Four star review of Rambert's Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby

When a dance version of the phenomenally successful crime drama Peaky Blinders was first mooted, I have to admit to a certain amount of scepticism, but this muscular, explosive production from dance company Rambert is on course to attract as many admirers as the TV series that inspired it.

Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby is the result of a collaboration between series creator screenwriter Stephen Knight who penned the scenario and Rambert’s artistic director Benoit Swan Pouffer who has created the breath-taking choreography.

The piece begins with an arresting opening sequence set in the trenches of the First World War providing the brutal backstory that shaped the man Thomas Shelby would later become. It is a visceral representation of the trauma of that wartime experience and sets up the narrative thread that runs throughout – namely, an exploration of the Great War’s tragic legacy for the Shelby family and a whole generation of young men.

Returning from the Front and back to the industrial landscape of the Black Country, Shelby (Joseph Kudra) and his associates soon begin to make their indelible mark as they settle into running their various money-making projects. There are some wonderfully raucous ensemble scenes set on the smoky streets, in spit and sawdust pubs and the glitzy nightclubs – and a wonderfully inventive day at the races using carousel horses. Plus of course the inevitable fist and knife fights, all skilfully choreographed. Performance poet and series regular Benjamin Zephaniah provides the (recorded) voiceover that punctuates the action and frames the story, and movingly the voice of the late Helen McCrory, who played fearsome matriarch Polly, is also heard intermittently.

While the first half is fast-paced, constant motion – the physicality of the dancers and the choreography pointing up the dark momentum of power and corruption, the second half is more reflective. Much of it plays out like a surreal dream as Shelby descends into opium-fuelled despair following the murder of his great love Grace (Seren Williams) and his wartime terrors come back to haunt him. It very effective, and affecting.

Nick Cave’s fabulous theme song Red Right Hand gets two outings – once in the first half, and once in the second – both very memorable, while composer Roman GianArthur’s atmospheric score complements the narrative perfectly. It is peppered with tracks from the likes of Laura Mvula, The Last Shadow Puppets, Radiohead and Anna Calvi, all well-chosen, appropriate to the storytelling – and with the same deliberately anachronistic vibe employed in the TV series. The music is played live by a talented band, who are on stage throughout. It is a high-energy, high-octane production that’s hugely exciting to watch – a quirky idea that has come spectacularly to life and is a credit to its creators’ vision and ambition.

On tour. At Hull New Theatre until February 4.