Peaky Blinders boss wants dance show to get TV broadcast
Stage production Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby is opening in Birmingham this week.
From this week, Peaky Blinders fans will have the chance to see the Birmingham gangsters as they've never seen them before – in a brand new dance theatre show.
Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby is a collaboration between series boss Steven Knight and contemporary dance company Rambert, and retells the story of Tommy's love affair with Grace through the medium of dance.
The show opens tonight (Tuesday 27th September) at the Birmingham Hippodrome before moving to Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre in London from 12th October and then embarking on a nationwide tour in 2023 – and Knight has confirmed that he also has plans to bring the performance to an even wider audience.
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Asked if he thought a television broadcast of the show was likely at some point in the future, Knight exclusively told RadioTimes.com, "Yes, we're working on that. And we want to put that together because I think it will work really well. So yeah, a live recording of the show which would be broadcast for people!"
Speaking about the content of the show itself, Knight explained that it would tell a story familiar to viewers of the show but that he hoped it would appeal across the board – both to Peaky Blinders fans who don't think they like dance, and to dance fans who don't think they like Peaky Blinders.
"I wanted to start it before the first episode of season 1 so that we see them at the end of the war," he said of the story. "And sort of get a visual explanation as to why they became what they became. And then tell the story of Tommy and Grace, through dance.
"And so I just sat and wrote what the scenes looked like: so it's trenches, and this happens, and then they move like this, and this happened. And you're sort of liberated because you're not in reality, you're not having to obey the rules of the real world.
"So you can have ghosts and spirits and all kinds of effects to just tell that story without words. So that's what I set myself the task of and I loved it, I really enjoyed it and they really liked what came out of it."
Knight added: "It's basically about all the members of the family that we know and about Grace and the rivalry with the Italians. So it's all the bits that we've got used to within the TV show but expressed in dance."
Rambert’s Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Tommy Shelby is at the Birmingham Hippodrome from 27th September, Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre from 12th October, before going on a nationwide tour.
Peaky Blinders seasons 1-6 are available to watch on BBC iPlayer. Check out our TV Guide or visit our dedicated Drama hub for the latest news.
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