PEAKY BLINDERS: THE REDEMPTION OF THOMAS SHELBY

Sadler’s Wells Theatre

★★★★

“a mesmerising cacophony of movement”

Welcome to the show! No phones. No photos. And NO. F—ING. FIGHTING.

Thomas Shelby has survived the war and is free to do as he pleases. At least until he is pursued by the law, a woman and death itself. How will he fight back?

This dance iteration of Peaky Blinders is written by the series’ creator Steven Knight with direction and choreography by Rambert’s Artistic Director Benoit Swan Pouffer. The story starts in Flanders, where Thomas and his brothers face the devastation of WW1 on the front lines. Pouffer’s direction is cinematic, epic and foreboding. The sound design (Moshik Kop) simultaneously pins your body to your seat and absorbs your mind into the space. A trench cracks open and soldiers drag their bodies into the light. Spotlights direct the spectator’s gaze amongst a swarm of combatting performers. Immediately you understand that the laws of physics do not apply to Rambert’s dancers. They leap and soar as if they have never been incumbered by the burden of gravity. Featuring the soundtrack from the series (musical direction by Yaron Engler), you will certainly require your red right hand to pick your jaw up from the floor. This show is grand, sexy and gives you a craving for whiskey.

The lawless Shelby brothers have returned from the war and are known as the Peaky Blinders. They are bookmakers, money launderers and occasional protectors of their fellow man. Knight’s stage adaptation focuses on the relationship between Thomas, the Peaky Blinders’ leader, and Grace – the woman with a gun who could steal more than his secrets. Narrowing the focus of the story for the purpose of translating it to dance does come with its setbacks. For fans of the series, Thomas’ life is reduced to a romantic tragedy. For those who are encountering the story for the first time, there is an obvious lack of visibility of Thomas’ brothers as the show progresses. In both cases, this unfortunately makes it difficult for the audience to feel the full emotional depth of the events transpiring onstage.

Despite this lapse in storytelling, Knight and Pouffer have done a brilliant job of capturing the mood and aesthetic that we associate with Peaky Blinders. The first act fully immerses us in Birmingham as it is experienced by the Shelby brothers. With Moi Tran’s set designs and Richard Gellar’s costumes, the world of the TV series is reimagined for the stage. Dancers become units in a production line of a factory. Carousel horses are paraded around the ring before they are mounted and raced by jockeys. Burlesque dancers take us to a nightclub. Tran’s design of the raised stage allows Pouffer to be expansive with his direction and the dancers to move on multiple plains. The result is a mesmerising cacophony of movement, made up of duets and solos that sporadically come together to create a snapshot of the ensemble.

The first act has the tenacity of a pub brawl. The second act is the tremble of aftershock. There is a significant shift in pacing. Thomas Shelby (Conor Kerrigan) is the centrepiece of the longer dance sequences, and he is at magnificent full force. There is a satisfying similitude between Thomas’ mental state and the restlessness of his movement, but his character journey feels stagnant throughout the second act. This being said, the choreography in the second act will leave you breathless, so we’ll let it slide.

Rambert Dance in Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby is a beautiful and ambitious production. The show truly captures the feeling of the TV series and will transport you to the reimagined world of Peaky Blinders. Death might be coming for Thomas Shelby, but no one can come for Rambert’s dancers – they are masters of their craft.

PEAKY BLINDERS: THE REDEMPTION OF THOMAS SHELBY

Sadler’s Wells Theatre

Reviewed on 6th August 2025

by Lara van Huyssteen

Photography by Beatrice Livet

Last ten shows reviewed at Sadler’s Wells venues:

SINBAD THE SAILOR | ★★★★★ | July 2025

R.O.S.E. | ★★★★★ | July 2025

QUADROPHENIA, A MOD BALLET | ★★★★★ | June 2025

INSIDE GIOVANNI’S ROOM | ★★★★★ | June 2025

ALICE | ★★★★ | May 2025

BAT OUT OF HELL THE MUSICAL | ★★★★ | May 2025

SPECKY CLARK | ★★★ | May 2025

SNOW WHITE: THE SACRIFICE | ★★★★★ | April 2025

SKATEPARK | ★★★★ | April 2025

MIDNIGHT DANCER | ★★★★ | March 2025

PEAKY BLINDERS

GREASE: THE IMMERSIVE MOVIE MUSICAL

Evolution London

★★★★

“Slick, is an understatement”

It was only a matter of time before the global production phenomenon that ‘Secret Cinema’ has become turned its hand to “Grease”. Nearly fifty years old, the musical romantic comedy has managed to avoid the criticisms of it not aging well, mainly due to the fact it was never meant to be taken seriously. Along with ‘The Rocky Horror Show’, it has probably been the subject of the most ‘sing-along’ outings in every town around the world – and the immersive extravaganza currently in Battersea Park is, essentially, a giant version of this joyous participatory experience. But so much bigger, better and more fun, with some mind-blowing technical wizardry going on. The backstage crew must be running a marathon each night to ensure every element falls into place. They are evidently working like greased lightning as the result is as slick and synchronised as the T-Birds’ Ford De Luxe convertible.

So, welcome to 1959. Welcome back to High School. More specifically, welcome to Rydell High. It’s the beginning of a new year. The holiday atmosphere follows us up to the school gates thanks to a fairground being right outside. Get there early as the queues for the rides and the hotdog stands, and the bars are authentically long. Otherwise just wallow in the gloriously innocent fifties feel-good atmosphere. On a giant screen the opening sequence from the movie heralds the start of the show. The school bell rings out and we are ushered into the school hall – i.e. the massive event venue that is Evolution London. We wander round like at a trade fair or a con event, sometimes a bit lost. Staff are on hand to tell us where we can and cannot go. Various stages depict the many locations – the school gym, the beauty school, the Autoshop, the National Bandstand, the Drive-In, the diners – while many screens project the original movie in real time.

All the musical numbers are performed live by the actors and the band as they follow the action with precision and gusto. The synching is spot on. At key moments the characters form the movie appear before us (or far away, depending on where you happen to be in the hall at that particular time). You can watch the movie screen while you listen, as the lip movements are uncannily in time with the actors. Although you are better off focusing on the live action. Liam Morris and Stephanie Costi are dead ringers for Travolta and O.N.J. as Danny and Sandy. Similarly, all the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies are often indistinguishable from their screen counterparts. The onstage band is exceptional, providing note perfect interpretations of the songs, and intermittently filling dips in the film’s narrative with star turn numbers from the ensemble. If you come away not knowing how to do the hand jive, you clearly haven’t been paying attention.

Almost as much fun can be had watching the audience as the show. If you are not a fan of immersive experiences, the infectious joy that ripples through the crowds will surely convert you. And proceedings are helped along by the many crowd pleasers this musical throws into the mix, from the opening ‘Summer Nights’ right through to the closing chang-chang, changity-chang-shoo-bops. Costi is forever watchable as Sandy, melting our hearts with her ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’ moment. Lucy Penrose is another standout as Rizzo, belting out ‘There Are Worse Things I Could Do’, even managing to rise above the audience’s ensemble singing. There are a few surprises along the way in the staging. Director Matt Costain has managed to turn what could be a nightmare of a job into a dream. Slick, is an understatement.

Throughout the show we are free to meander into and out of the action that surrounds us completely. It is always nice to pop back outside for a breather. Eventually we are all led back into the fairground for the famous final scene in which Sandy appears transformed, complete with spray-on black satin pants. The rousing ‘You’re the One that I Want’ is as ‘electrifying’ as Danny’s ‘multiplying chills’. Secret Cinema has woven its magic once again on the story it is telling (not that there is much of a story to tell in this case). But we feel part of it, and despite it having become such a brand now, it still feels intimate and personal. As we stroll away through the night air, with a ‘shoo-wop-sha-whada-whadda’ spring in our steps, we know we have witnessed something quite unforgettable, and have been reminded that, perhaps after all, ‘Grease is the word’.

PEAKY BLINDERS: THE REDEMPTION OF THOMAS SHELBY

Sadler’s Wells Theatre

★★★★

“a mesmerising cacophony of movement”

PEAKY BLINDERS: THE REDEMPTION OF THOMAS SHELBY

Sadler’s Wells Theatre

Reviewed on 6th August 2025

by Lara van Huyssteen

Photography by Beatrice Livet

Last ten shows reviewed at Sadler’s Wells venues:

PEAKY BLINDERS

PEAKY BLINDERS

PEAKY BLINDERS

GREASE: THE IMMERSIVE MOVIE MUSICAL

Evolution London

★★★★

“Slick, is an understatement”

GREASE: THE IMMERSIVE MOVIE MUSICAL

Evolution London

Reviewed on 5th August 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Luke Dyson | Danny Kaan | Matt Crockett

Recently reviewed by Jonathan:

GREASE

GREASE

GREASE

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