Following on from the runaway success of the hit TV programme, soon to begin its final series, Rambert are to create a new dance theatre work, Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby.
Made in association with Birmingham Hippodrome and co-produced with The Lowry, it will premiere at the Hippodrome on September 27, 2022 (tickets now on sale), followed by run at Troubadour Wembley Park, ahead of UK tour in 2023.
Written and adapted for the stage by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby will be directed and choreographed by Rambert’s Artistic Director Benoit Swan Pouffer. The production will feature the 20 permanent Rambert dance company on stage, and a live band playing specially commissioned music. Further details will be announced in due course.
Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby is Rambert’s first collaboration of this kind and through dance theatre picks up the story of the Peaky Blinders at the end of World War One, following Tommy Shelby and Grace Burgess through their passionate love affair. While Tommy is building his empire, Grace is operating as an undercover agent for Special Branch on a mission to get close to the heart of Tommy’s gang. As the story unfolds, many hearts are broken.
Tommy and the Peaky Blinders fought together at Flanders and the show opens in the trenches. Bound by this experience, a very personal story unfolds as the Shelby family navigate the decisions that determine their fate and Tommy is intoxicated by the mysterious Grace.
Steven Knight says “Peaky Blinders has always had music and movement at its heart and now the beating heart of the show will be transferred to the stage, an interpretation of Tommy’s story performed by Rambert, one of the leading dance companies in the world. This is dance for people who don’t usually watch dance and what I’ve written has been transformed into something startling by consummate dancers and choreographers. If the concept of a Peaky Blinders dance seems strange, reserve judgement and reserve a ticket.”
Benoit Swan Pouffer adds “Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby is something on a scale we’ve never done before, and I couldn’t be more ready for the challenge. It’s such an exciting opportunity as a choreographer to tell these stories and recreate these characters through dance.
The 2023 UK tour will visit Norwich Theatre Royal (17-21 January), Alhambra Theatre, Bradford (25-28 January), Hull New Theatre (31 January-4 February), Mayflower Theatre, Southampton (7-11 February), Royal and Derngate, Northampton (21-25 February), Festival Theatre Edinburgh (28 February-4 March), The Lowry, Salford (14-18 March), Wales Millenium Centre, Cardiff (21-25 March) and Theatre Royal Plymouth (28 March-1 April).