JADAR

★★★★☆
Black Sabbath — The Ballet is a full-throttle, head-banging delight, innovatively melding the sophistication and finesse of ballet with the rebelliousness and thrill of high-octane heavy metal. It’s a refreshingly bold antithetical concept with electrifying choreography and a killer soundtrack that equally blends the two genres. It’s yet another brilliant Carlos Acosta-directed production, driven by creativity and passion.

Founded in 1931, Birmingham Royal Ballet are a prestigious company with an incredible portfolio of traditional ballet under their belt. Black Sabbath — The Ballet, while a little less conventional than others in their repertoire, is still purposefully poised, filled with finesse and gorgeously refined. Its premiere in 2023 was received unsurprisingly well, leading to this year’s UK tour.

While there’s not a traditional story per say, the ballet is split into three acts with two intervals, showcasing the world of heavy metal, taking us through the band’s journey, and celebrating their influence on music and the world. In short, it’s a celebration of the pioneering heavy metal band and its founders, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler. After the recent passing of frontman Ozzy, there couldn’t be a more touching time for the Birmingham-based company to pay tribute to the extraordinary Brummy band.

The show starts with a rising golden emblem before revving up the audience with Black Sabbath’s signature sound and a short audio of Ozzy singing (interweaved throughout the show) before a massive ensemble number. Sometimes, Black Sabbath’s distinctive sound can be heard in its full glory, bassy percussion and howling guitars. Other times, their music is softly interweaved with new compositions or transformed into a moving symphonic piece by the live orchestra. Tinkling bells and glockenspiels enchanting the audience as dancers gently flitter around, sustaining kisses and gentle embraces, before building back into heavy metal with the appearance of enigmatic on-stage guitarist Marc Hayward.

Attempts to rile up the crowd during the heavier rock concert sections were appreciated but felt a little clunky due to the crowd’s great theatre etiquette and the sporadicity of these clap/cheer-alongs.

Lead composer/music supervisor Christopher Austin, aided by Marjo Nyberg, Joshua Hickin, Sun Keting and music director Paul Murphy, create an enigmatic soundtrack, seamlessly fluctuating between gently chiming melodies, dynamic rock riffs, and the goosebump inducing swellings of the huge orchestra’s brassy jolts and poigniant high strings. While some of the songs are repeated, the new routines and full-circle feeling of the production never make the material feel stale.

Similarly, the choreography fluctuates between the elegant and abstract, uniting classic intricate ballet routines with relatable head-banging and guitar shredding, or delving into the contemporary with more interpretive movements. Each segment is influenced by different choreographers, with Raúl Reinoso working on Act I, Cassi Abranches on Act II and lead choreographer/artistic director Pontus Lidberg on Act III, creating an intriguing collaborative piece.

Particularly, interesting sequences in Act I involved shadow people, decorated in black morph suits or cloaks, crawling on all fours, skulking with broad arms and splayed fingers, feet flittering and bodies jolting in an unnerving unison, mirroring the unabashed darkness of Black Sabbath’s pieces. Another sees the ensemble dancing poignantly with the words of interview clips where the band share their biggest struggles and their happiest moments (a few drug-fuelled escapades and comedically blunt phrases causing sporadic audience laughter).

Occasional movements feel a tad sluggish for the fast-paced music, however, the majority of the time I was left in awe at how versatile each routine felt, rock and ballet having such distinctive styles.

Designer Alexandre Arrechea had the tricky job of bringing these concepts to life, adapting the stage for each act to prevent stagnancy. Act I begins with a simplistic black set, dimly lit and framed by black slats cloaking dancers garbed in form-fitting black costumes as they enter from the wings. Lit heavy metal emblems are dropped in and out, paired with moody spotlighting by lighting designer K.J, creating a fascinating ominous atmosphere before alternating to brighter concert style lights.

Act II is largely the same set but introduces a set of colourful light beams to the backdrop and dressing the dancers in fun 80s rocker attire: sleeveless denim, flair pants and leather finishing the look. Joshua Blair’s sound design is particularly engaging in this segment, compiling interview audio, distorted phrases, bell tomes and rain sound effects into a compelling piece (although a few phrases were a little tricky to pick out).

The set completely transforms for Act III, removing the framing to reveal the stripped-back wings. Costumes are now rocker t-shirts, creating a laid back atmosphere, almost like we’re invited into their behind-the-scenes rehearsals. Centre stage, an enormous statue of a demon holding drumsticks and surfing on a recked car… how very metal! While I loved the design, I preferred its subtle use in Act II, veiled by eerie red lights. Its appearance in act three feels a little gimmicky and underutilised as the dancers parade it around the stage, moving it from spot to spot before a myriad of warm pulsating concert lights take its place. Similarly, while amusing, I wasn’t 100% convinced by the brief use of the rollable vinyl platforms… but the additional props did create fascinating focal points.

My favourite sequence had to be Act I’s eccentric ‘Paranoid’ sequence, all the symbols filling the stage while Marc Hayward shredded his guitar and ensemble bounded in with fierce electrifying moves in intricate acrobatic solos. It was pure metal magic… enough to drive you batty (sorry, Ozzy!).

The finale was equally incredible, uniting all three segments together with their act-specific costumes and dance styles intermingling on stage before a cheerful cast sing along and a passion-filled, vibrant finale.

Overall, the show is an ingenious, intrepid, and inspired creative feast. The dancers and creatives have created a devilishly bold show, packed to the brim with passionate tributes to the band and heavy metal, yet intricately decorated with graceful ballet movements and well-composed orchestral music.

They say opposites attract and that’s never been truer than in Black Sabbath — The Ballet.

Birmingham Royal Ballet: Black Sabbath — The Ballet runs at Lowry (Lyric Theatre) until October 11 and tours the UK until November 1.

Photo: David Polston