Matthew Bourne’s Award-Winning Show, The Midnight Bell, Returns To Liverpool Playhouse This September

CITY OF LIVERPOOL, LIVERPOOL CITY REGION.

New Adventures Make A Welcome Return To Liverpool To Perform World Famous Choreographer Matthew Bourne’s Award-Winning, The Midnight Bell, Bringing Intoxicated Tales From Darkest Soho To The Playhouse This September

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Liverpool audiences have long embraced Bourne’s distinctive storytelling, with the multi-hyphenate creative returing to bring his dark and gritty show, The Midnight Bell, to Liverpool.

After their sold-out run of Swan Lake at the Liverpool Empire Theatre earlier this year, The Midnight Bell is set to be another highlight. Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell is inspired by the work of the great English novelist Patrick Hamilton (Twenty Thousand Streets Under The Sky, Hangover Square) who created some of the most authentic fiction of his era; stories borne out of years of social interactions with the working man and woman at his favourite location - the London Pub.

The cast features fourteen of New Adventures’ finest leading actor/dancers. They are Cordelia Braithwaite, Reece Causton, Glenn Graham, Daisy May Kemp, Hannah Kremer, Michela Meazza, Andy Monaghan, Liam Mower, Dominic North, Bryony Pennington, Edwin Ray, Danny Reubens, Ashley Shaw and Alan Vincent.

For nearly 30 years these dancers have between them performed leading roles to critical acclaim in every production in Matthew Bourne’s repertoire, in the UK and internationally.

“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.” - Matthew Bourne, The Midnight Bell's Director, Deviser & Choreographer.

Director, Deviser and Choreographer, 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.”

He added: “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 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 premiered to great acclaim in 2021 and received 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.

Set and costume design is by Liverpool-born Lez Brotherston (The Red Shoes, Sleeping Beauty, Edward Scissorhands, Swan Lake), who began his career at the Playhouse Youth Theatre. Music is by Olivier Award-winner Terry Davies (Play Without Words). Lighting design is by Paule Constable, a two-time Tony Award winner for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and War Horse. Sound design is by Paul Groothuis (Nutcracker!, Sleeping Beauty, Edward Scissorhands).

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.

There’s an audio-described performance on Friday 19 September at 7.30pm. A post-show discussion with Director, Deviser and Choreographer Matthew Bourne, hosted by the theatre’s Creative Director Nathan Powell, will take place after the performance on Tuesday 16 September. It is free to attend with a ticket for that evening’s show and the post-show discussion will be British Sign Language interpreted.

The Midnight Bell runs from from Tuesday the 16th to Saturday the 20th of September 2025. Tickets are priced from £12 to £47 and are available at The Everyman & Playhouse website.