Matthew Bourne’s ‘The Midnight Bell’ opens its doors at Lowry, Salford and is an evocative, tightly-woven character study of yearning, loneliness and fleeting connection, played out in early 1930s London. Inspired by the writings of Patrick Hamilton (Hangover Square, Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky), Bourne’s latest work is intimate, aching, yet still unforgettable.  

In a London pub, the titular Midnight Bell, is where ten lives collide. Lez Brotherston’s set design layers the space with smoky realism: misty streetlamps, and a stage that elegantly shifts us from bar to bedsit to pavement whilst rarely losing its grip on pace. The palette is washed-out, the light sepia-tone echoing the faded glamour of a city in the grasp of The Great Depression- all aided by Paule Constable’s atmospheric lighting design. Costumes (also designed by Brotherston)-sharp suits, tea dresses, fraying uniforms- are perfectly pitched- side-stepping caricature and leaning into realism.    

Terry Davies’ score, partly original and partly drawing from 1930s standards, pulses beneath Bourne’s choreography with uneasy restraint. Its understated lushness wraps the stories in nostalgia and regret, while Paul Groothuis’ sound design overlays the whole piece with a tangible atmosphere: crackling radios, clinking glasses, and prolonged white noise that makes for excruciatingly uncomfortable episodes of unease.   

The New Adventures company delivers with striking precision. Ashley Shaw brings depth and poignancy to Jenny Maple, a young sex worker. Michela Meazza is quietly devastating as Miss Roach, a prim spinster grasping for affection with brittle dignity. Her physicality is exquisitely detailed: a hesitant lean, a desperate pause.  

Dominic North opens the piece with a dreamy introduction of Bob the waiter- played with a quiet resignation whose first solo is marked by an aching desire for a life akin to the stories which enriched the golden age of Hollywood. It sets the tone for the whole production: lives lived in half-light, emotions buried under social awkwardness, unspoken rules and desires to match.   

Perhaps the most moving thread is the slowly unfolding connection between Frank (Andy Monaghan) and Albert (Liam Mower), two men whose tentative courtship is shaped by repression and fear. Bourne avoids sentimentality; their duets are simple, careful, and loaded with the weight of what cannot be said. Mower and Monaghan dance with an emotional honesty that pierces through the stillness.   

If ‘The Midnight Bell’ doesn’t hit with the kinetic energy of Bourne’s more overtly theatrical works, it is because its strength lies in subtlety. There’s a discipline to this piece- both choreographically, narratively and thematically- that reflects the emotional straightjackets of its characters. The second act may linger a little too long in some moments. Lip-synced segments often overstretch and the climax may not land as heavily as it could, but the cumulative effect is haunting, nonetheless.   

Ultimately, this is a portrait of humanity as seen through the haze of whiskey, longing and regret. Bourne, alongside a stellar creative team, crafts a world where the music swells just after the moment has passed, where love is always just out of reach, and where, in the corner of a tired pub, lives unfold quietly, beautifully, and with subtle impact. 

Playing at Lowry until Saturday July 5th before continuing a tour of the UK. Further details and booking information can be found here.

Tickets received in exchange for an honest review.

Photography by Johan Persson.