Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby returns to The Lowry in triumph. The initial tour was so popular, it not only generated an encore, but the show has been filmed and broadcast on TV. It has, therefore, achieved the Holy Grail of dance productions: widening the appeal of an art form often perceived as having limited interest by attracting audiences unaccustomed to attending a ballet.
The show strives, therefore, to satisfy both fans of the Peaky Blinders television show and dance enthusiasts. As a result, it falls into two distinct halves. Act one is dominated by author Steven Knight and appeals to fans by filling in details of the lives of the characters before the start of the TV show. Opening during World War I, the late Benjamin Zephaniah’s recorded voiceover informs Thomas Shelby (Conor Kerrigan) and his troops that their actions during the conflict have rendered them dead inside. Returning home, the former soldiers face a continuation of the hellish wartime conditions with grinding factory employment overseen by an obese and grotesque foreman, who exploits his position to grope female employees.
Shelby decides to work outside the system and forms the Peaky Blinders with members of his family and old platoon to gain profits from gambling. But, just as Shelby reaches a point of contentment, tragedy strikes, driving him to seek relief from intoxicants.
Moi Tran’s set positions the dancers on a raised platform surrounded by a trench. The effect is partially successful—it maintains the wartime theme of trench warfare and allows for some striking entrances, but also, on occasion, looks a bit silly with heads and limbs popping into view. Author Knight also includes spoken extracts from the TV show, which make little impact and feel more like a sop to fans.
There is humour in the dance—a gambler loses not only his shirt but also his pants. The atmosphere is jaded and decadent, suitable for characters that are dead inside.
The storytelling in act one is brisk and effective. Even if audiences are unfamiliar with the TV show, they will be able to identify Nick Cave’s "Red Right Hand" as the title song by the staging. With the song playing in the background, the cast become the Peaky Blinders in their pomp, arrogantly striking poses which are both a cocky challenge to rivals and a sexual come-on.
In the TV show, Cillian Murphy’s retention of an extreme wartime short back and sides haircut gave a hint of Shelby as mutton dressed as lamb. By contrast, in act one, Conor Kerrigan is a suave, seductive and confident figure. This changes drastically in act two as Shelby succumbs to addiction.
Act two has less narrative and more dance, and choreographer and director Benoit Swan Pouffer takes control. Although the second act is more abstract, the theme of hell on earth shaping the characters continues from the first half; even as Shelby overcomes his addiction, he steps into staggeringly violent gang warfare. Just as in the film version of Trainspotting, where a junkie’s life is summed up as diving for pearls in a clogged toilet, opium addiction is depicted as Shelby moving from a comatose position to conducting music as flowers fall from the heavens. The devil is often in the detail, razor blades can be glimpsed on the peaks of the caps worn by the gang and a grieving widow moves from centre stage and transforms unnoticed in the background into a figure of vengeance.
Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby is the most successful attempt to date in widening the appeal of dance and a stunning tribute to a fine TV show.