UK dance theater production 'Peaky Blinders' heads to SZ this March

Love crime-gang dramas and dark, industrial aesthetics, and wonder what chemistry might ignite when they collide with dance theater? Good news: you don’t have to wonder for long.

Photos courtesy of the Pingshan Theater

“Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby,” a dance-theater adaptation of the hit BBC television series “Peaky Blinders,” will launch its first Asia tour this March, opening at the Pingshan Theater in Shenzhen.

Premiered in 2013, the six-season BBC series has a rating of 8.7/10 on IMDb, the movie and TV show rating and review website.

The story begins in the trenches of Flanders and unfolds in post-war, industrial Birmingham as the Shelby family faces choices that shape their fate. 

Tommy becomes enthralled by a mysterious newcomer, Grace, who turns out to be an undercover Special Branch agent sent to infiltrate Tommy’s gang. As alliances shift, hearts are broken and revenge follows.

Written and adapted for the stage by Steven Knight, the creator of BBC's “Peaky Blinders,” the production is presented by the Rambert Dance Company, a renowned British modern dance company established in 1926, accompanied by a live band playing specially commissioned music alongside iconic tracks from the series. 

The show’s 2022 U.K. premiere triggered a "gang dance craze," with tickets for the Birmingham Theater premiere sold out within 10 minutes, and three additional London shows sold out immediately.

The Sunday Express called the show “a gripping spectacle, a stunning dark aesthetic, and a profound emotional resonance,” while NME praised it as “the most immersive and intoxicating way to experience Knight’s classic narrative.”

For interested audiences, a 20% early-bird discount is available (excluding the 80-yuan option) until Jan. 20. Members of the Pingshan Theater are eligible for additional membership discounts. Each audience may purchase up to six discounted tickets.

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Time: 8 p.m., March 4-7; 3 p.m., March 7-8

Running time: Approximately 125 minutes, including one 20-minute interval

Tickets: 80/180/280/380/580/780/980 yuan (early-bird discounts available)

Venue: Pingshan Theater, Pingshan District (坪山区坪山大剧院)

Metro: Line 14 to Pingshan Square Station (坪山广场站), Exit D1, then walk around 700 meters

Tip: Recommended for ages 15+