(“Black Sabbath – The Ballet” features music from the legendary British heavy metal band, Photo by Johan Persson.)
By Montague Gammon III
In yet another coup for the Virginia Arts Festival and its Perry Artistic Director Rob Cross, Norfolk hosts the American premiere of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s surprising “Black Sabbath – The Ballet” May 30-31 at Chrysler Hall.
The very conjunction of the hugely respected Birmingham, England company – which, by the way, was Sadler’s Wells Ballet for decades – with their urban congener, Birmingham’s native primal and gritty band that pioneered and long dominated the heavy metal genre of rock music, probably caused traditional balletomanes across the English speaking world to add to their previously precise vocabulary, “WT#?”.
Or, to quote BRB’s creative digital producer Tom Roberts’ significantly understated remark while introducing a YouTube posted rehearsal’s livestream, “as an idea, ‘Black Sabbath’ and ‘ballet” doesn’t immediately come to everyone’s attention.”
However, “the heart of rock and roll is the beat,” to paraphrase Huey Lewis and the News, and the beat, or, more formally, rhythm, is pretty much the heart of all dance as well. That’s still the case in this ballet, even though Black Sabbath’s music has been arranged, orchestrated and supplemented with original work by composer Chris Austin and two others, melding a symphony orchestra with the requisite electric guitar.
BRB Artistic Director Carlos Acosta explained in that YouTube post that he first wanted to make ”a trio” of ballets that referenced the city of Birmingham and “the many treasures that the city had given to the world, and [that he] thought that the combination of heavy metal and ballet was bonkers enough to explore and see how these two opposite worlds could coexist in harmony.”
The “bonkers” “Black Sabbath – The Ballet” is the second in that Birmingham sequence.
Since its September 2023 world premiere in, of course, Birmingham, The Ballet has been winning over fans of traditional ballet and, as Acosta doubtless intended, favorably capturing the attention of non-ballet goers who are fans of really, really, iron-hard rock.
One of the latter category wrote this on Facebook: “I just like to say that I’m now a ballet fan ! I am so pleased that Carlos Acosta wanted to put this show together and what a great honour it’s been for me to have been a part of this fantastic journey. The Birmingham Royal Ballet —- I am totally in awe of all the extremely talented people involved in this show — the incredible dedication from the dancers, choreographers, composers and everyone involved.
“Wow! It was brilliant !! I hope that those of you who attended the ballet enjoyed it.”
The reference to having “been a part” etc., is a hint that this was no run-of-the mill head-banger fan. That was posted by Black Sabbath co-founder Tony Iommi, who at the age of 77 made a brief appearance at the show’s world premiere with a bit of guitar fireworks. (Rolling Stone magazine cited Iommi as the 13th greatest guitarist of all time. Classical wasn’t counted, and yes, of course, Hendrix was first.)
The 2023 British three-venue world premiere tour of “Black Sabbath – The Ballet” sold out seven months before it opened, the fastest selling show in the entire history of Birmingham Royal Ballet, according to comments by Acosta and Roberts in that YouTube recording.
It’s a 3 act ballet with 3 different choreographers. Raúl Reinoso did the first act, which was focussed on the songs. Cassi Abranches choreographed Act 2, revolving around the band, and lead choreographer (and 2019 Guggenheim fellowship winner) Pontus Lidberg took charge of Act 3, which was about the fans. What they sought, Lidberg remarked, was “a cohesive sense of an evening.”
By the way, Act 2 is the part that apparently prompts this advisory on official websites: “Age guidance 10+ contains archival voiceover that includes bleeped out swearing and conversation around the taking and using of drugs.” We’re not talking about just weed. According to Ozzy Osbourne’s voice over, the band’s £80,000 cocaine expenditure somewhere along the way exceeded the cost of recording their first album. (Standard computations of exchange and inflation rates hardly apply to nose candy or vinyl LP recording costs, but that’s at the very least a high seven-figure sum in 2025 dollar buying power on the aboveground economy.)
Bachtrack.com reviewer Graham Watts wrote of The Ballet that “the choreography was mostly light, often joyous and surprisingly lyrical” in what he described as “this unique triptych of loosely aligned acts.” The relatively staid UK paper and online presence The Guardian wrote of “Powerful riffs, inspiringly orchestrated by Christopher Austin and team [Act 1, Marko Nyberg; Act 2, Sun Keting],” of “a quiet pas de deux of earnest ardour,” and of “great ideas and surprises.” Only one surprise-spoiler here: ballet fans, when have you ever seen a male dancer on pointe?
Sociologist of popular music and admitted novice to ballet Douglas Schulz, of the University of Bradford, called it “A spectacle of entertainment.”
Acosta gratefully termed “the enthusiasm that Tony and the members of the band had for this production…amazing.” He praised Black Sabbath as “innovators,” likening that to Birmingham Royal Ballet’s innovative approach to dance.
Professor Schulz also said, “The fusing of the classical orchestra with the music of Black Sabbath makes this ballet a phenomenal experience.”
“Black Sabbath — The Ballet” comes as the legendary British hard rock band prepares to bid farewell with a final concert July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, England with original band members Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward supported by a huge cast of metal groups such as Slayer and Metallica.
Black Sabbath songs featured in the ballet include “Iron Man,” “War Pigs,” “Paranoid,” and “Sabbath Blood Sabbath.”
WANT TO GO?
“Black Sabbath–The Ballet”
Birmingham Royal Ballet
Presented by Virginia Arts Festival
May 30-31
Chrysler Hall, Norfolk
757-282-2822
