Peaky Blinders is returning… but not in the way that you’d expect. The popular BBC One series, which was written and created by Steven Knight, came to its conclusion last year.
Now it has been revealed that the Peakys are headed to Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre with a new dance show. The show, which is called Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby, delves into lead character Thomas ‘Tommy’ Shelby’s (played by Cillian Murphy in the TV series) passionate love affair with Grace Burgess.
The show’s story is a retelling of Peaky Blinders’ first series and sees Grace operating as an undercover agent for Special Branch on a mission to get close to Tommy’s gang. The new show is a collaboration between Steven Knight and dance company Rambert.
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Speaking about how he became involved with Rambert, writer Steven said: “I was writing Series 5 of Peaky Blinders at the time and so I wrote a scene where Tommy Shelby invites Rambert to his house, because in the 1930s Rambert used to tour the country and do shows under the ethos of bringing dance to the people. In Peaky Blinders, the music, the way people move and the way they dress is really important so I think it really lends itself to dance.”
Steven has worked closely with Rambert’s creative director Benoit Swan Pouffer to bring the project together. He said of working with Benoit: “When there's somebody as good as Benoit [Swan Pouffer], it's a relief. It's like giving the script to a good director as you know they are going to take what you've done and enhance it. I'm a firm believer in doing things that you haven't done before otherwise it's boring, so the idea of telling people that Peaky Blinders will be presented through dance is great.”
As to why someone should go to see the show, Steven said: “If you get people in a room together, and you get them all in the same space listening and watching to the same things, it's just totally different. For me, it's more satisfying I suppose because audiences get their reactions out of their system.
“If you go into a room and watch the work, and you hear the music, and you are part of a standing ovation, you have a beginning, middle and end to that experience. You can then take it out into the cold and talk about that experience together.”
Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby is being performed at the Wales Millennium Centre between March 21-25. Tickets for the show are available to purchase here.
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