Rambert Dance in association with Birmingham Hippodrome bring the BBC’s critically acclaimed drama, ‘Peaky Blinders’, to stage in the form of dance. This production digs deep into the relationships between characters, giving insights to origin stories and struggles that we never seen on screen. ‘Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby’ plays Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre until Saturday 4th March 2023.
Guillaume Quéau leads the narrative as Thomas Shelby, his stature and build carry strong, heavy and striking movements which ultimately lend themselves to the characterization of Thomas that we know from the series. Within the fighting sequences, Guillaume’s height and build help amplify the brutality of each punch, throw and kick. Yet there is much more vulnerability present within this performance, especially within the opening sequences of Act Two where we see Thomas struggle with loss. Ultimately Guillaume makes it viable for Thomas Shelby’s journey to be shown through movement, by portraying the storyline with such nuance and impeccable skill.
Naya Lovell as Grace Burgess shows a journey of innocence to darkness while also showcasing an intense love for Thomas Shelby. Naya’s approach to the choreography is delicate and peaceful. Yet there was a shift during the sequence of Grace’s betrayal, her movement made the audience uneasy with the choreography clearly portraying Grace’s tension. A highlight in Naya’s performance was her duet with Guillaume in act two, you see the two characters at peace with one another, it felt like closure, visually it was graceful and beautiful, albeit with some dark subtext over Thomas’ condition, but for a moment the two were reunited.
Musa Motha’s movements as Barney were incredible. The sharp and quick movements were so effective, especially in the opening World War one sequence. As the production goes on, you can’t help but keep your eyes on Musa as his approach to each movement is scene-stealing, his precision is impeccable, in the club and in the full-out brawls. Conor Kerrigan delivers the anger and brutality as Arthur, his performance truly radiates the Arthur we know from the series, Conor tackles his performance with heavy, sharp and quick movements which suit the character.
One of the most prominent characters in terms of stature and energy was Simone Damberg Würtz’s portrayal of Polly. You instantly recognized Helen McCrory’s infamous character with Simone radiating confidence, sass and also a caring undertone, especially to Adél Bálint’s Ada who shows such innocence with her gentle and rather shy demander shown through lighter and slower choreography.
The supporting cast of this production each work hard to perform some of the most visually exquisite choreography sequences on stage. Whether it’s a battle in World War One, the struggle of a work force within a 1920s Birmingham factory, a gang brawl or the struggle of heroin addiction, this is one of the most versatile and gritty dance productions you will ever see and that’s thanks to the talent of each member of this brilliant cast. The ensemble are as follows Joseph Kudra (John), Alex Joulliere (Jeremiah), Antonello Sangiradi (Changretta), Aishwarya Raut (Widow Changretta), Dylan Tedaldi (Factory Foreman) Max Day (Follies), Seren Williams, Archie White, Caiti Carpenter, Cali Hollister, Angélique Blasco & Johnathan Wade.
Benoit Swan Pouffer’s direction & choreography of this production brings the gritty, dark and thrilling world of ‘Peaky Blinders’ to stage in spectacular fashion. This is not just a dance production but an astonishing feat of physical theatre where, yes there is dance very much present to tell the narrative of the Shelbys, but there is also simplistic and nuanced movement which takes the typical activities of these gangsters and turns them into art. Steven Knight’s (CBE) storyline of this production does justice to his original television show while creating something new with a different scope for Benoit to take creative license and justify the movement present within this production. Roman Gianarthur’s music is the perfect soundtrack for this show, it enriches each scene and lifts the production. With Benjamin Zephaniah’s narration of this show helping guide audiences who might not be able to decipher the complexity of the movement on show to follow the narrative. Moi Tran’s set is simplistic yet with it’s varied levels and blank canvas it works brilliantly, especially with the bold additional set pieces that embed us in each setting. Natasha Chivers’ lighting design is simply stunning, it brings colour, depth, darkness and also hightens the raw emotion on stage. Richard Gellar’s costume design perfectly brings Steven Knight’s characters to stage, he helps immerse the audience in 1920s Birmingham.
‘Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby’ is a stunning piece of theatre from Rambert and Birmingham Hippodrome which opens dance and physical theatre up to a whole new audience. The cast and creatives of this production deliver a breathtaking visual feast, featuring some of televisions most iconic characters.
Get tickets for ‘Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby’ below:
https://www.capitaltheatres.com/whats-on/all-shows/rambert-peaky-blinders/59
Theatre Scotland 
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