Nikolas Shikkis, Jack Widdowson, Danny Reubens and Harrison Dowzell in The Car Man [Johan Persson]

THIS is the first time New Adventures’ The Car Man, loosely based on Bizet’s Carmen, has toured since 2015.

It’s a wonderfully intense, steamy production, and the two lead dancers I saw – Harrison Dowzell as Luca, a drifter who finds work at Dino’s 1950s garage-diner, and Cordelia Braithwaite as one of his love interests – are sensational together, perfectly conveying the unbridled passion that is their undoing.

Set in the small mid-western American town of Harmony, Luca seduces both Lana, the wife of Dino (Danny Reubens), and Angelo (Leonardo McCorkindale), a shy, bullied mechanic he teaches to box.

The story may differ from Bizet’s original opera, but the themes of lust, murder and revenge still drive the plot in unexpected directions.

When Luca and Lana’s affair is discovered by Dino, they murder him and frame Angelo, who is sent to prison.

He is visited there by Lana’s sister Rita (Kurumi Kamayachi), while Luca remains haunted by Dino, beautifully conveyed by their ghostly duet in the second act.

Using Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite, a 40-minute ballet version for strings and percussion, choreographer Matthew Bourne asked regular collaborator Terry Davies to compose further music to fill out a full-length score. Played live by the orchestra, together with atmospheric sound effects, the result is thrilling.

Lez Brotherston’s set and costumes are equally striking, incorporating a playful shower room, smoky cabaret and bar, and a jailhouse as well as the garage-diner.

The entire cast attack the showpiece numbers with relish as the story builds to its gripping and violent denouement. Their energy is exhilarating to watch in this supremely dramatic, cinematic show.

Unmissable.

Until August 29
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