Black Sabbath The Ballet premieres in Birmingham in September

Ballet and heavy metal might not be an obvious pairing, but that’s the mix fans will get when Black Sabbath – The Ballet opens later this year.

The ballet, the brainchild of Carlos Acosta, director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, and Tony Iommi of the band, will premiere in Birmingham in September.

It will contain eight Black Sabbath tracks as well as new music inspired by them.

Iommi told Radio 4’s Today he hopes the ‘rags to riches’ story will draw in ‘both our fans and ballet fans’.

Acosta told the show he’s been a big fan of the band since a friend introduced him to their music around 2000.

After a week-long performance at the Birmingham Hippodrome from 23-30 September 2023, the full-length three-act ballet will then tour to Plymouth’s Theater Royal and Sadler’s Wells in London.

In a press release announcing the production, guitarist Iommi said, “I never thought of combining Black Sabbath with ballet, but it has a beautiful ring to it!”

He added: “I’m looking forward to seeing how this all plays out. Black Sabbath has always been innovative and never predictable, and it doesn’t get any more unpredictable! I’ve met Carlos several times and his enthusiasm is contagious.”

The show’s eight Black Sabbath tracks include Paranoid, War Pigs, Orchid and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, and the music is re-orchestrated for the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.

The idea of ​​a Black Sabbath ballet has haunted Acosta since first arriving in Birmingham in early 2020, just before the pandemic hit.

Acosta said: “Black Sabbath is probably Birmingham’s biggest export, the most famous – and infamous – cultural entity to ever emerge from the city – so naturally I was drawn to the idea of ​​a collaboration between something that most people think is it is most unlikely partner.

“The band’s enthusiasm for the project is a huge endorsement. They put their trust in us to deliver something completely new and original and that’s quite a responsibility, but we’re really excited to take it on.”

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the former ballet star said he’s been a fan of the band for more than two decades and feels their song ‘War Pigs’ still has a special resonance.

“War Pigs is as relevant today as politicians and governments sometimes hide behind words. And all the wars that are going on right now… it’s timeless.”

The band performed at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August

The Cuban-born dancer added that it was “amazing” to meet Iommi, who he described as “a gentle soul.”

“We both come from poor, working-class backgrounds. The band came out of this need. They represented so many people.”

Iommi told Today’s Nicola Stanbridge the story will be a rags to riches story, and while he can “appreciate” ballet as an art form, he’s never been to a ballet. Still.

“I went down to watch the rehearsal and they danced around me, it was mesmerizing.

“I think it’s really adventurous to do this. It hopes to attract both our fans and ballet fans.”

The news comes a week after Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne announced he was retiring from performing.

Osbourne told fans he’s still struggling to recover from a spinal injury he sustained in 2019.

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