By Order of the peaky blinders
“Never assume that loud is strong and quiet is weak. The fiercest storms rise from the calmest seas.” ~ Tommy Shelby
If you are one of millions of Peaky Blinders fans in the world, there a few opportunities to experience the thrill of the show when visiting London and surrounding cities. We purchased tickets to Peaky Blinders The Rise which is an immersive theater experience in London located in Camden Stables Market. I would highly recommend paying a little extra for the tickets and upgrading to VIP tickets in order to be a part of the Gray Family. We were able to enter the venue earlier and were greeted by Alfie Solomons. The actor playing Alfie’s character was so good that it almost felt we were back in 1920s London on the verge of business deal about to go south. After introductions, we were quickly brisked away by Ada to the Camden Garrison for a more proper welcome along with cocktails. Shortly after we met Arthur who then took us to the betting shop where John and Esme were running the bets.
About halfway through the experience, Thomas Shelby’s much anticipated entrance unfolds complete with fog, the black coat and theme music from the show. The actor playing Tommy matched the hype. The experience continues for a two-hour interactive show where guests are shuffled to various show locations like the Eden Club, Tommy’s office and the boxing ring. Guests stand for most of the show which is a bit tiring after awhile but it is the only way to see the actors perform in different scenes. The acting and singing of the cast is top notch. The actors are almost carbon copies of the actual characters in the show.
Guests are invited to dress in character if desired. There are plenty of opportunities to purchase cocktails and beer throughout the show however no food offerings. We ate at The Farrier restaurant nearby before the show. They offered the best fish and chips I have had so far in the UK. You can walk from the restaurant to the show venue in less than 5 minutes.
Taking photos or video recordings during the performance are strictly prohibited. The picture featured on the blog is a picture of Michael Shelby standing outside the entrance. Though no photos are allowed until after the show, if you want pictures of the venue, the website linked above does a great job of showing photos and videos of what is to come. Hopefully the popularity of this theater experience will go on tour and travel to the US. It was so much fun, and I would definitely go again. One can never have enough of Tommy Shelby!
Just outside of Birmingham, England in Dudley is the Black Country Living Museum. We took the Avanti West Coast fast train from London to Birmingham (1 1/2 hours) and stayed the night. It was easy to rent a car and drive 30 minutes to this beautiful and educational living museum. Many scenes in Peaky Blinders were filmed here in every season of the show. The backdrop for Uncle Charlie’s Strong Yard, The Cut, and “under the bridge” scenes with Freddie and Ada and also Tommy and Lizzie are all filmed here. Tickets are approximately $25 for 16 and up. There is lots to do and see at the museum complete with a cafe and gift shop which has lots of Peaky Blinders memorabilia. The museum employees are dressed in period clothing from post industrial revolution to post-war prosperity of the Black Country who take on the roles of bakers, teachers, miners, farmers, police, etc. We spent about two hours visiting but you could easily spend the day with so many things to do and see.
