Peaky Blinders: The Redemption Of Thomas Shelby is not a re-telling of the hugely popular and highly addictive television series. Rather, Rambert Dance’s production takes inspiration from Steven Knight’s story of Birmingham’s best-loved villains - though audiences will recognise many of its iconic features. Thomas Shelby’s sullen stare from beneath his peaked cap, Nick Cave’s Red Right Hand, sharp suits, and no small measure of violence; influences of the TV show are strong.

In collaboration with Knight, who wrote this ballet’s story, choreographer & director Benoit Swan Pouffer has created something that is visually stunning and quite simply sensational.

This is a tale of two halves. In Act One, Tommy (Conor Kerrigan) returns from war irrevocably scarred by his experience to resume life at the heart of the family ‘business’, falling in love with the enigmatic Grace (Seren Williams) along the way. Violence is rife, but lighter moments are provided by colourful scenes in a nightclub and at the races, where carousel horses and jockeys in brightly coloured silks stand in stark contrast to the murkiness of the Shelbys’ world.

Act Two takes us deep inside the tortured, damaged mind of Tommy Shelby, no longer in control but controlled by addiction as he sinks into despair.

Clever, inventive use of a raised platform on stage allows the dancers to emerge from and descend into an underworld hidden from view. The musicians, raised still higher, add another dimension and the energy of their music is compelling. Tracks by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Radiohead and Anna Calvi stand alongside the powerful, brooding work of American composer Roman GianArthur, whose original compositions make up the majority of the soundtrack. The choreography is dynamic and edgy, and the mood of this piece is ever-changing. The pent-up energy of Act One often spills over into an all-out brawl, the dancers commanding their world with a confident swagger. This is in stark contrast to more lyrical moments in Act Two, where a helpless Tommy is a slave to his inner demons.

Peaky Blinders: The Redemption Of Thomas Shelby is playing for the third (and final) time at Birmingham Hippodrome this week. Given the links between Peaky Blinders and the city, it feels like something of a homecoming. Since its first performance, critics have heaped praise on this remarkable Rambert Dance creation; part ballet and part rock show, it is surely a modern masterpiece.

Five stars

Peaky Blinders: The Redemption Of Thomas Shelby was reviewed by Rachel Smith on Wednesday 11 June at Birmingham Hippodrome, where it shows until this Saturday (the 14th)