After wowing audiences and critics alike with a sold-out premiere in 2023, Birmingham Royal Ballet‘s hit manufacturing of “Black Sabbath – The Ballet” will begin a U.Okay. tour in autumn 2025.
Scorching on the heels of BLACK SABBATH‘s farewell gig at Villa Park of their hometown of Birmingham this summer season, “Black Sabbath – The Ballet” will return with a homecoming at Birmingham Hippodrome from September 18 to September 27 following dates in Europe and the USA. The manufacturing will then go to Manchester’s The Lowry, Salford for the primary time (October 8-11) earlier than returning to Theatre Royal Plymouth (October 16-18),Sadler’s Wells, London (October 22-25) and ending with a Scottish premiere on the Edinburgh Pageant Theatre (October 30 – November 1).
Following a whole sell-out premiere season in autumn 2023, bringing heavy metallic followers to ballet for the primary time, the 2025 tour will incorporate brand-new audio interviews with BLACK SABBATH band members, voices comparable to Sharon Osbourne and followers from throughout the globe. The sound design has additionally been revised, sharpened and turned as much as full quantity for this electrical evening of dance and rock that audiences have by no means skilled earlier than.
Birmingham Royal Ballet director Carlos Acosta stated: “Again in 2023 we have been blown away by the superior success of ‘Black Sabbath – The Ballet’, promoting out at each efficiency with standing ovations and bringing audiences that had by no means skilled stay dance earlier than to the theatre. Now, in 2025, we’re cranking the quantity as much as 11 with an enormous, daring U.Okay. tour that’s positive to knock everybody’s socks off!”
BLACK SABBATH co-founder, lead guitarist and co-songwriter Tony Iommi stated: “BLACK SABBATH have all the time been innovators and by no means been predictable, and it does not come any extra unpredictable than this! It was unbelievable to see what Carlos and the crew at Birmingham Royal Ballet did again in 2023 — bringing our music to life in a method I by no means thought potential! It is incredible that extra followers throughout the nation get to see this extraordinary manufacturing this autumn on a U.Okay. tour.”
Composer Christopher Austin is the mastermind behind the classical reimagining of a few of BLACK SABBATH‘s most iconic songs, performed stay at each efficiency by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia. Tony Award-winning Christopher labored carefully with Iommi on the rating, creating full orchestrations of legendary BLACK SABBATH tracks alongside new orchestral works impressed by their music. The orchestra is joined by guitarist Marc Hayward who performs stay on stage alongside the dancers at each present.
Christopher Austin stated: “For the music crew, creating the rating for this extraordinary ballet has been an exhilarating journey, and all of it started with probably the most wonderful present from Tony: his belief in us to honor the band’s music and his encouragement to comply with our personal new paths with these iconic songs.
“The eagerness and dedication of the entire inventive crew at BRB and the overwhelming response from audiences has made ‘Black Sabbath – The Ballet’ the expertise of a lifetime and I am unable to wait to be again within the theatre conducting this magical present.”
The eight BLACK SABBATH tracks featured are:
* “Paranoid” (“Paranoid” album, 1970);
* “Iron Man” (“Paranoid” album, 1970);
* “Conflict Pigs” (“Paranoid” album, 1970);
* “Black Sabbath” (“Black Sabbath” album, 1970);
* “Solitude” (Grasp Of Actuality” album, 1971);
* “Orchid” (Grasp Of Actuality” album, 1971);
* “Laguna Dawn” (“Vol 4” album, 1972) and
* “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” (“Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” album, 1973).
A full-length, three-act Ballet Now fee, “Black Sabbath – The Ballet” was created by a number of worldwide expertise together with lead Swedish choreographer Pontus Lidburg and Cuban designer Alexandre Arrechea with extra choreographers Raúl Reinoso and Cassi Abranches and composers Marko Nyberg and Solar Keting. Dramaturgy is by Richard Thomas and lighting design is by KJ. Steel curator is Lisa Meyer.
The U.S. premiere of “Black Sabbath – The Ballet” will happen at Virginia Arts Pageant at Chrysler Corridor in Norfolk, Virginia in Could, with performances set for Friday, Could 30 (7:30 p.m.) and Saturday, Could 31 (2 p.m. and seven:30 p.m.).
5 different U.S. dates (June 4-8, 2025) are scheduled at The Kennedy Middle Opera Home in Washington, D.C.
In an October 2023 video from Birmingham Royal Ballet, Sharon Osbourne the spouse and supervisor of BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne, stated: “After I first heard that Birmingham Royal Ballet was placing on a ballet to BLACK SABBATH music, I simply thought, that is so left subject. It is so not anticipated. Who would have ever thought the mixture? And I simply thought, good. That is simply so on the market that it is fantastic.”
Iommi, who had been current at some rehearsals for the U.Okay. “Black Sabbath – The Ballet” dates, got here up on stage on the finish of the opening efficiency to play guitar on the band’s basic tune “Paranoid”. Iommi additionally took a bow on the finish of the evening together with the solid and crew. Additionally in attendance on the occasion have been Iommi‘s bandmate, SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler and Sharon Osbourne, together with LED ZEPPELIN singer Robert Plant and ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA‘s Bev Bevan, who served because the touring drummer for BLACK SABBATH from 1983 to 1984 and performed percussion on “The Everlasting Idol” album in 1987.
In April 2023, Iommi was requested by Birmingham World if he might ever have imagined that half a century after he shaped SABBATH that Birmingham’s ballet firm can be dancing to their music. Tony laughed and stated: “I would not have believed them, actually, to be sincere. On the time after I obtained concerned with BLACK SABBATH, I assumed it was nice, as a result of it was one thing so completely different, and hasn’t been performed earlier than. And I discovered it, I believe, problem.
“I am our music in a different way now with this [the ballet], as a result of it’s being interpreted differently. It is nonetheless obtained the essential issues, however then it did have within the completely different orchestral issues coming in. After which I by no means thought for a minute we might have folks dancing to BLACK SABBATH and ‘Conflict Pigs’ and ‘Iron Man’. However right here we’re, you realize.”
Relating to Birmingham Royal Ballet‘s interpretation of SABBATH‘s music, Tony stated: “Birmingham Royal Ballet are very aware of the work being what it’s — the SABBATH music. We do not need to change it so you may’t acknowledge it. So that they’ve held that a part of it, however added one other dimension to it. So I used to be very pleased with that.”
As for whether or not he thinks the Black Sabbath Ballet might encourage heavy metallic followers to turn into ballet followers, and ballet followers to turn into heavy metallic followers, Iommi stated: “I definitely hope so. I imply, it’s a unusual mixture, however you have to push the boat out. And, you realize, hopefully, we are able to get all people collectively. However they’re reverse however they don’t seem to be on the similar time — as a result of it is nonetheless inventive. They’re creating what they’re doing. We’re creating what we have performed, and we’re bringing them collectively. And I believe it would be actually attention-grabbing to see the SABBATH followers after which to see the ballet followers liking it, hopefully.”
Acosta revealed early final yr that 60 p.c of tickets at that time for the U.Okay. exhibits had been purchased by SABBATH followers. He stated that “BLACK SABBATH is so completely different from the world of ballet, and I wished to multiply our attain. I hate to be predictable; I hate for the corporate to be taken as a right. Everybody is aware of ‘Swan Lake’ and ‘Cinderella’ … [It’s] an important alternative for us to indicate folks the world of dance.”
Austin, who supervised the music for the challenge, stated: “Not like THE BEATLES the place you should buy two huge volumes of all their scores with all of the instrumental elements, there’s not a lot for BLACK SABBATH.
“After I was requested to participate on this challenge I assumed, the place do you begin? The BLACK SABBATH catalog is big, it is so wealthy and so diverse. So the method initially was beginning to slender down the quantity of fabric that we wished to work with that might furnish us with selection, with richness, with completely different emotional tones, but additionally assist us create this evening-length present.”
Austin added: “What I like about BLACK SABBATH music is the wonderful irregularity. All of the features of music — the pliability of tempo and really feel. And the extraordinary early interval Ozzy vocals that are stratospheric, it is exceeding Pavarotti in time period of the excessive notes and ringing energy.”
Talking to BBC Radio 4‘s “In the present day” program, Acosta stated he had been a fan of SABBATH for greater than 20 years, and stated he felt the band’s basic protest tune “Conflict Pigs” nonetheless has specific resonance.
“‘Conflict Pigs’ is so related right now, how typically politicians and governments disguise behind phrases. And all of the wars taking place in the intervening time… it is timeless,” he stated.
