\n Back then it was an experience to be sipped and relished like fine wine.\n<\/p>\n
\n I am happy to report that it gets even better with age.\n<\/p>\n
\n In fact, it is timeless . . .\n<\/p>\n
\n Not a word is spoken in under two hours, but the dance speaks volumes.\n<\/p>\n
\n It soars and soothes.\n<\/p>\n
\n It hits, comforts and shocks you as the ensemble of ten dancers transport you back to the rain-drenched, fog-swirling London of the 30s and in an around the Midnight Bell – a public house in seedy Soho – we fall in love with characters whether we want to or not . . . a bit like real life.\n<\/p>\n
\n Imagine stepping into familiar classic paintings. Here we visually complete a jigsaw puzzle Director and choreographer Matthew invites you to fit in each piece with your own senses.\n<\/p>\n
\n At times it seems like a split-screen on stage – a visual treat with so much going on at any one time.\n<\/p>\n
\n All the characters weave into the separate stories that are beautifully played out.\n<\/p>\n
\n We meet a range of flawed individuals including: an out-of-work actress, a tortured romantic, a spiv-like cad, a prostitute, a jilted barmaid and care-free waiter.\n<\/p>\n
\n All the dancers tug at the heartstrings and Michela Meazza is outstanding as a lonely spinster who conveys the melancholy aura of a lost Hollywood star.\n<\/p>\n
\n There are two male characters who enjoy a secretive affair that dare not speak its name, The stories takes place on a truly magnificent set from Les Brotherston who created the period costumes.\n<\/p>\n
\n It is a time when phone kiosks worked – years before a world where we are not stressed by social media.\n<\/p>\n
\n Oh to be in a past England without mobile phones. Nostalgic feelings washed over me.\n<\/p>\n
\n There is top-notch lighting from Paul Constable in this faultless production and Paul Groothuis deserves a special mention for the stunning sound design – you hear birdsong, Big Ben, signs of passion and the piercing silences of rejection.\n<\/p>\n
\n And there are wonderful lip-sync songs that charm and delight.\n<\/p>\n
\n Composer Terry Davies is also a storyteller in his own vivid way.\n<\/p>\n
\n When I see Midnight Bell I am reminded of Billy Joel’s Piano man with its panoramic character sketches of real people.\n<\/p>\n
\n And The Beatles’ classic You Won’t See Me where Lennon and McCartney tell us that ‘love has a nasty habit of disappearing overnight.’\n<\/p>\n
\n This is Sir Matthew Bourne at his most illuminating. It is his unique love letter to love itself.\n<\/p>\n
\n VERDICT: Heart-breaking and life-affirming: Five stars.\n<\/p>\n