Dancers set sail for The Voyage in Birmingham

A spectacular outdoor music and dance show featuring a 50ft replica of half a ship and 140 dancers attracted more than 2,000 late-night revellers in Birmingham.

The Voyage was performed for the first time to crowds in the city centre's Victoria Square at 10pm yesterday as part of the London 2012 Festival.

It was originally due to open on Thursday but was postponed at the last minute after torrential rain.

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The production was played out on the ship, which was built along the side of Birmingham Town Hall and was made to look as if it had moored in the square. Acrobats swung through the air from the ship's rigging and performed extravagant routines while suitcase-carrying actors appeared in the middle of the audience, which ranged from young children to pensioners.

Once the ship set sail, the square was transformed with digital imagery projected onto the town hall to create an animated skyline and reflect the changing tide.

The show is set in a time period spanning 1940 to 1960, which the producers say represents the last great age of sea travel and marks the start of mass emigration.

It tells the story of a group of passengers that encounter danger when their ship hits stormy waters through acrobatic displays, dance and music.

The audience was kept entertained throughout the hour-long performance, with some of the routines prompting cheers and gasps.

The crowds watching stretched along Colmore Row and New Street but were made to feel part of the action, either as the passengers on the docks at the start or the welcoming party as the ship arrives in a new country at the finale.

In between they saw the characters get swept up in a huge storm and washed overboard during a show that made everyone forget they were in land-locked Birmingham.

A gospel choir and live orchestra provided the dramatic soundtrack, which was pumped through huge speakers.

The free show opens the festival in the West Midlands and is one of 70 arts events during the Olympics. The Voyage is due be performed tonight and tomorrow at 10pm.