The BBC reported back in February that Black Sabbath: The Ballet would premiere in Birmingham, UK in September 2023. It kicked off on September 23rd at Birmingham Hippodrome.
The brainchild of Birmingham Royal Ballet director Carlos Acosta and the band's Tony Iommi, the ballet features eight Black Sabbath tracks plus new music inspired by them. Yahoo Entertainment has shared photos from the night here, which included Iommi taking a bow. Robert Plant, Geezer Butler and Sharon Osbourne all attended the show.
Iommi, who had been present at some rehearsals, hit the stage at the end the opening night and performed "Paranoid". He shared the message and photo below via social media.
Iommi told Radio 4's Today earlier this year that he hopes the "rags to riches" tale will attract "both our fans and ballet fans."
In a press release announcing the production, guitarist Iommi said: "I'd never imagined pairing Black Sabbath with ballet but it's got a nice ring to it! I'm looking forward to seeing how this all develops. Black Sabbath have always been innovators and never been predictable, and it doesn't come any more unpredictable than this! I've met with Carlos several times and his enthusiasm is infectious."
The eight Black Sabbath tracks from the show include "Paranoid", "War Pigs", "Orchid" and "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", and the music will be re-orchestrated for the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.
The idea of a Black Sabbath ballet has been on Acosta's mind since he first arrived in Birmingham at the start of 2020, just before the pandemic hit.
Acosta said: "Black Sabbath is probably Birmingham's biggest export, the most famous - and infamous - cultural entity to ever emerge from the city - so I was naturally drawn to the idea of a collaboration between what most people might think are the most unlikely of partners. The band's enthusiasm for the project is a huge endorsement. They are putting their trust in us to deliver something completely new and original, and that's quite a responsibility but one that we are beyond excited to take on."
Read the complete report here.
Theatre Weekly recently reported that Birmingham Royal Ballet have announced performance dates for Black Sabbath: The Ballet, at London’s Sadler’s Wells - October 18-21. The run in Birmingham was completely sold out.
(Photo - Perou)
