British dance company Rambert has brought its spectacular new dance theatre show, Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby, to Luxembourg audiences, with performances taking place this week at the Grand Théâtre in Luxembourg-Limpertsberg.
The European premiere (outside the UK) took place in Luxembourg on Wednesday evening, with additional performances on Thursday 7, Friday 8 and Saturday 9 November 2024 (two on Saturday).
After almost two hours of awe-inspiring storytelling through dance and music, the Thursday evening performance ended with a standing ovation and an almost deafening round of applause.
Fans of the acclaimed TV show will surely be familiar with the storyline and many of the characters, although anyone can enjoy this stage adaptation (written by Peaky Blinders series creator Steven Knight) about family, love, loss and fighting one's demons (and, well, fighting in general).
The show opens in the trenches of Flanders before transporting audiences - through exhilarating dance moves, spectacular scenography and costumes, and some great live music (including songs from the TV series) - to post-war industrial Birmingham in England. The notorious Shelby family are busy dealing with "business" and evading the authorities, while their leader, Tommy, unwittingly falls in love with an undercover agent, the entrancing Grace.
Whilst the fast-paced first half focuses more on setting the scene and builds up to this unlikely yet charming love story, the second half (more of a slow burn) revolves around grief, revenge and, eventually, (possible) redemption - or at least hope.
In addition to exceptional performances by the eighteen dancers (not least Prince Lyons in the role of Tommy and Seren Williams as Grace on Thursday - the roles are alternated depending on the performance) and three live musicians, the lighting and props (including carousel horses!), plus a variety of costumes, did a fantastic job at bringing the beloved Peaky Blinders story to life on stage. Benoit Swan Pouffer* also deserves special mention for the impressive choreography.
Those wishing to see the show for themselves can visit the Grand Théâtre website to check for tickets: https://theatres.lu/fr/rambert. Musical director and drummer Yaron Engler is also leading a Peaky Blinders workshop at the same venue on Sunday 10 November 2024 at 11:00. Further details: https://theatres.lu/fr/workshopyaronengler
* For a recent interview on Chronicle.lu with Rambert artistic director and choreographer Benoit Swan Pouffer, see: https://chronicle.lu/category/dance-ballet/52139-interview-with-rambert-artistic-director-as-peaky-blinders-stage-adaptation-gets-luxembourg-premiere
