Heavy metal and ballet entwine together in this production to produce possibly one of the most intriguing and mesmerising performances ever created.
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Birmingham Royal Ballet, never scared to push boundaries are becoming known for their innovative way to attract new audiences to the world of ballet and as a huge balletomane myself I am so excited to see shows now being frequented by ‘newbies’, keen to get in on the action and I hope they will give The Nutcracker a try in November/December to see a more traditional ballet. I read on social media before heading to the show last night that 60% of the tickets purchased for this sold-out tour were from people who had never seen a ballet before – how phenomenal!
Black Sabbath – The Ballet, is such a superb idea from Carlos Acosta, the director of Birmingham Royal Ballet. A blending of Birminghams greatest ever heavy metal band with the world’s finest ballet company. An idea that is so out-there and yet, so incredible.
I was really excited to see the performance at Birmingham Hippodrome and I came away in awe. Carlos Acosta is taking BRB to new places, and I am all for it.
“It’s basically this story of rags to riches. From the factory floor to one of the most successful bands in rock history. We want to take people to this higher place where they can leave with huge smiles in their faces, humming these great tunes.”
Carlos Acosta
Composer Christopher Austin, Lead Choreographer Pontus Lidberg and collaborator/editor Joshua Hicken took Carlos’ idea (with blessing from Tony Iommi) and have created a masterpiece. A performance that I believe will go down in history and be performed for many, many years to come.
The opening scene excited me immediately, I knew this ballet was going to be something completely different to any ballet I have ever seen before.
Act I: Heavy Metal Ballet had some astounding performances from well-known BRB dancers, including Beatrice Parma, Tzu-Chao Chou, Gus Payne and Kit Holder to name a few, and it was wonderful to see some less familiar faces (to me), Maïlène Katoch, Enrique Bejarano Vidal and Jack Easton amongst the sixteen ballet dancers all dressed in black opening the ballet to vocals of the first lines of War Pigs from Ozzy Osbourne.
It was during this act that we were introduced to Guitarist Marc Hayward who adds a real ‘heavy metal’ feel to the performance.
Yaoqian Shang and Javier Rosa’s performed a dance to an orchestral cover of Solitude, entirely connected by an unbreakable kiss. It was mesmerising to watch, so beautiful and romantic.
Act II: The Band may have been my favourite act with the playing of Orchid, and unlike a traditional ballet, we had voiceovers from the members of Black Sabbath and also Ozzy’s wife too, giving us some background knowledge of the band members. Tony sharing a voiceover of the metal factory injury which led to his groundbreaking guitar sound.
But Céline Gittens and Tyrone Singleton stole the show in this act with their breathtaking performance together. Choreographer Cassi Abranches created a masterpiece in this act and Céline and Tyrone have yet again demonstrated their phenomenal dancing abilities.
It was also lovely to see Lachlan Monaghan singing. Ballet dancer, photographer, and now singer, too. An incredibly talented individual.
Act III: Everybody is a fan, felt like a really fun end act for me. It was a delight to see those dancers that I usually see stood so tall and perfectly placed, sharing a bit of a boogie on the stage. All with some of the most well known Black Sabbath songs played, including Iron Man, Paranoid, Black Sabbath, War Pigs, and more.
We were treated to Tony Iommi on the stage at the end, which was truly amazing to see. The audience went wild when he arrived with a standing ovation.
This is a ballet that everyone should see, whether you’re a ballet fan, a Black Sabbath fan or both. I can guarantee that you will love it.
Keep your eyes on the Birmingham Royal Ballet website for details of future shows.