Overview
Intoxicated tales from darkest Soho
Step inside The Midnight Bell, a tavern where one particular lonely-hearts club gathers to play out their lovelorn affairs of the heart; bitter comedies of longing, frustration, betrayal and redemption.
Inspired by the work of the great English novelist Patrick Hamilton (Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky, Hangover Square), The Midnight Bell takes us back to 1930s London, where 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.
“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.”
-Matthew Bourne
History of the Show
Matthew Bourne’s 2021 World Premiere for New Adventures explored the under-belly of 1930s London life where ordinary people emerge from cheap boarding houses nightly to pour out their passions, hopes and dreams in the pubs and bars of fog-bound Soho and Fitzrovia.
Master storyteller Bourne once again joined forces with the Olivier and Tony award-winning team of Lez Brotherston, Terry Davies, Paule Constable and Paul Groothuis for this brand new production. The cast featured twelve of New Adventures’ finest performers in roles that challenged and revealed the darker reaches of the human heart.
Following the premiere of this new work, The Midnight Bell picked up four nominations at the National Dance Awards 2022, winning two of these categories for 'Best Modern Choreography' and 'Outstanding Female Modern Performance - Michela Meazza'.
Company
Photos & Videos
News
Awards & Reviews
National Dance Awards 2022
BEST MODERN CHOREOGRAPHY (winner)
Matthew Bourne
OUTSTANDING FEMALE MODERN PERFORMANCE (winner)
Michela Meazza
OUTSTANDING MALE MODERN PERFORMANCE (nominated)
Paris Fitzpatrick
Richard Winsor
OUTSTANDING CREATIVE CONTRIBUTION (nominated)
Lez Brotherston (Designer)
Access
Find out about upcoming Audio Described performances for The Midnight Bell and venue accessibility on this page.
Download our Visual Guide to The Midnight Bell. Using words and pictures, we take you through the story and any triggers or sounds that you might want to know about in advance.
Download our Sonic Story that highlights loud and quiet moments from the performance.
The list below has the confirmed Audio Described performances for The Midnight Bell.
Audio Described Performances
Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham
Bath Theatre Royal
Hall for Cornwall
York Theatre Royal
Sadler's Wells
Leicester Curve
Lowry
Newcastle Theatre Royal
Royal & Derngate, Northampton
Theatre Royal Plymouth
Brighton Theatre Royal
Nottingham Theatre Royal
Norwich Theatre Royal
Liverpool Playhouse
Sheffield Lyceum
Alhambra, Bradford
Audio Described Poster
Audio Described Clip
For an example of audio description, see the clip below.
You can find more information about each venue's accessibility and access provisions on our dedicated venue pages.
Direct links to each venue can be found in the listings above.