Smoking hot Peaky Blinders dance show returns to Birmingham by popular demand

The legendary Peaky Blinders of Small Heath are back by popular demand at The Birmingham Hippodrome for a fiery dance show.

Written and adapted for the stage by Peaky Blinders’ creator Steven Knight, Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby is a smoking hot dance theatre show directed and choreographed by Rambert’s artistic director Benoit Swan Pouffer.

The dance production features the full permanent Rambert dance company on stage, and a live band playing specially commissioned music and iconic Peaky tracks.

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 I, following Tommy Shelby and Grace Burgess through their passionate love affair.

Johan Persson

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.

Steven Knight has included exclusive plot and character insights that never appeared in the BBC drama but were in his mind as he was creating the show. Knight hopes the new dance show gives Peaky fans special additional rewards.

Fans of the show will also recognise the (pre-recorded) voice of narrator Benjamin Zephaniah (Jeremiah in the series) illuminating key points of the story.

Johan Persson

Talking about the stage show, Knight said: “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.”

Johan Persson

Rambert artistic director Benoit Swan Pouffer, added: “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.

“It is also a great collaborative opportunity to have been working closely with Steven Knight on this original production.

“What you’re going to get as a result will be an inspiring and uplifting dance show, but so much more than a dance show.”

Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby is running at The Birmingham Hippodrome until Saturday 27 May