Combine the music of a superstar heavy metal band with the dance expertise of an internationally acclaimed ballet company and what do you get? Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Black Sabbath - The Musical, that’s what! With the brand-new production world premiering in Birmingham next month, What’s On chats to Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi about a show that promises to be just that little bit different (to say the least!)...  

As the guitarist in one of the most successful heavy metal bands in history, Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi has experienced many things in his life, and yet this autumn will see him make his very first trip to the ballet.

Aston-born Tony has been working with Birmingham Royal Ballet and a team of composers, choreographers, dramaturg and designers on Black Sabbath - The Ballet, which premieres at Birmingham Hippodrome in September.

And he says it is the very incongruity of bringing together heavy metal and ballet which appeals.
“The exciting part about this is that there will be people in the audience who are Black Sabbath fans who have never been to a ballet before, and people in the audience who are ballet fans who don’t know much about Black Sabbath. It’s educating people in a different way and getting them to look at something and discover something new they like.
“I have never really been to the ballet, so for me it’s a real eye-opener and I absolutely love it. I know from our fans that there’s a lot of excitement - they are really interested to come to the show.”

Black Sabbath - The Ballet is the brainchild of BRB Director Carlos Acosta and forms part of a trilogy of works focusing on the city of Birmingham. City Of A Thousand Trades, which highlighted Birmingham’s industrial heritage, premiered in 2021, and Black Sabbath premieres next month. A third Birmingham-inspired ballet is yet to be announced but is due to be performed next year.

When Carlos suggested the idea of a Black Sabbath ballet to Tony, the musician, who has a star on Birmingham’s Broad Street Walk of Stars, was immediately enthusiastic.
“I love Carlos’ approach - the way he goes out there and does something he believes in. Carlos has an idea in his head of what he wants, and it’s a great step to make something so different. 

“People are usually so unwilling to step out of the box and try something different, but it’s the same thing that we had when we started - a real belief and drive. We were prepared to be different in those early days. It was difficult then to do the music we were doing as we were coming up against soul and that sort of music, which was really popular. But we kept on believing in it and doing it - and Carlos has been exactly the same with his approach to this ballet. 

“Carlos says he’s done Swan Lake a million times, so this is something which pushes him as well. And it’s the same for us - it pushes us in a different direction.”

The production includes eight Black Sabbath songs, which are being reorchestrated by lead composer Christopher Austin to form part of the soundtrack to the ballet. Music by two other composers, Marko Nyberg and Sun Keting, also features. The piece is choreographed by a team comprising lead choreographer Pontus Lidberg with Raúl Reinoso and Cassi Abranches.

“I could have said which tracks we wanted included, but the team are all very talented and I was interested to see what they would do,” says Tony. “I thought they would have picked songs or tunes with more of the acoustic stuff or some of the stuff which is more mellow, but they haven’t - they’ve done Black Sabbath and Iron Man and War Pigs. The only questions I had were ‘How can you dance to that?’ and ‘What are they going to do to that?’ 

“It’s a real challenge that they’re taking on, and yet it’s worked. Chris brought his early orchestration over to my house, and we sat in my studio and went through them one by one to make sure the timings are right and all the spacing and the tempo. And it is incredible. Chris sees a way of directing our music to make something different, something that hasn’t been done before. 

“They’re not just playing the songs, they’re adding different bits to them and working them in a different way. And then there’s all the dancing on top of that. I’m fascinated by it. Every time I see them dancing and the show progressing along, I think ‘it’s so good’. The whole thing is really creative. Watching it forming is really amazing.”

Tickets for the Birmingham dates of Black Sabbath - The Ballet sold out within days of going on sale in February. BRB has since added additional sold-out shows and announced dates in Plymouth and at London’s Sadler’s Wells. So was Tony surprised by its success?
“I know it’s going to be great because all the people involved are really talented and it’s such an exciting project. And it’s not just our fans who want to come, it’s lots of people who love music.
“You’d never have thought this would happen - a Black Sabbath ballet! I certainly would never have thought it could. I mean, I’ve done some things in my life but this is so different.”

Hopes are high that the show will become a key part of BRB’s repertoire, touring to venues in the UK and across the world. And Tony says that with each date, the production will spread knowledge not just of Black Sabbath but of Birmingham as a whole.

“The show is a great ambassador for the city. Birmingham Royal Ballet are known, Black Sabbath are known, and the amalgamation of the two doing something so ‘out of the box’ I think brings more to Birmingham. 

“It’s interesting because I’ve seen how Black Sabbath has become a part of Birmingham, and I’ve seen this grow over the years. Birmingham years ago didn’t want to know us, and it was only us persevering [which changed that]; playing our music, building up a name, building up a reputation and helping put Birmingham on the map in other parts of the world. When we used to go to America and say we were from Birmingham, they’d think Birmingham Alabama, and we’d have to tell them ‘No, there’s a Birmingham in England!’

“And now I’m really proud of this show and the fact it comes from Birmingham. To see the amount of work that’s gone into it is just unbelievable, and I’m sure audiences are going to love it.”

by Diane Parkes