A dance back to the grit and romance of 1930s London life on Northampton stage

Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell is inspired by the work of the great English novelist and playwright Patrick Hamilton who created some of the most authentic fiction of his era, including Twenty Thousand Streets Under The Sky, Hangover Square and Gaslight. The stories came from years of social interactions with the working man and woman at his favourite location - the London pub.

In The Midnight Bell, 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. The Midnight Bell is a tavern where one particular lonely-hearts club gather to play out their lovelorn affairs of the heart, in bitter comedies of longing, frustration, betrayal and redemption.

The Midnight Bell premiered to great acclaim in 2021 and received five nominations at the 2022 National Dance Awards, with Bourne winning the award for Best Modern Choreography and Michela Meazza for Outstanding Female Modern Performance.

Bourne said: “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.”

Bourne, arguably the most acclaimed British choreographer of his generation, is joining forces again with the Olivier and Tony award-winning team of Terry Davies (music), Lez Brotherston (set and costume design), Paule Constable (lighting design) and Paul Groothuis (sound design).

The cast features 14 of finest leading actor/dancers from Bourne’s company New Adventures in roles that challenge and reveal the darker reaches of the human heart. 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.

The Midnight Bell takes to the Derngate stage from Tuesday July 15 to Saturday July 19 at 7.30pm, with matinees at 2.30pm on the Thursday and Saturday.

Tickets can be booked online at www.royalandderngate.co.uk or by calling the box office on 01604 624811.