It’s difficult to know what to expect when you hear that Rambert, one the world’s most prestigious dance companies, has teamed up with the creator of Peaky Blinders to create a ballet based on the much-loved TV show.

But just a few superlatives I would use to describe Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby would be ‘mesmerising’, ‘visually arresting’ and ‘dizzily intoxicating’.

“Among the dead because your bodies were not buried with the dead, but dead inside” says the narrator, Benjamin Zephaniah, as a recording of the acclaimed writer and dub poet kicks off proceedings. And that pretty much sets the tone for things to come…

A completely black stage turns into a grizzly battlefield before we are taken on a wonderful journey into the brutal world of Thomas Shelby; steelworks, brothels, street shoot-outs, heady gypsy camps and even the surreal opioid fuelled dreamworld of the flat capped antihero.

The show, which was written and adapted for the stage by Steven Knight and directed and choreographed by Rambert’s Artistic Director Benoit Swan Pouffer, is a dark and emotive affair full of sparks, fire, glamour, grime and sweat, which takes you through a roller coaster of emotions and really brings home what a cultural phenomenon Peaky Blinders really is.

The Rambert company are insanely talented, and the choreography and sets are stunning. The live band on stage is incredible, playing specially commissioned music and iconic Peaky tracks which are bursting with raw energy.

With the raw energy of the cast and the pulsating music, sometimes this show feels like a ballet, sometimes a bit like a nightclub, other times a rock concert. It’s a crazy ride and the two hours fly by very quickly.

The characters are well formed; apart from the narration, you can generally tell who is who, but they all carry their own nuances and don’t feel like caricatures.

All in all, it’s a must-see experience which really blows you away and fully deserved the five-minute standing ovation at the end.

Go and see it if you can – By Order of the Peaky Blinders.

Five stars

Reviewed by Fiona McCartney at Birmingham Hippodrome, Tuesday 23 May, where the production runs until this Saturday, 27 May.