New Adventures is set to tour the UK in 2025.

The tour starts at the Everyman Theatre Cheltenham on 15 May 2025, and then tours for 17 weeks, including London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre from 10 to 21 June 2025. Other dates include Bath, Truro, York, Leicester, Salford, Newcastle, Northampton, Plymouth, Brighton, Nottingham, Norwich, Liverpool, Sheffield, and Bradford.

The Midnight Bell is inspired by novelist Patrick Hamilton (Twenty Thousand Streets Under The Sky, Hangover Square), and set in London in the 1930s.

In the dance show, working class London 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.

Trailer: Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell

The Midnight Bell is 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 show originally premiered in 2021, scoring five nominations at the 2022 National Dance Awards, with Matthew Bourne winning the award for Best Modern Choreography and Michela Meazza for Outstanding Female Modern Performance.

Casting of the 14 dancers for The Midnight Bell is to be announced.

Joining Matthew Bourne in the creative team are: Music by Terry Davies, Set and costume design by Lez Brotherston, Lighting design by Paule Constable, and Sound design by Paul Groothuis.

Matthew Bourne said in a statement: “The Midnight Bell with its entangled tales of lonely souls, looking for love, was rather appropriately the piece that brought us back to National touring following nearly two years away due to the covid pandemic in 2021. At that time audiences and company were masked and socially distanced but immensely grateful to be back and particularly with a piece that explored the deep-rooted need for human connection. Touring was necessarily limited and audience confidence still slowly returning so I am particularly thrilled to be bringing back this heart-felt piece and to be presenting it in many venues for the first time. This was a truly collaborative work with all of my celebrated creative team delivering their very best work, along with an all-star cast of the cream of New Adventures most beloved stars along with the best of our emerging talent. We look forward to, once again, opening the doors of The Midnight Bell in 2025… please join us… mines a gin and tonic!”

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake is also returning this year to UK theatres, including Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London, to celebrate its 30th anniversary.

Matthew Bourne is currently directing and choreographing Cameron Mackintosh’s new production of Oliver!, which starts its West End run at the Gielgud Theatre on 14 December.

More about tickets to Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell – London & UK Tour