This full-length three act ballet first saw the light of day in 2023, when it was a huge and, perhaps, unexpected success. Who would have thought that the first major heavy-metal band of the ’80s, Black Sabbath, would make successful common cause with the techniques and disciplines of classical ballet? But Carlos Acosta thought that his company had more than Birmingham origins in common with the band, and on the evidence of this fine revival his instincts were clearly correct.
The first thing that strikes you about this production is the range and depth of talent involved. Each of the acts is very different in feel despite recycling several of the same key numbers from the band’s catalogue. There are three different choreographers and a variety of composers and arrangers, with a senior figure mentoring junior ones. There was close collaboration with Tony Iommi, the band’s original composer and lead guitarist to ensure that the arrangements met with his approval; and in the pit the sound world is hugely enhanced by having the Royal Ballet Sinfonia playing alongside the expected rock combo.
The first act is the most cohesive of the three and quite takes your breath away in its sweep and daring and perfect pacing. After a techno beat start for the corps de ballet the whole mood is transformed by a brilliant guitar soloist, Marc Hayward, who recreates the brutal guitar riff from Iron Man, and from thereon out to the end of the act it is simply one astonishing kinetic tableau after another, with the traditional moves of bravura display in ballet harnessed to the joyfulness of the early heavy metal sound and vocals. But also, in a potent reminder of the variety that this band contained, there was an equally inspiring lyrical episode drawn from Solitude in which first two dancers writhe around each other in an eternal kiss, before two couples depict two stages in a relationship. This act could pass into the ballet canon as a single act ballet of constant delight, whatever the future of the full three-act version.
I had some reservations over the later two acts, despite the fact that they contained some sequences of similar power and brilliance. The second act, in particular, set against voice overs from the band giving insights into their lives and creativity, seemed fragmented and arbitrary. You had to ask sometimes whether the dance and the words were really speaking to another meaningfully: there seemed to be more ‘telling than showing’ under way. The same criticism could be made of the third act which focused on legacy and the views of fans, though the finale, led again by Hayward mingling among the dancers, piled one impressive layer on another with huge skill and artistry from all involved, culminating with Tony Iommi himself taking to the stage.
Throughout the evening the lighting and set contribution was geared to this band’s uniquely gothic and anarchic aesthetic while also giving full space and range to the dancers without cluttering the stage. An overturned 70s car in silver topped by a demon wielding drumsticks was a notable inspiration, and so was the shifting colour palette in the costumes.
This is an unlifting show in every way that fully deserved the spontaneous ovation from a packed Sadler’s Wells on press night. It struck precisely the right balance between care for the band’s legacy and interpreting their achievement for a new generation. It also revealed a great deal about their origins – who knew that Iommi’s original deployment of the devil’s tritone was inspired by ‘Mars’ from Holst’s The Planets?
Birmingham Royal Ballet
Director: Carlos Acosta
Choreographers: Cassi Abranches, Pontus Lidberg, Raul Reinoso
Until 25 October 2025
2 hrs 10 mins with intervals
Photo Credit: Johan Persson