Review: PEAKY BLINDERS - THE REDEMPTION OF THOMAS SHELBY, Birmingham Hippodrome - Tour
Photo credit: Cem Gültepe
We were invited to the Birmingham Hippodrome last night to see a show inspired by an extremely Birmingham centric story, Rambert Dance’s Peaky Blinders – The Redemption of Thomas Shelby.
Written by Steven Knight, Peaky Blinders follows the Shelby family. There are three brothers, Thomas, Arthur and John, who survive World War I and come back to Birmingham to take over city and beyond. The TV show captured the hearts of people around the UK and quickly went on to become a global phenomenon.
The TV show is violent, graphic and often uncomfortable viewing so it wouldn’t have been our first pick for Rambert Dance to have selected as the inspiration for their next show, but we couldn’t have been more wrong!
The show is narrated by the late great Benjamin Zephaniah, who is also known for being in the Peaky Blinders series. It is heartfelt and poignant having the accomplished poet narrating Tommy’s journey. The show starts with performers crawling through the trenches of World War I on Moi Tran’s stunning set, which starts simply as a tilted stage with an imposing trench at the upstage side that is used effectively throughout the show. It instantly hooks the audience as we watch the performers fight for their lives in a bloody battle.
Director and choreographer Benoit Swan Pouffer produces a masterclass with this production. His choreography is as sharp as the razors on a Peaky Blinders member’s hat. Not only should this show more than impress regular dance show audiences, but we believe it is the kind of show that could convert thousands of audience members who may be coming to see their first ever dance show, because of the lure of the Peaky Blinders storyline, to go and see many more dance shows in the future.
The performers are world class, executing Pouffer’s hard hitting choreography effortlessly all the while fully embodying their characters. All performances are vibrant and nuanced.
Natasha Chivers’ lighting design is dynamic, moody and on point throughout, transporting us from the trenches to Gatsby-esque nightclubs effortlessly, and really heightens the storytelling of the piece. Richard Geller’s costume design is luxurious and deadly, perfecting the show’s iconic period wear, with more than a few extra flourishes to keep the audiences captivated throughout.
The band led by Mitchell Elms and Joe Downard act as the delicious icing on top of the cake, with stunningly smooth live vocals and music from start to finish, as well as the inclusion of the Peaky Blinders theme song, ‘Red Right Hand’ by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
A show with this much class, with this much fire, could be THE show to inspire the next generation of dancers.
Powerful, brutal and utterly seductive.
***** Five stars
Reviewed by: James Edge
