Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell tells its story without words. On a small Liverpool Playhouse stage, solitary characters leave cramped rooms and gather in a smoky 1930s Soho pub. Each dancer seeks connection, and the tight space makes every hope and heartbreak feel immediate.
The performance unfolds a wordless dance drama set in the underpasses and back streets of 1930s London. Inspired by Patrick Hamilton’s interwar tales, it tracks a cast of solitary figures escaping claustrophobic lodgings into the smoky glow of a Soho pub, each craving companionship and relief. At the Liverpool Playhouse, that yearning feels immediate, as the compact stage magnifies every moment of hope, tension and regret.
Performance and Choreography
The show moves through a series of short, vivid scenes all set inside one pub. Dancers drift in and out of:
- Solo moments that reveal tiny details of character.
- Duets charged with longing or tension.
- Group patterns where bodies interweave without touching.
- The choreography in The Midnight Bell unfolds like a series of intimate vignettes staged within a single pub set. Bourne crafts each movement sequence to reveal character and mood: dancers drift in and out of small solos, duets and group patterns, their bodies tracing emotional contours that feel both grounded and heightened. Transitions are smooth yet charged, so a casual lean against the bar can suddenly swell into a moment of intense yearning or silent heartbreak.
- On that pub floor, six couples share the same physical space but never physically meet—each pair occupies a shifting patch of space, gliding past one another with razor-sharp timing. The choreography masters this careful spatial juggling, letting spotlighted fragments of action overlap without ever colliding. You sense the ebb and flow of desire as footsteps and glances crisscross amid period-style furniture and props, evoking the pulsating energy of 1930s Soho.
- Bourne’s movement vocabulary blurs the line between formal ballet and everyday gesture. A dancer might extend a line with classical precision one moment, then replicate the simple act of pouring a pint or brushing hair aside the next. Those small, almost mundane details become charged with subtext—every tilt of the head or hesitation at a doorway reveals unspoken back stories of hope, regret or longing.
- Through light, sound and meticulously timed choreography, The Midnight Bell becomes a portrait of human connection in miniature. The displacement of direct contact heightens the emotional impact: isolation lives alongside desire, and every fleeting intersection—eye contact across the room, parallel rhythms of two strangers—resonates with a haunting, almost cinematic intensity.
Design and Atmosphere
Lez Brotherston’s set brings 1930s London to life with:
- A weathered pub front framed by bare window panes
- A lonely phone booth tucked to one side
- Foggy street corners suggested by simple panels
- Perfectly in tune 1930’s costumes
Paule Constable’s lighting bathes the stage in dusky blues and sepia tones, turning dancers into moving shadows. Paul Groothius’s sound design stitches in jazz music, distant sirens, and the clink of glasses, whisking us back in time perfectly in tune with the 1930’s.
Emotional Impact
Without any dialogue, the dancers convey both hope and despair. Flirtations flip into jealousy. Gentle kisses tremble with anxiety. Moments of warmth can shatter without warning. One intense pas de deux shows how performance can both protect and expose the soul. By the end, you feel both comforted and unsettled.
Conclusion
The Midnight Bell is pure Matthew Bourne: inventive choreography, evocative design, and a haunting mood. There’s little plot here, but every glance and gesture speaks volumes. In this dimly lit pub, you’re reminded that even the smallest spark of connection can shine brightest in the darkest places.
An absolute must for Mathew Bourne fans and fans of contemporary dance in general.
Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell runs at the Playhouse Theatre until 20 September. Tickets are available via everymanplayhouse.com/event/matthew-bournes-the-midnight-bell.
