Peaky Blinders - The Redemption of Thomas Shelby

It is way too long since I last had the chance to see a Rambert show but this one was well worth waiting for! From its amazing opening sequence to its emotional end this is a truly fabulous show that has everything you could ask for. I would have happily gone along just to listen to the soundtrack as a concert, driving rock set unapologetically loud - "Red Right Hand" has always been a favourite. A clever and effective lighting pliot, a beautifully flexible stage and some clever scene changes all underlie this production and leave a lasting impression. 

This is a cleverly constructed contemporary dance show. Episodic in nature, we are taken from the trenches of WWI, where Shelby and his colleagues are shaped for their violent future, though his emergence as a local villainous force and on to his final "redemption", well, in his world anyway.

There are some stand-out sections in this show, for me most notably the factory sequence and the final fights with the stage so full of fascinating shapes and choreography that I felt unable to blink in case I missed something. There is just so much to look at and I loved the way the ensemble moved in and out of synchronisation allowing your eye to roam from group to group. I'm glad I was sitting further back so I could try and take in as much as possible, close-too I might have been overwhelmed!

Brilliant. Just brilliant.