Matthew Bourne's The Car Man

Matthew Bourne's The Car Man is back at Theatre Royal Plymouth from 14 to 18 July, a run that brings one of his most well-known dance-theatre pieces back to the city. It's a loose reimagining of Bizet's opera Carmen, though you won't find any bullrings here. Instead, Bourne shifts the setting to a 1950s garage-diner in the American Mid-West, and the story follows a small town whose dreams and passions are shattered by the arrival of a handsome, enigmatic stranger. From there, the community spirals into greed, lust, betrayal and revenge.

It's a narrative-heavy show, and that's a good way to describe it: the story is told through dance rather than dialogue, so you follow the plot through the movement on stage. The music comes from Terry Davies and Rodion Shchedrin's Carmen Suite, which keeps the spirit of the original opera while fitting the mid-century American setting. It holds a unique spot in the New Adventures repertoire as the only piece Bourne has based on an opera, and it's widely known for how intensely it handles the storytelling.

There are a few things to keep in mind before you book. The show contains scenes of a sexual nature, brief nudity, strobe lighting and gunshots, and the age guideline is 12+. If you're bringing younger ones, that's worth noting. Tickets start from £36, and the run goes from Tuesday 14 July through to Saturday 18 July at the Theatre Royal.