Review: PEAKY BLINDERS: THE RISE, Camden Garrison

Get your flat-cap ready and brush up your Brummie accent: the immersive Peaky Blinders: The Rise has arrived in London.

This show from specialist company Immersive London joins a crowded market for those who like their drama up close and personal. They already run the fabulous The Great Gatsby and this latest outing faces sturdy competition from The Big House's grime and soul-themed Redemption, Punchdrunk's immense The Burnt City and the upcoming Wild West production Phantom Peak. So how does it stack up?

The early signs are good. Before being led into the building that was once occupied by Proud Camden, actors greet the queue with surly smiles and handfuls of pound notes which we are asked to keep hold of. The doorman tells us we are entering Alfie Solomons' establishment and the ground rules are set: no smoking, no touching and, if anyone asks, we're all bakers. Alfie himself greets us once we step inside and soon we're led into a saloon with nary an oven in sight.

Those expecting Great Gatsby-levels of laidback gentility will be sorely disappointed. Although set in the same era, this is not a Roaring Twenties cocktail party in a country mansion but something far more boisterous in every sense. It is noisy, busy and the characters are not above using the less refined ends of the language. The Garrison's bars are stocked with Camden's finest ales and provide a handy respite between wandering around an environment which can seem overwhelming at first.

Writer Katie Lyons' plot leans heavily on the earliest Peaky Blinders' seasons for its vibe and storylines. Tommy Shelby, his family and the rest of his crew have arrived in London seeking both profit and pleasure (or in Solomons' more forthright estimation: "they 'ave come down the canal and spread like the f**king pox"). Tommy, as ever, has his eye on a tasty piece of business and is looking to muscle in on local crime boss "The Italian" Darby Sabini's deal with the renowned mafioso Al Capone.

It's not only Tommy who has an agenda: Michael is celebrating his birthday with the assistance of a rather drunken Arthur, rebellion is fomenting in the Shelby ranks as the family's women make plain their discontent with working conditions, and London rivals Sabini and Solomons consider teaming up against the West Midland mob. After a while, it becomes hard to find any character who doesn't want to inveigle us into some kind of shady shenanigans or illegal enterprise.

Rebecca Brower's aesthetics are a huge part of the show's appeal and her set and costume designs are very impressive both in their accuracy and detail. Those used to Punchdrunk productions will know what to expect: large areas with access to room after room inviting us to look every which way and breath in the ambience. The Garrison bookies will allow you to gamble your cash, a huge wall-safe hiding the Shelby cash invites us to crack the code and Sabini's Eden Club is an opulent hangout where we can watch the action from on high.

Director Tom Maller has taken judicious care to keep the actors as close to their TV originals as far as possible, not just in terms of looks but also mannerisms. Craig Hamilton as Tommy is all self-confident swagger, holding court with his invited guests before deploying his trademark directness in tête-à-têtes with other characters. Sam Blythe is physically no Tom Hardy but otherwise inhabits the role of Solomons with inch-perfect precision. The ladies, especially Emma Stansfield's Polly and Lucinda Turner's Ada, have their own storylines and are never, ever backward in coming forward, sweeping us into adventures of their own.

There are a plethora of set scenes occuring at any one time, either in the main hall or in the smaller rooms. As well as taking in the climactic boxing match, for example, we can march for women's rights, take part in a raid on the Garrison safe or go see Tommy and Capone go head to head in a fiery negotiation. As with any Punchdrunk show, to get the best out of this experience, you will need to hustle; we suggest finding a character like Solomons or Sabini and then following them to see what they get up to and (if you're lucky) have a one-to-one with them to gain an individual mission, some cash or both.

The best feature of this kind of large-scale immersive experience is also its worst: once it gets going, there is so much action being played out simultaneously that it will be impossible to absorb in a single evening. This could be seen as a cynical way to get punters to come back to see what they missed or as a way of ensuring that everyone has different takes and viewpoints. Ultimately, expect to end up feeling entertained and with a nagging sense of FOMO.

A name like Peaky Blinders: The Rise suggests that there is more to come on this front from Immersive London; the plot lines in this ambitious outing come from the first two seasons so it wouldn't be an unpleasant shock to see a successor. While not being as polished as the long-running Great Gatsby, it brings a heady energy which envelops from the get-go as well as (if you can find them) more engaging set pieces, even for those who have steered clear of the TV show.

Peaky Blinders: The Rise continues at the Camden Garrison until February 2023.

Photo Credit:: Tristram Kenton

To post a comment, you must register and login.