[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre hosts Rambert’s Peaky Blinders spectacular during its UK tour, on the back of its London premier and sold-out Birmingham shows.
Fans of the hit TV show will delight in seeing it brought to life by none other than Peaky Blinders’ creator Steven Knight. This is no ordinary show however; it is told almost entirely through interpretative dance with a soundtrack provided by an on-stage band.
This dance theatre event is a Rambert Dance production with choreography and direction from Benoit Swan Pouffer. This company are quite literally phenomenal. Rambert claims to employ some of the world’s finest dancers with talent, range and versatility, and that is unquestionable. Every single cast member has the strength and physique to convey powerful movements and lyrical expression. The choreography is slick, creative and wonderfully executed. It is clear to see the absolute dedication and hard work that has gone into creating this dramatisation.
[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”29802″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]
Opening in the trenches of Flanders, the stage design allows for some clever imagery with the performers clad in soldier uniforms rising from the floor of the trenches. The setting is firmly established with dramatic effect – the use of smoke and flashing lights as haunting minor keys and strings ring out. The choreography is emotive and frantic, with freeze frames, slow motion and vigorous shaking conveying the madness of war. The soldiers are juxtaposed against black faceless figures in what can only be described as a dance with death.
The music quickly breaks into grungy guitars and thumping drums akin to a Royal Blood performance [British rock duo]. The live band made up of Yaron Engler, Henry Thomas and The Last Morrell provide a haunting and, at times, menacing soundtrack to accompany the visual splendour; performing tracks from the likes of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Anna Calvi and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, as featured in the TV series.
The show manages to marry an eclectic mix of music as it also features specially commissioned music by Roman GianArthur. This melancholic string driven soundtrack moves the story along and guides the viewer through the visual narrative with seamless transitions. The story lends itself well to music and at times, the dancing is almost a visual representation of music itself.
That being said, the grungy rock music and dancing almost seem like two separate entities or performances. For anyone who is new to the medium of dance, it is a strange off-kilter experience that requires some time to get your head around. In comparison to the ballet or a silent movie, the narrative is driven by music in exchange for dialogue. There is some fleeting recorded narration provided by the wonderful Benjamin Zephaniah, albeit a little more would have made the story easier to follow as there was so much going on at once, you didn’t know quite where to look.
The actual story of Tommy Shelby (Guillaume Quéau) and the Peaky Blinders tells a tale of love, camaraderie and anguish. Punk rock fight scenes in the form of artful combat and dance battles cement the Shelby brothers as one.
The dance between Tommy and Grace (Naya Lovell) was nothing short of awe-inspiring. Completed with a blindfold, the choreography was dynamic and passionate to represent their sexual encounter. Barney, played by Musa Motha was also impressive. The amputee, with the aid of crutches, was spectacular to watch. The dance sequences were performed with effortless flair and unbelievable, gravity-defying movements.
The second act was rather more abstract, however. Tommy Shelby’s grief is manifested by a deep delve into his mind. His opening dance to The Last Shadow Puppets’ Bad Habits was intoxicating and unhinged. His display is crazy but powerful; a man out of control. The audience gets to see his drug-induced internalised state including hallucinations and visceral imagery of corpses, representing his grief and guilt.
One particularly moving scene features Shelby and a member of the cast dancing in tandem as if he is dancing, or fighting, with himself. There is also some clever silhouette and curtain work which is effective in conveying the inner workings of his mind. Although the second act is a diverse insight, it does seem slightly too much of the same thing for a prolonged period of time.
[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”29803″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]
From the leering dance of the factory foreman (Dylan Tedaldi), to the extended fight scene between John Shelby (Joseph Kudra) and a rival, and the guttural cries of Widow Changretta (Aishwarya Raut), the entire cast from start to finish are brilliant.
All this is accompanied by fabulous costumes designed by Richard Gellar that are perfectly representative of the time period, and dynamic audio-visual extras such as pyrotechnics, gunshots and strobe lighting. Rambert have certainly brought a different approach but one that is talent-filled and mesmerising.
Rambert in Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby runs at the Wales Millennium Centre from 21 – 25 March 2023.
Book a ticket via the WmC website – Booking Link
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
