BLACK SABBATH, THE BALLET – Birmingham Royal Ballet – Theatre Royal Plymouth

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12 October 2023

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4****

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I should think it highly likely that eyebrows were raised when Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, Carlos Acosta, announced his intention to work with heavy metal pioneers, Black Sabbath on a new ballet. The prospect for many was both eye-catching and mouth-watering. The result of the collaboration is one very unique piece of work which works far better than you might expect.

Split into three acts, each with a different  choreographers and with the music of the band re-orchestrated  and with new compositional elements by different composers, this celebration of the Black Sabbath has never appeared like this before. The acts all celebrate aspects of the band; the stage enhanced by lightbox motifs and an upturned silver car, standing on top of which is the figure of ‘Henry’ (also silver), the winged demon which is a known symbol of the band.

Lighting by KJ is wide-ranging from the unsettling to the ‘in your face’ enhanced by a smokiness; a reflection of bands performance venues? It is artistry on the highest level.

The music slips from the raucous to the undeniably tender and beautiful, giving depths of expression for the dancers to explore. Under the redoubtable, Paul Murphy, the Royal Ballet Sinfonia are as exquisite as ever, though there were moments when I wished there had been a beefier, louder call on the big numbers.

There are so many aspects to this production – aural footage of the band members (and one Sharon Osbourne) recounting memories; a guitarist plays live on the stage as a focal point for many of the dances; Principal Dancer, Lachlan Monaghan, exercises his vocal chords, illustrating his multiple talents. It is an event which is so packed with content it is impossible to do it justice here.

As ever, Birmingham Royal Ballet provide a dance spectacle, albeit they are pushed beyond their comfort zone which is successful for the most part. Although mainly ballet-centric, the choreography crosses many genres. I was lucky to have the company of a friend, Kit Sells, a professional dancer, and he offers the following comments on some aspects of the production.

Although the start of Act One lacked groove, there was a union of understanding between the dancers which created a beautiful imagery of energy which a Black Sabbath concert affords. The groove comes through far more later in the Act where the choreographer shows an understanding of a rock concert.

For an illustration of the control of body, use of partner and threading the duo who maintain an unbroken kiss for five minutes or more, look no further. Here there is the creation of the feeling of first love at a concert or festival; the sheer emotion which a Black Sabbath concert and create.

The verbatim passages of Act Two with members of the band, creates a deeper connection between the dancers and the band itself. For those audience members coming to see ballet and do not know the band, there was an illustration of how the choreography reflected the home of Black Sabbath, Birmingham. There was a moment in this section where a single dancer moved, coronal, across the stage using transverse movement, flicking out a leg to emphasise a T or K sound from the Midlands voiceovers. All showing an understanding of the narrative and connecting the conversation to the music and thus to the choreography.

For Act Three, the orchestral version of War Pigs creates a euphoric feeling as the whole company combine in a medley of dances already performed. This final act, called ‘Everybody is a Fan’ succeeded in recruiting me as one. The exhilaration  of everyone coming together; music, dancers and audience, created a beautiful symphony for my eyes and ears to witness.

This is an energising, refreshing and highly original piece of work and though not 100% successful – the dancers moving the car around the stage felt clumsy and unnecessary – there were moments which transcended the norms; the classical ballet moves performed alongside ‘Paranoid’ is a juxtaposition of opposites which is utterly sublime.

A feast of entertainment from beginning to end that illustrates so well that oil and water can mix rather well sometimes.

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CAST & CREATIVES

Director – Carlos Acosta

Original Music – Black Sabbath

Music Consultant – Tony Iommi

Composers & Orchestrators – Marko Nyberg, Christopher Austin, Ben Foskett, Joshua Hickin, Sun Keting.

Choreographers – Raul Reinoso, Cassi Abranches, Pontus Lidberg

Designer – Alexandre Arrechea

Lighting Designer – K.J.

Sound Designer – Marko Nyberg

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Performers

Reina Fuchigami, Mailene Katoch, Hannah Martin, Beatrice Parma, Matilde Rodrigues, Yaoqian Shang, Eilis Small, Lucy Waine, Enrique Bejarano Vidal, Jack Easton, Ryan Felix, Kit Holder, Gus Payne, Eric Pinto Cata, Javier Rojas, Shuailun Wu, Rosanna Ely, Tessa Hogge, Regan Hutsell, Frieda Kaden, Ava May Llewellyn, Gabriel Anderson, Oscar Kempsey-Fagg, Mason King, Yu Kurihara, Haoliany Feng, Lachlan Monaghan, Momoko Hirata, Tzu-Chao Chou, Mathias Dingman, Riki Ito

Guitarist – Marc Hayward

Singer – Lachlan Monaghan

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