Extracting all the theatrical potential from Steven Knight’s television series, Rambert Dance’s Peaky Blinders: The Redemption Of Thomas Shelby is a true spectacle. Choreographer and director Benoit Swan Pouffer clearly knows what he’s doing here.

“No phones, no photos, and no fighting,” the audience is warned as the curtain draws up at the Wales Millennium Centre. Rambert’s show is not an exact retelling of the TV series, but an adaptation that centres on Tommy Shelby’s love affair with undercover Grace Burgess and falls into despair after her death.

Act one begins with the Shelby brothers returning from war “dead inside”, setting an ominous tone. The following scenes juxtapose aggressive routines capturing the violence that is the essence of Peaky Blinders with elegant ballet sequences, concluding the first act with Grace’s death. The second opens with a futuristic scene depicting Tommy’s grief-stricken, narcotic-fuelled depression: from ringleader to despondent widower, Guillaume Quéau’s emotional take on Tommy is compelling.

When Pouffer took over Rambert in 2018, he promised to diversify the audience, seek out new talent, and accelerate the energy within the company – and he has delivered with Peaky Blinders, Rambert’s biggest show to date. The genderfluid cast is inclusive of all, and praise must go to the stellar performance of amputee dancer Musa Motha, who plays Barney Shelby.

From the battlefield to the races, a nightclub, wedding ceremony, and Tommy’s opium-induced dream space, the assorted stage sets are admirable. Stage effects, including smoke and lighting, made the performance immersive; illusions director Filipe J. Carvalho pulled out all the stops, and I often had to remind myself that it was stage in front of me rather than a screen. The scene that has stuck with me is one soundtracked by Radiohead’s Climbing Up The Walls: Tommy reaches out to shadowed hands behind a curtain, which he then falls into, creating an illusion of his hallucination. What’s more, this production was not afraid of breaking the fourth wall as the ensemble strutted amongst the audience.

Considering the plethora of iconic Peaky tuxedos and flat caps, sequin-studded garments, feathers, and pearls that accentuate the spectacle on stage, it is no wonder that costume designer Richard Gellar and his team made, sourced, adapted, and commissioned 1500 individual pieces. I can’t imagine 1920s Birmingham was so glitzy and glamorous, but despite its anachronism, the show broaches British history in a new, fun, and engaging medium. As Pouffer has explained: “Peaky Blinders is a brand, so that might attract ticket buyers who have never seen dance before. Once you have them in the seat they can fall in love with the medium.”

The effortlessness with which every cast member moves is captivating – I didn’t notice a foot out of place throughout the whole show – and the way the cast synchronised in complex movements was second to none, showing collaboration like I’ve never seen before. The soulful, physical performance has athletic bodies dextrously flying and flipping across the stage, carousel horses as dance props, and police dogs personified by chained dancers in leather masks: so full of energy and skill, it’s hard to know where to focus.

Backed by a powerful band consisting of Yaron Engler, Henry Thomas, and The Last Morrell, the soundtrack under Roman Gianarthur’s supervision carries the story, and there’s a voiceover from poet Benjamin Zephaniah. The show would have benefitted from more narration, to keep the story on track for those less familiar with the TV series; nevertheless, the Peaky world of violence and machismo is manifested in a unique and artistic way. You don’t often see a television drama adapted for the stage, especially into a contemporary dance show, so what Knight and Pouffer have created here is truly special.

Peaky Blinders: The Redemption Of Thomas Shelby, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Tue 21 Mar

On until Sat 25 Mar. Tickets: £12.50-£63. Info: here

words EVE DAVIES