New Adventures has announced casting for The Car Man, Matthew Bourne’s award-winning dance thriller, which returns for a UK tour in 2026, including a run at 
Milton Keynes Theatre from Tue 7 – Sat 11 Jul.
The title role of the magnetic Luca, “The Car Man”, will be performed by Will Bozier and Harrison Dowzell, both former lead Swans in Swan Lake. They are joined by New Adventures favourites Cordelia Braithwaite and Ashley Shaw as the captivating Lana. Rising talents Leonardo McCorkindale and Harry Ondrak-Wright take on the role of troubled outsider Angelo, while Anna Maria de Freitas and Kurumi Kamayachi make their leading role debuts as Rita, Lana’s devoted sister. Danny Reubens and the original “Car Man” Alan Vincent appear as Lana’s jealous husband, Dino.
They are joined by fellow residents of the small American town of “Harmony”, including Jack Frame, Serena McCall, Rae Miller, Jack Widdowson and Karishma Young, all making their New Adventures debut, alongside returning performers Tanisha Addicott, Jamie Duncan-Campbell, Cameron Flynn, Rory Macleod, Callum Mann, Eleanor McGrath, Jarrod McWilliams, Eve Ngbokota, Nikolas Shikkis, Xavier Andriambolanoro-Sotiya and Lyra Treglown.
Matthew Bourne said today:
“As we announce a thrilling new 2026 cast for our dance thriller, THE CAR MAN, it’s interesting to reflect on how iconic, unique and sought after the leading roles in this show have become since it was made in 2000. We are still the only company in the world to perform this production and yet the roles of Luca, Lana, Angelo, Rita and Dino have become as legendary as the show itself and a unique part of the UK dance landscape for several generations of young dancers. I’m proud that New Adventures never just “revives” a show; we re-invent, question and grow with each new cast which is why I’m so excited to revisit the small town of Harmony this summer and, much like Luca himself, shake things up a bit!”
The Car Man was first staged 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 most recently revived in 2022 for Royal Albert Hall’s 150th anniversary, where the expanded production received widespread acclaim and standing ovations. This marks the first UK tour of the production since 2015.
Loosely inspired by Carmen, the production features one of the most recognisable scores in New Adventures’ repertoire. The story reimagines a 19th-century Spanish cigarette factory as a gritty 1950s garage-diner in the American Midwest, where the arrival of a mysterious stranger disrupts a small town, setting off a chain of passion, jealousy and betrayal.
Directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne, The Car Man features music by Terry Davies and Rodion Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite (after Bizet’s Carmen), with sound by Paul Groothuis, lighting by Chris Davey and design by Lez Brotherston.
Performances run at Milton Keynes Theatre from Tue 7 – Sat 11 Jul. Tickets are available now.
