"A wonderful night of entertainment" Xan Phillips

Almost everyone can dance. We all enjoy going out to clubs, parties, or just moving to the radio in the kitchen, but when it comes to actually going to a theatre to see some “proper” dance then people take a different perspective.

It is seen as something beyond, something you need to understand before you go.

But that is not the case, so it's always good when popular culture and dance can combine to break the paradigm and introduce people to the magical world of dance - a place where few words are spoken, but so much is said.

Production Photos by Johan Persson

With the menace and threat of Peaky Blinders, the skill, precision and empathy of Rambert Dance, and a stage production that’s as industrial as anything from the Midlands, then you have an epic setting for a wonderful night of entertainment in Mayflower Theatre.

The story begins in World War I, where we see how Thomas Selby and his band of brothers witness the horrors of war and forget their role in humanity, and proceed to bring the anger and detachment of the trenches to the streets of Birmingham, then slowly expanding across the UK.

Each scene brings excitement and fear, rhythm and arousal, torment and sensitivity.

Production Photos by Johan Persson

On our night Tommy was played by Jau’Mair Garland and Grace by Seren Williams. Both amazing dancers, pulling some lovely moves together. 

There was one particular lift that was simple in its execution, but must have required amazing strength to pull off, and that was just a couple of seconds in the show.

I don’t have the words to describe their moves, however they were brilliant and conveyed to the audience the right emotions at exactly the right moment.

In fact, there wasn’t a foot out of place in any scene. We went from battlefield to factory, nightclub to racecourses and also spent a mystical and surreal time in an opium den. It was great fun.

The costumes look absolutely fantastic and if you read the excellent program, you'll see that there's 1500 items, each hand picked and crafted to match the dancer within.

Production Photos by Johan Persson

What you get from these costumes is very interesting because the period outfit puts the actor into the real world, our world, but what you're witnessing on stage, and something the brain sometimes finds a little hard to deal with, is that the person within the costume is an amazing athlete, able to move their body in all sorts of directions to the beat the music, against the beat of the music, while interpreting a story that is tough, gritty and hard.

Your ears are surrounded with great rock music. Really heavy but not overblown, something that most people will be okay with.

The lighting is fantastic and the stage production very interesting. In this show you get a false stage which has trenches in it so when you're sitting in the stalls, dancers are popping up or rolling away, there is so much fluidity in this show.

I haven’t seen Peaky Blinders on TV, but thanks to Rambert Dance I feel like I have lived through it.

Buy your tickets here mayflower.org.uk

Discover more about Rambert Dance

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