If us Mancs couldn’t get enough of Peaky Blinders, the series set in Birmingham (but some of it was filmed here in Manchester) there’s about to be more and this time it’s heading to the stage. In the week that marks 10 years since the first episode of Peaky Blinders aired on the BBC, The Lowry in Salford has announced that the theatre show by Rambert Dance Company, known as Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby, is returning following the production’s success in the spring.
Making a stop in Salford between October 22 and 26, 2024, Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby is written and adapted for the stage by Peaky Blinders’ creator Steven Knight. The dance theatre show is directed and choreographed by Rambert Dance’s artistic director, Benoit Swan Pouffer, which sees exhilarating and athletic dance from the full dance company combined with an electrifying and eclectic soundtrack.
Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby is Rambert’s first collaboration of this kind and will feature the 20 permanent Rambert dance company on stage, plus a live band playing specially commissioned music. Through dance theatre, the show 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.
Fans of Peaky Blinders may have spotted guest appearances of Rambert in Episode 4 of Season 5, when Tommy Shelby invites the dance company to perform at his wife’s birthday party. The collaboration between Peaky Blinders and Rambert becomes full circle as the stage adaptation pivots to the screen later in the year on the BBC, following a limited cinema release.
Rambert in Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby is presented in association with BBC and will be broadcast on BBC 4 later this year.
Steven Knight said: “I’m absolutely thrilled the Peaky/Rambert collaboration has been such a resounding success. So many people came to see the show and so many of them were new to live dance, which is why we all wanted to do this.
“By popular demand the show is back on the road in the UK in places the first tour didn’t reach. Next, it’s Europe, then the world.
“Now that our friends at the BBC and North South have captured the performance with such creativity and panache, we hope that more people will enjoy this phenomenal new template in how TV becomes stage then stage becomes TV again.”
Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby shows will be performed at The Lowry between October 22 and 26, 2024 and you can book tickets here.