Hottest ticket in town: Matthew Bourne's The Car Man (Saddler's Wells, London)

Matthew Bourne and his New Adventures prove that a British summer can be scorching hot. With its tale of passion, lust and murder, The Car Man steams up Sadler's Wells and now goes into its final week of performances. Originally premiered in 2000 with a first revival in 2007, The Car Man draws its audiences into a mesmerising dance thriller following Bourne's style of postmodern re-readings of classic narratives. The story of gypsy Carmen initially published as novella by Prosper Merimee in 1845 set the path for numerous adaptations in different genres including Georges Bizet's well known opera in 1875 and Roland Petit's 1949 ballet version. With Alberto Alonso's 1967 version for the Moscow Bolshoi, Rodion Shchedrin's revised score of Bizet's opera has become the standard accompaniment to this tale of the quintessential seductress. Terry Davies reworked parts of Shchedrin's score adding numbers based on the opera to expand for Bourne's version that now presents a highly rhythmic set of dance numbers compellingly visualised by Bourne's choreography.

In his adaption, Bourne uses his standard repertoire of gender swap to create the highly cinematic narrative of Luca who appears in the American town of Harmony to  seduce Lana the garage owner's wife. Christopher Trenfield's stunning performance as Luca sits well with Zizi Strallen's hypnotic eroticism. Both carry the narrative of murder and revenge through their electrifying connection. Is it Luca who seduces Lana or Lana Luca? The solo variations of both flirt, tease and incorporate humorous moments. Liam Mower excels as underdog Angelo whose desire for Luca creates a love triangle that is rendered into a beautiful duet of two simultaneous solos. His highly skilled change in expression from boyish soft to ice cold and capable of murder equals the iconic dichotomy of black and white swan. The latter results in an eery duet between Angelo and Rita leading to a surprising show down of the narrative.

Manifold cinematic influences flow into the performance with The Postman always rings twice as the most prominent one. American stereotypes in costume and visuals appear together with a drunk car race echoes various US films. At moments, imagery is reminiscent of James Dean and his era. The Spanish tones of the score are masterfully choreographed into the American setting by Bourne's skill and attention to detail. Highly rhythmic movement visualises the accompaniment by presenting fast paced and fluid patterns. Spanish rhythms are translated into American folk dances offering a stylised version of these. Most memorable image, however, is the steaming hot shower scene of part one. Luckily, ice cream is readily available during the interval to cool down and refresh.

With the last performances sold out, Bourne and his New Adventures prove themselves magnets to audiences through superb entertainment and astonishing performances. A live recording of the performance will be broadcast tonight Monday 3rd August at 8pm on SkyArts for those fans that were disappointed in getting tickets.