This is dance exploring different love stories. Matthew Bourne’s Midnight Bell was first made in 2021 inspired by the loneliness of lockdown. It returns on tour this year and certainly did not disappoint in York. The theatre was at full capacity and the audience were entranced and taken in totally by the show which mesmorised them right from the start. It is a production with no words, just music and a few old-time vocals.

Set in 1930s London, colourful characters emerge at night to meet in the Midnight Bell Tavern and there the relationships between them all come to pass. Bourne’s characters are normal, working class people and it does not take long for the audience to be drawn into their very different characters. The dancers are simply superb as they danced us through scenario after scenario; at different paces and through different emotions. The play seeks to highlight the complexities of human relationships and succeeds in our opinion. Could a young prostitute combine happily with a tortured romantic? Could a cad fall for a barmaid? Who would take on out-of-town actress? The audience could be forgiven for losing the storyline at times due to its complexity but that didn’t take away the enjoyment of the production at all.

Bourne cleverly blurs traditional gender roles which works well; just as he did in another of his acclaimed shows Swan Lake where all the usually female cast of swans, are played by men. In the Midnight Bell, he has actresses miming to male vocals. It all just works and challenges our perceptions of what a ‘ballet’ should look like.

The set was clever; bars, beds, cinemas and London streets came and went. The way the different couples danced around using the same bed for their different scenes was an excellent vision by the creative team.

If we were to pick someone out of the incredible dance troupe for a special mention, it would be Michela Meazza for her strong, lively performance as Miss Roach, the lonely spinster. She had excellent stage presence throughout.

It was raunchy to say the least; drama, tragedy and much, much more. The applause went on for ages...

The Midnight Bell continues at York Theatre Royal until 7th June
More information here

For northern tour dates click here