Black Sabbath ballet to open in Birmingham this year
A ballet featuring music by Black Sabbath is set to open in Birmingham in September.
Created by Birmingham Royal Ballet director Carlos Acosta and the band’s Tony Iommi, ‘Black Sabbath – The Ballet’ will include eight of the band’s tracks plus new music inspired by them, all performed live by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.
Speaking on Radio 4’s ‘Today’, Iommi called the story a “rags to riches” tale that he hopes will appeal to “both our fans and ballet fans”.
The ballet will arrive at the Birmingham Hippodrome from September 23 to 30, before moving on to Plymouth’s Theatre Royal and Sadler’s Wells in London. Tickets can be booked here.
In a press release, Iommi said of the production: “I’d never imagined pairing Black Sabbath with ballet but it’s got a nice ring to it!”
Announcing BRB's first heavy metal ballet with @BlackSabbath!
We're turning up the volume on our shared cultural heritage and bringing these contrasting art forms together in a brand-new theatrical experience.
Read more about this new work here: https://t.co/YZtcwukWjF pic.twitter.com/j2SCc5cttg
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) February 8, 2023
He continued: “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.”
Acosta added: “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.”
In other news, Ozzy Osbourne announced his retirement from touring and cancelled all upcoming European and UK show dates.
The metal icon shared the news on Twitter on February 1, writing that it was “probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to share with my loyal fans”.
Elsewhere, the former Black Sabbath frontman recently earned two awards at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California last Sunday (February 5): Best Rock Album (‘Patient Number 9’) and Best Metal Performance (‘Degradation Rules’ feat. Tony Iommi).
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Arusa Qureshi
NME
