Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Black Sabbath – The Ballet returned to Sadler’s Wells in London, England last night, October 22. Much to the surprise of attendees, Black Sabbath guitarist, Tony Iommi, joined the cast for the closing song, “Paranoid”, performing the guitar solo. Fan-filmed video can be viewed below.

One of those “fans”, Queen guitarist Brian May, shared video, writing, “Wow! The true Father of Heavy Metal making that beautiful axe sing like a bird tonight at Sadlers Wells. Tony Iommi plus a 40 piece orchestra and a cast of 50 dancers – putting the icing on the cake of a great production of Black Sabbath the Ballet. Proud to call this infinitely modest and generous genius my friend.”

 

Black Sabbath forged their unique sound in Birmingham Royal Ballet’s home city. In Black Sabbath – The Ballet expect a spectacular theatrical evening featuring thrilling dance alongside full orchestrations of legendary Black Sabbath tracks such as “Paranoid” and “Iron Man”, as well as new orchestral works inspired by their music.

In the second of three Birmingham-focussed commissions, Carlos Acosta was drawn to both the band’s work and its musical legacy as the originators of heavy metal. This full-evening ballet promises to be a unique undertaking with three composers and three choreographers, led by renowned Choreographer Pontus Lidberg (whose work has been performed by the Swedish Royal Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet) and Composer Christopher Austin (whose work includes orchestrating the White Stripes music for Wayne McGregor’s Chroma) working alongside award-winning writer Richard Thomas (Jerry Springer, The Opera) to create an extraordinary metal symphony over three acts. Black Sabbath themselves have been closely involved in developing this unique collaboration.

Sparks fly in this intriguing new response to Black Sabbath’s music and legacy – the first true heavy metal ballet experience.

Remaining dates:

Sadler’s Wells – London, England – through October 25
Festival Theatre – Edinburgh, Scotland – October 31 – November 1

For complete dates, showtimes, and ticket links, visit brb.org.uk.

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