[Ad-gifted] Last night’s Birmingham Royal Ballet Black Sabbath may sound like the craziest combination ever, of Black Sabbath music paired with the talents of the Birmingham Royal Ballet. Yes, you read correctly Black Sabbath – The Ballet!
One thing is for sure, one of my very favourite things to see at the theatre is Ballet and in honour of the late Ozzy Osborne, I couldn’t think of anything more fun that combining the two together, I doubt that nor could he! Plus, it has the Royal nod of approval from non other than the Queen of Heavy Metal – Sharon Osborne, who was quoted saying “brilliant…so out-there, it’s wonderful”
I am accompanied tonight by one of my oldest friends, who studied choreography at University, so I can’t think of anyone more apt to bring along for the night!
We donned our rock themed outfits and made our way to the Lyric Theatre at The Lowry Theatre, Salford Quays for a performance guided by Carlos Acosta the Cuban-British Royal Birmingham Ballet Director; along with three choreographers, led by Pontus Lidberg (of Swedish Royal Ballet) and three composers, led by Chris Austin (orchestrator of White Stripes for Wayne McGregor’s Chroma) and finally, written by the award-winning writer Richard Thomas.
Find out how Birmingham Royal Ballet Black Sabbath went in our latest theatre review.
What I thought of Birmingham Royal Ballet Black Sabbath – The Ballet
The show last night was such an unexpected experience. The combination of ballet with heavy metal took me by surprise at how successfully the two paired together, making the evening a piece of memorable wonder.
The Lyric at The Lowry Theatre was packed to the rafters and amongst the audience were an array of ballet enthusiasts blended with hardcore Black Sabbath fans! This mixture of genre devotees is not something you’d expect but the atmosphere was warm and welcoming.
The evening was divided into three acts. Act -1 was a surrealist expression of Black Sabbath’s humble beginnings around the industrial industries of Birmingham to their spiritual connection to music. It featured for me the most beautiful combination of metal music and dancing of the evening and was my favourite act.
Act 2 featured stories from the lives of the band members and their history. The voices of, Ozzy, Bill, Geezer and Tony were intertwined with dance symbolising the the notes on the guitar, where the added visuals of the set created a delight
Act 3 encompassed everything that had been, the band’s legacy, their huge success, their fans and their fame. All the dancers from each act came together to create the memorable finally when ballet met metal!
The sets were simple with the focus on lighting and a range of light boxes that projected stamp-like symbols, portraying images that represented things iconic to Black Sabbath – such as drum symbols, hair, hands holding a microphone and many more. However, in Act 2 there was a slightly more elaborate piece on a 1970s car upturned with the icon Black Sabbath demon stood atop.
The music was created by the Orchestra, overlayed with original recording’s of the band and the guitarist Marc Hayward, who magically appeared throughout moments of dancing, to play the iconic riffs that Tony Iommi would have played.
The evening was fantastic and what a memorable night to have been able to witness a paradox of artistic genres fused together was so unique but something I’m so grateful to have witnessed. The show is running until Saturday, 11 October.
Cast
The cast was vast but here is a list of the principle ballet dancers from the evening and the guitarist.
Principle Dancers:
Tzu-Chao Chao
Mattias Dingman
Samara Downs
Céline Gittens
Momoko Hirata
Yu Kurihara
Max Maslen
Miki Mizutani
Lachlan Monaghan
Beatrice Parma
Yaoqian Shang
Guitarist Marc Hayward
You can find the link and biographies of all the other dancers who also starred in the show here.
Creatives
Original Music – Black Sabbath
Lead Composer, Project Music Supervisor, Conductor – Christopher Austin
Composer – Marko Nyberg
Composer – Sun Keting
Lead Choreographer – Pontus Lidberg
Choreographer – Raúl Reinoso
Choreographer – Cassi Abranches
Designer – Alexandre Arrechea
Sound Production & Design – Joshua Blair
Lighting Designer – K.J
Dramaturg – Richard Thomas
Metal Curator – Lisa Meyer
How much are the tickets?
Tickets are priced from £22-£70.
How do I book tickets to watch ?
To book tickets please call The Lowry at 08432086000 or via their website here.
When is Birmingham Royal Ballet Black Sabbath?
The show will be running until Saturday, 11 October 2025. Show starts at 7.30pm with a matinee performance on Thursday at 2pm. The show will be running for 2 hours and 10 minutes (including two 20 minute intervals).
Additional Information
Pre-show talk on Friday 10th October at 6.30pm in the auditorium. No booking necessary . Admission free.
Accessible performances
Audio Described by Company | Saturday 11th at 2pm.
Touch Tour | 11:45am- Meet in Foyer
12-12.30pm Touch Tour on stage
12.30-1.15pm Q&A/Talk with guitarist
2pm Performance
Please note, there will be a Q&A/Talk at 12:30pm for Touch Tour bookers only.
Where will the performance be held?
The Lowry
Lyric Theatre
Salford
M50 3AZ
Manchester
Tel: 0843208 6000
Notes:
- The Lowry welcomes all visitors regardless of their disability and strives to meet all individuals needs where possible.
- They welcome assistance dogs.
- The Lowry website is fully accessible and features BrowseAloud. Browsealoud adds speech, reading and translation support, facilitating access and participation for those people who need support reading print, dyslexia, low literacy, mild visual impairments and those with English as a second language. To use this feature, simply click on the grey ear logo located in the footer.
-
If you are driving to the show, we would recommend for you to park at The Lowry Outlet which is opposite the theatre, but be aware as there is lack of signage from the car park area to the theatre, so best to ask someone or use google maps to find your way.Pre paid car parking tickets can be purchased up to 24 hours prior to your performance. Please note they are unable to sell pre paid tickets on your performance date, and you will need to pay at the ticket machines in the car park. The tickets can be booked at the same time as your seats via their website, or over the phone on freephone 0343 208 6000. The cost is £6.50. This allows you to park for the day.
About The Lowry Theatre
The Lowry is a registered charity committed to using visual and performing arts to enrich people’s lives. They present audiences with a diverse programme of theatre, opera, musicals, dance, music, comedy and visual art as well as events and activities to expand the horizons of audiences and artists alike. At the heart of their work is a commitment to the local communities and young people. Tapping into the work on their stages and in their galleries, they offer thousands of free creative participation opportunities each year. They are passionate about nurturing talent, developing creative professionals of the future and raising aspirations.
About Birmingham Royal Ballet
Birmingham Royal Ballet is one of the world’s great companies, a true powerhouse in classic ballet and contemporary dance. They’re proudly rooted in Birmingham, their home since 1990, at the same time, they tour around the UK and internationally, bringing world-class ballet and live music to the widest range of audiences in our nation and beyond.
They perform everything from grand romantic ballets to breathtaking new dance works inspired by our world today – including many pieces created just for them by the world’s best established and emerging choreographers.
They’re bringing new life to the greatest ballet traditions – but under the leadership of Carlos Acosta, their Director, they’re also pushing the art form into electrifying new directions, underpinned by the artistry, creativity and technical excellence for which they’re known around the world.
Review by: Lex Ward
You may also want to read this:
Review: Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile at The Lowry Theatre
Review: Birmingham Royal Ballet presents Cinderella at The Lowry Theatre
Review: Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Beauty and The Beast at The Lowry Theatre
Production Photo Credit: The Lowry Theatre/David Polston
12 comments
I bet this was amazing, my husband loved Black Sabbath and so I do know more about them that I would normally. I can see how as unlikely as it sounds the mix of ballet and their music can complement each other
Yes it was such a beautiful surprise and one worth witnessing
Oh wow! This sounds like the combination you never knew you needed! I’m not massively familiar with Black Sabbath’s music, but this sounds absolutely brilliant! Sounds like a blast! I’d absolutely love to attend.
It was such a brilliant night Claire!
Wow, it must have been very interesting to see how they paired ballet with heavy metal. It sounds like they did such an amazing job choreographing this!!
Yes it was interesting and it worked out really well
What a cool show to be able to check out. It certainly looks unique, with a lot of cool artistic interpretations.
Absolutely! Great show for both ballet fans as well as Black Sabbath fans
what an interesting ballet! Sounds like something well worth going to see.
Yes absolutely especially if you are a fan of Black Sabbath
I would love to see The Ballet at The Lowry and the pictures above are so cool. Looks like a fabulous live show that I would love to see!
I totally enjoyed it and would certainly recommend heading to The Lowry when you get the chance