Peaky Blinders The Redemption of Thomas Shelby - The Lowry

EVERY so often there’s a TV show that makes a lasting impression on me and so it was with Peaky Blinders, inspired by the unsavoury antics of a bunch of Birmingham gangsters who brought fear and violence to the city’s streets for more than 40 years.

But never for the life of me did I imagine this compelling story could be told using the medium of dance.

How wrong I was.

Steven Knight, its creator, and choreographer/director Benoit Swan Pouffer have created an evening of theatre that saw me experience the whole gamut of emotions.

This production from Rambert Dance begins with a trip to the hell on earth that were battlefields of Flanders in the First World War before taking us to the university of hard graft, a factory in a city that was once a hot bed of heavy industry..

This is also a story of love and loss and we follow Thomas Shelby - Conor Kerrigan - as he sinks to the depths of despair. While I wouldn’t go as far to say we empathise with the afore mentioned character - obviously - those feelings felt very real.

Particularly memorable for me was Shelby’s wedding scene. All the scenes are performed against a live and uplifting musical backdrop that includes the super cool theme of the TV show.

It’s surely a result of Pouffer’s choreography and a group of dancers who take exciting agility, grace and energy to a whole new level and make it all look so, so easy.

While it probably helps a little to know something of the Peaky Blinders it’s not essential and this production is so good it's sure to win over plenty of converts to dance, of the world class variety here, thanks to Rambert Dance.

Astounding and unmissable.

Until October 26. The box office is on 0843 208 6000 or you can buy tickets at www.thelowry.com.

Star rating - *****

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