★★★★★
Matthew Bourne’s award winning The Midnight Bell is back! And I was lucky enough to attend the show’s opening night at Liverpool’s Everyman Playhouse.
The piece is inspired by the novels of Patrick Hamilton, though it is not a pastiche. Bourne creates his narrative by taking characters and stories from the books and playfully mixing them together whilst adding in his own fictional scenarios to expand the characters’ milieu. Hamilton’s stories feature ordinary, working-class people and the pubs they frequent—which in 1930’s writing is rather unusual! But this is what drew Bourne’s creative fancy; the excitement of having so much content to work with which wasn’t just typically happy or sad.
The Midnight Bell is a striking piece of dance theatre—the characters are dynamic and well developed, not to mention expertly danced. I was also very impressed by the quality of the acting in the show; as her 2022 Dance Award for Outstanding Female Modern Performance would suggest, Michela Meazza perfectly captures the reluctance of a lonely spinster falling for someone new and Andy Monaghan carries the turmoil of queerness in a less-than-welcoming era in his movements with great impact. Will Bozier delivers several particularly impressive and engaging solos which are immersive and emotional for the audience to watch. The dramatic effect created on stage during Bozier’s solos is supported by the excellent sound design of Paul Groothius and lighting by Paule Constable.
This show follows the many diverging paths of human desire with memorable motifs and forays into fantasy which both build well-rounded characters and explore the complexities of all the emotions which inevitably come with a love affair. The full performance is totally absorbing, and at times it is hard to know where to look! However, in the post-show Q&A, Bourne assures the audience that the piece is constructed carefully, so that you never miss the moments you need to see. Furthermore, the sense that you may get captured in one story and miss another mimics the dilemma we often face in life: it is only at the end that we realise that we didn’t miss anything we needed after all.
“Gorgeously crafted” – Nathan Powell, Everyman Creative Director
Lez Brotherston’s beautiful costuming and brilliant set design bring The Midnight Bell to life! A special mention of the show’s props is also in order, as I was especially impressed by a wet umbrella in the rain, and the seamless circulation of drinks glasses in the pub. Many of the show’s scenes are staged in an unstraightforward manner, but the set is versatile and easily accommodates the playfulness of Bourne’s multi-faceted choreography.
In all, The Midnight Bell is a spectacle not to be missed. Truly one of the most enchanting pieces of dance theatre I have ever seen, it’s inventive and simultaneously classic. It isn’t hard to see why Sir Matthew Bourne has revived these “intoxicated tales from darkest Soho” for a second run! The show is playing at Liverpool’s Everyman Playhouse until 20 September before it moves on to Sheffield. Buy tickets on the Everyman website before it’s gone!
Words by Martha Luke
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