Birmingham Royal Ballet: Black Sabbath - The Ballet

[Pulcinella]

Just back from the first night and first impressions are some will love it and some will hate it but it was certainly a first nigt like no other. Three different styles for each act with the second act being danced in sneakers/trainers apart from a pas de deux, danced at this performance by Celine Gittens and Tyrone Singleton. There is a guitarist who appears in the first and third acts and Lachlan Monaghan debuts as a singer in the second act. The voices of Tony Iommi and Sharon Osbourne are heard in act two and Tony Iommi put in an appearance at the end of the ballet playing his guitar, which drove the audience wild. Despite being a Brummie born and bred, although no longer living there, I've never been a Black Sabbath or heavy metal fan but I came out at the end feeling exhilarated. The music is very loud at times but there are also quiet moments and the music is very symphonic at times. It is also amplified but I think that is probably justified in this case, unlike for ENB. I will be seeing it again next week, probably with different dancers so will be interested to see how I feel about it then. 
Just to add the programmes are £15, although they do come in an individually numbered sleeve! I don't know if this will still be the case when the ballet reaches Sadlers Wells.

Edited September 23, 2023 by Pulcinella
To add an extra about the programme.

[alison]

Thanks, pulcinella. I didn't think it was due to start yet.

[Emeralds]

Thanks, @Pulcinella, I was curious to know if any members managed to get tickets for the first night in Birmingham and if anyone had curtain call photos.  😊 I was busy attending performances in London (doing a double show day!) as we have two total rail strikes coming up (not even a limited service or partial day time service) and can’t go to ballets then, so had to squeeze it all in this weekend where possible. Thanks for the report and also for the photos too! 

[San Perregrino]

I saw Black Sabbath this afternoon. I don’t know any Black Sabbath music, heavy metal sends me running in the opposite direction and so I was definitely stepping out of my comfort zone to buy a ticket.

I came away humming the music and my friend who is 50 next year and hasn’t been to the ballet since she was 7 said spontaneously “Seeing that has made me fall in love with ballet again.”

 

No cast list was available so I’m guessing here.

The lines between ballet and dance are definitely blurred in this production.

There are some inspired moments, the first act second section Solitude pas de deux by Javier Rojas & ? has to be seen to be believed. 

The end of the first Act Paranoid allows individual dancers to demonstrate some highly technical ballet moves much to the oohs and ahs of the audience. 
The orchestration must have softened the original ‘heavy’ and, unusually for me with anything modern, I didn’t find it too loud. The Ride of the Valkyries can be more ear splitting. At times I even thought it perhaps needed to be a bit more ‘head-banging”. There were plenty of sweet melodic sections.

Lachlan Monaghan not only dances like there’s no tomorrow lighting up the stage whenever he appears but also fully commits himself to singing here and there. A singing ballet dancer, is this a first?

Tzu-Chao Chou appears en pointe at one point.

Tyrone Singleton and Celine Gittens fill the stage with their pas de deux. 
The whole company shine in the ‘corps’ pieces and are evidently enjoying themselves. 
The performance received a standing ovation from the whole theatre. The queue for merchandise at the end was longer than the queue to leave the building. Numbered programmes in sleeves must’ve been a first night only edition.
I left feeling that, whilst it hadn’t ticked all the boxes, I had very much enjoyed the afternoon.

Perhaps in Black Sabbath BRB has found an alternative Christmas show to it’s Nutcracker…

 

Also, it will be interesting to see if or how this production evolves en route to Sadlers Wells.

Edited September 24, 2023 by PeterS

[ChrisG]

I've just got back from this afternoon's performance and I absolutely loved it. Like PeterS I've never been a metal fan though I've always had a liking for heavy metal-adjacent bands like Cream and Led Zeppelin. Having said that I don't think Black Sabbath were ever like the stereotypical heavy metal bands that emerged towards the end of the 70s - there was a bit more to them than that. My worry therefore was that the show wouldn't do justice either to ballet and Black Sabbath. Thankfully it did justice to both in spades, as evidenced by the massive roar from the audience at the end (I actually got a warning ping at that point from my new Apple Watch that I was in a loud enviroment!).

 

If the objective was to bring a whole new audience to ballet then I'm guessing it will be mission accomplished. Me and my neighbour in row P, whose only exposure to ballet before had been Nutcracker, both agreed that a) it was proper dancing and b) that the music was excellently realised. Of course each section had a different choreographer and a different musical arranger so although there was a consistent design aesthetic through the three acts the content was slightly uneven, but that's a minor quibble. If I were to rate the three acts I would rate Acts 1 and 3 highest in terms of both choreography and music, though Act 2 did have a wonderful pas de deux between Tyrone Singleton and Celine Gittens who also had some excellent moments in the final act.

 

Act 2 also had Lachlan Monaghan singing, something he did in the final act as well whilst also dancing! His voice is more musical theatre than rock, so I think if Christopher Wheeldon's An American in Paris ever gets revived someone should put him up for the lead!

 

One comment about cast sheets - BRB seem finally to have gone down the digital only cast sheet route, and the link only appeared on the website about fifteen minutes before the show - here it is  https://www.brb.org.uk/downloadable-castsheets . It would have been nice to have had some notices to the effect that they are digital only however - I certainly didn't see any. Finally the programme is excellent value at £8 rather than the special edition £15 opening night one - lots of interesting information about the project including extensive descriptions of the content of each act in terms of dancing and music, a potted history of BRB for any newbies, and the usual extensive biographies of the dancers.

[Emeralds]

Right, unless any additional shows can be squeezed into the still sold out Sadler’s Wells run or someone hands in tickets for returns, I am booking tickets for the first London revival of BSTB! (Looks like it was Yaoqian Shang with Javier Rojas in the first act pas de deux, unless they switched partners with Beatrice Parma and Enrique Bejarano Vidal?)

 

I’m very impressed with the cheerful line in the cast sheet highlighted in bold and in a box, “Don’t miss our Black Sabbath- The Ballet merchandise” (and in helpful normal type font, “Available in the main foyer”). Genius! 

 

 I think I’ve found the answer to Birmingham City Council’s problems and CBSO, BRB, and other Birmingham arts and museums’ funding crisis. It’s very simple. Just appoint Carlos Acosta to head the council. (You might ask, how does he have the time- he already heads two dance companies in different continents, a dance school, or is it two dance schools now with the new dance centre in east London.) And he still danced onstage this July! The man is a master genius at ideas, supervision and time management. Anyway, wild ideas aside, bravi to BRB, choreographer Pontus Lidberg, composer Christopher Austin, all the artistic team, RB Sinfonia, the Black Sabbath members and Carlos Acosta for this brilliant venture! Fabulous!

[Odyssey]

I’m seeing it on Plymouth and will be interested to see how it’s received outside the Midlands. Although I’m sure there’ll benenough ex Brummie and Sabbath fans like me to provide a warm reception. I’m really heartened by these early reviews after being less than wowed by some of the rehearsal footage. Yes, bravo to Carlos Acosta for his zeal and determination to see projects like this come to fruition. 

[Jan McNulty]

Press Release from BRB:

 

IMAGE RELEASE
25 September 2023

LEGENDARY GUITARIST, TONY IOMMI MADE A SPECIAL GUEST STAR APPEARANCE AT THE OPENING NIGHT OF BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET’S
BLACK SABBATH - THE BALLET

 

SHARON OSBOURNE, GEEZER BUTLER, ROBERT PLANT AND BEV BEVAN WALK THE PURPLE CARPET AT GALA OPENING

 

FIRST-LOOK PRODUCTION SHOTS RELEASED FOR WORLD PREMIERE
 

 

Birmingham Royal Ballet has today released first-look production shots from their sold-out world premiere production of Black Sabbath - The Ballet which continues performances at Birmingham Hippodrome until Saturday 30 September.

 

The Company were joined on opening night by legendary Black Sabbath guitarist, Tony Iommi for a special curtain call performance. Guests on the purple carpet at the opening night included Sharon Osbourne, Black Sabbath drummer Geezer Butler, Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant, ELO’s Bev Bevan and BRB Director, Carlos Acosta.

 

 

Following performances in Black Sabbath’s hometown of Birmingham, Black Sabbath - The Ballet then tours to Plymouth Theatre Royal 12-14 October and  London’s Sadler’s Wells - 18-21 October. Tickets for all performances are sold-out, check the theatre website regularly for returns. Over 60% of tickets in Birmingham have been sold to audiences who have never attended a ballet before.

 

 

A full-length, three-act, Ballet Now commission, this brand-new work brings together a host of international creatives including lead Swedish choreographer Pontus Lidburg, Cuban designer Alexandre Arrechea, Tony Award winning composer Christopher Austin with additional choreographers Raúl Reinoso and Cassi Abranches and composers Marko Nyberg and Sun Keting. Richard Thomas is dramaturg for the project and lighting design is by Kieron Johnson. Capsule Director Lisa Meyer is Metal Curator. See full biographies for the creative team in notes.

 

 

The 8 Black Sabbath tracks featured in the production are: Paranoid (Paranoid, 1970);  Ironman (Paranoid, 1970); War Pigs (Paranoid, 1970); Black Sabbath (Black Sabbath, 1970); Solitude (Master of Reality, 1971);  Orchid (Master of Reality, 1971); Laguna Sunrise (Vol 4, 1972) and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, 1973). The music will be re-orchestrated for the Royal Ballet Sinfonia with new compositions inspired by Black Sabbath also performed live by the orchestra. On the stage guitars and drums will be integrated into the performance.

 

 

Black Sabbath - The Ballet is the second Birmingham-focussed commission from Carlos Acosta. The first, City of a Thousand Trades which looked at the city’s industrial heritage and multicultural communities, premiered in 2021.

 

 

The idea of a Black Sabbath ballet has been on Carlos Acosta’s mind since he first arrived in Birmingham at the start of 2020, just before the pandemic hit. Black Sabbath played their first ever gig in The Crown pub just a stone’s throw from Birmingham Royal Ballet’s base on Thorp Street. The pub was recently saved from demolition and is deemed a heritage site by fans.

 

 

Listings information

Black Sabbath - The Ballet 

Birmingham Hippodrome

Sat 23 Sep 7.30pm 

Sun 24 Sep 1pm

Wed 27 Sep 7.30pm PN

Thu 28 Sep 2pm & 7.30pm 

Fri 29 Sep 7.30pm 

Sat 30 Sep 2pm & 7.30pm 

www.birminghamhippodrome.com

 

Plymouth Theatre Royal
Thu 12 Oct 7.30pm PN

Fri 13 Oct 7.30pm

Sat 14 Oct 2.30pm & 7.30pm

https://theatreroyal.com/whats-on/2023b-black-sabbath/

 

Sadler’s Wells, London

Wed 18 Oct 7.30pm PN
Thu 19 Oct 7.30pm

Fri 20 Oct 7.30pm

Sat 21 Oct 2pm & 7.30pm

 

 

NOTES TO EDITORS:

 

Photo credits:  Johann Persson

 

CHOREOGRAPHY

 

PONTUS LIDBERG – Lead Choreographer

Lidberg has created works for dance companies including Paris Opera Ballet, New York City Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company, Vienna Staatsoper Ballet, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, Semperoper Ballet Dresden, Royal Swedish Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Le Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, Acosta Danza, and Beijing Dance Theatre 

His work has been commissioned and presented by festivals and venues including Montpellier Danse, Théâtre National de Chaillot, Basel Ballet, Miami City Ballet, The Joyce Theater, the National Arts Centre of Canada, New York City Center’s Fall For Dance Festival, the Havana International Ballet Festival and the Spoleto Festival. 

His work Siren received a Villanueva Award from UNEAC, The National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba in 2018. 

In 2021, he won the Lumen Prize, Nordic Award for Art and Technology for Centaur.

His film, The Rain, received numerous awards. The New York Times wrote “memorably, The Rain illustrates what filmed dance can say that staged dance cannot.”

His first feature film, Written on Water, starring Aurélie Dupont premiered at Le Festival International du Film sur l'Art in Montréal in 2021.

Raised in Stockholm, Sweden, Lidberg trained at the Royal Swedish Ballet School and the Conservatoire National de Musique et de Danse de Paris.. 

He was  the Artistic Director of Danish Dance Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark until March 2023

 

RAÚL REINOSO - Choreographer

Born in Pinar del Río, in 2002, since 2015 he has been a dancer with Acosta Danza.

As a choreographer he has created Anadromous, a piece that was part of the show “A Classical Farewell”, by Carlos Acosta, that was performed in United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and Hong Kong. 

With Beatriz García he created the dueto Nosotros, premiered by Acosta Danza. 

With this choreography he performed at the Fire Island Dance Festival 2017, in New York. 

In 2018, Raúl Reinoso premiered his choreography Satori. This piece won the Villanueva Award from the Association of Scenic Critics, as one of the best shows presented in Cuba in 2018.

 

CASSI ABRANCHES - Choreographer

Born in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1974. As a dancer, Cassi performed with Brazil's Raça Cia de Dança, Balé do Teatro Castro Alves and Balé do Teatro Guaíra, before she joined Grupo Corpo in 2001, where she danced until 2013. As a choreographer, Cassi has created numerous works for Grupo Corpo that have toured the world.
Besides her work for dance companies, Cassi has choreographed for film, commercials and music videos, including the creation of Pas-de-Deux from the movie Rio, I Love You.  She was Director of Movement and Choreographer of Rio 2016 Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony.

On 6 June, 2019, Cassi's Agora, was premiered by São Paulo Cia de Dança and then toured to the Moviemento Festival in Wolfsburg, Germany.   In February, 2020, Agora received the APCA Award 2019 in Sao Paulo for Best Choreography/Creation. Sao Paolo Ci de Dança plans to tour Agora to Europe and the UK in 2021. 

More recently, in November 2020, Cassi created Respiro, her response to lockdown for São Paolo Cia de Dança which premiered at Teatro Alfa and on line. In September 2021, Cassi was appointed the new Artistic Director of Balé da Cidade de São Paulo in Brazil.

 

COMPOSITION

 

CHRISTOPHER AUSTIN - Lead Composer, Project Music Supervisor, Conductor

Tony® Award-winning orchestrator Christopher Austin will create a new score for choreographer Pontus Lidberg, forming the final act of this evening length work. He is also Music Supervisor for the whole ballet. 

Austin’s Tony® and Drama Desk Award-winning orchestrations for Christopher Wheeldon’s An American in Paris followed on from his work with Joby Talbot, arranging and orchestrating music by The White Stripes for Wayne McGregor’s Chroma, and working on Talbot’s score for Christopher Wheeldon’s critically acclaimed Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (both for the Royal Ballet). Chroma, Alice and An American in Paris are performed around the world. More recently for the Royal Ballet (in 2017), Austin made new orchestrations for Mark-Anthony Turnage’s score Strapless and orchestrated Frank Moon’s music for Arthur Pita’s The Wind.  

 

Christopher Austin’s most recent dance collaboration was his Houston Ballet commissioned score for Arthur Pita’s Good Vibrations, which premiered in September 2022.

For Rambert, Austin has arranged and orchestrated music by Alex North for Javier de Frutos’s Elysian Fields (2011) and created new orchestrations of Witold Lutosławski’s Chain 2 and Symphony No. 4 for Kim Brandstrup’s Life is a Dream (2018). 

Austin’s work as a conductor for dance includes Ballet Boyz (for Javier de Frutos and Pontus Lidberg); CCN Roubaix - Carolyn Carlson (for the Carlson/Talbot ballet Eau at the Opéra de Lille and elsewhere); and Rambert’s Life is a Dream. Austin will be conducting the first performances of Black Sabbath - The Ballet.

Since 2020, Austin has been working as both conductor and orchestrator with singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright.

Christopher Austin studied composition at Bristol University (with Raymond Warren and Adrian Beaumont) and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (with Robert Saxton and Simon Bainbridge).

 

MARKO NYBERG - Composer / Sound Design

Marko Nyberg is the studio head of El Camino Helsinki and one of Finland’s most sought-after writers of film scores and advertising music.

As the founder and main songwriter of the ambient pop ensemble Husky Rescue - set up in 2002 and currently on a hiatus - Nyberg has released four studio albums and performed at music festivals from Glastonbury to Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits. Husky Rescue’s music has been featured in a number of advertisements and TV series, including HBO series The Sopranos, the BBC’s Top Gear and the Netflix’s Lovesick.

Since the late ’90s, Nyberg has provided rich aural tapestries for the likes of Nokia, Wrigley’s, Finnair and Colemans. He was nominated for the HARPA Nordic Film Composers Award in 2017 for his score for Ville Jankeri’s Onnenonkija.

Nyberg is currently finishing his debut solo album, a follow-up to the early 2022 solo EP 'Ingrid'. This eponymous, multidisciplinary solo project combines raw emotion with neoclassical and techno, and is often accompanied by contemporary dance and abstract video art.

markonyberg.com

 

SUN KETING - Composer

Sun Keting is a London-based, China-born composer, researcher, and creative director. Her composition work is focused on multidisciplinary collaboration, combining with Eastern cultural, spiritual, and philosophical elements. Her works have been described as “the future way to go” (The Independent) and “very attractive for its harmonic imagination, mastery of instrumentation” (Bachtrack).

Keting’s music has been performed in the U.K (including the Aldeburgh Festival and Tête-à-tête) the U.S., Europe and Asia. She has composed music for the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Singers, the National Youth Choir of Great Britain, the Riot Ensemble, the Silk Road Ensemble, the Ligeti Quartet, Psappha, the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, and the National Chinese Orchestra, Taiwan.

Keting has also composed music for film and dance, including a collaboration with Rome-based Chinese choreographer/artist Huang Xiao. They jointly created the dance works Ensō and Now I will do nothing but Listen, with music performed by members of the London Symphony Orchestra at LSO St. Luke’s. 

Keting is graduate of both the Shanghai Conservatory of Music (BA) and the Royal Academy of Music in London (MMus) where she is currently completing a doctorate in composition.

ketingsun.com

 

DESIGN

ALEXANDRE ARRECHEA - Designer

Alexandre graduated from Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) in Havana in 1994.

His work comprises large-scale  installations, sculptures, watercolour drawings, and videos that debate such issues as history, memory, politics, and the power relations of the urban space.   

 

His mode of working site specifically makes him explore the ideological and philosophical legacy of the surrounding context to create a more engaging interaction with the audience. 

 

His exploration of space contemplates cultural resonances implicit in architecture, from design to social value, and how these  condition its multiple readings. 

 

He is internationally renowned as one of the founding members of the Cuban collective, Los Carpinteros [The Carpenters], active between 1991 and 2003. 

 

Embarking on his solo career in the same year, Arrechea is widely recognized for No limits (2013), a monumental project composed of ten sculptures inspired by iconic buildings in New York City and erected along Park Avenue, and Katrina Chairs (2016), erected at the Coachella Music Festival, Palm Springs, California, USA. 

 

Last December, he created “Dreaming with Lions,” an immersive rotunda resembling an enormous forum-cum-library installed at Faena Miami Beach.

KIERON JOHNSON - Lighting Designer

Kieron is a lighting designer for dance, theatre and opera. They are a graduate of the ALPD 20:20 Lumiere Scheme. Recent credits include, Dogs(Liverpool Playhouse), Happy Meal(Traverse/Roots/Theatre Royal Plymouth), Knot of the Heart (Royal Birmingham Conservatoire), Masters Showcase (Guildford School of Acting), Smile: The Musical(Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts), Celebrated Virgins (Theatr Clwyd), Coming to England (Associate/Birmingham Rep), As You Like It (Northern Broadsides/National Tour), Black Is...(Fubunation/Sadler’s Wells),Decades: Stories from the City (Leeds Playhouse), West Side Story: Symphonic Dances (Opera North), EBÓ and BlackWaters (Phoenix Dance Theatre), Head Above Water and Khepr (Joss Arnott Dance).

 

RICHARD THOMAS - Dramaturg

Richard Thomas is an Olivier-Award winning composer and writer and is best known for writing and composing Jerry Springer - The Opera, the first-ever musical to win all four British 'Best Musical' awards.  

 

Richard wrote the lyrics for the musical adaptation of Made in Dagenham, which opened at the Adelphi Theatre in London's West End in 2014 with music by David Arnold.

 

He is also known for his BBC2 television series Kombat Opera Presents which won two Rose D'Or awards in 2008 for Best Comedy and Best Programme across all categories. 

 

Richard has also written songs for two seasons of the Emmy-nominated  The Tracey Ullman Show (BBC1/HBO)

Richard is working on a several new musicals, amongst which are "Rock Bottom - the AA musical”,  “Grayson Perry- The Musical?!”, “Singing Heads” for The New Group in New York as well as a series of piano-dramas including "The Covid-19 Variations” which have already been heard at The Guggenheim Theatre (NYC) and Birmingham Rep.

 

CAPSULE / HOME OF METAL
Lisa Meyer is the Artistic Director/CEO of Capsule, an arts organisation which she co-founded in 1999. Capsule crafts extraordinary events for adventurous audiences and has gained an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative arts producer, initiating, commissioning and producing multi- disciplinary work. Capsule is responsible for a number of high profile projects, including Home of Metal and the critically acclaimed annual Supersonic Festival, an experimental arts and music festival which draws audiences, artists and industry professionals from across the globe.

 

Lisa is responsible for conceiving and curating Home Of Metal, a highly ambitious and internationally recognised heritage project which was the first of its kind.  Home of Metal joinS the dots between music, social history, visual art and fan cultures to produce a new perspective on Heavy Metal, one that tells the broad and diverse story of Metal, from the pioneers of 50 years ago, to the contemporary innovators. The ‘Black Sabbath: 50 Years’ blockbuster exhibition in 2019 was  devoted to the music that was born in and around Birmingham. Music that turned up the volume, down-tuned the guitars, and introduced a whole new meaning to the word ‘heavy’, attracting 24,000 paying visitors from 52 countries.

 

Birmingham Royal Ballet

Based at Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham Royal Ballet is the United Kingdom’s leading touring ballet company performing a range of traditional, classical and heritage ballets as well as ground-breaking new works with the aim of encouraging choreographers of the future.

 

The Company’s Director since January 2020 is the internationally renowned Carlos Acosta.

Birmingham Royal Ballet standardly performs at Birmingham Hippodrome for approximately ten weeks of the year and the remainder of the year tours throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. On average, the Company performs 175 shows a year nationally and internationally.

 

The Royal Ballet Sinfonia is Birmingham Royal Ballet’s permanent orchestra, it is also Britain's busiest ballet orchestra. The Sinfonia also plays frequently for The Royal Ballet and other leading ballet companies, including performances with Paris Opéra Ballet, New York City Ballet, Australian Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, the Kirov, Norwegian Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and La Scala Ballet. www.brb.org.uk

 

Ballet Now is generously supported by Oak Foundation’s Special Interest Programme, which provided major funding for the project, Foyle Foundation, Anthony Coombs and The Keith Coombs Trust, The Big Give 2017, The John Feeney Charitable Trust, The John S Cohen Foundation, The H Steven and PE Wood Charitable Trust, The W and M Morris Charitable Trust, the estate of Judith and John Percival, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s New Work Syndicate 2017 and Director’s Appeal 2017.

[alison]

My finger is worn out from scrolling through that!

[Emeralds]

That looks like so much fun! Bigger team of choreographers and composers that the programme notes suggested, but looks they worked really well together. I’m now really curious about how the whole thing looks. I bet Alistair Spaulding and the Sadler’s Wells board wish they were doing more performances- I certainly do. 😁

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dreaming]

We were lucky enough to be invited to the opening night reception. The CEO of BRB said that 60% of the audience had never seen BRB before and 40% had never seen the ballet before. I think she said about 20% had never been to the hippodrome before but I am not so sure about that statistic.
It is clear that the project fulfilled the brief and justified the financial contributions from various trusts and the Arts Council. 
The fabulous choreographers were so unassuming. We spoke to Raul reinuso (act 1) and he just said how wonderful it was to work with Carlos. 
The reaction of the audience spoke volumes. What was lovely is that the usual reserve of a ballet audience had gone and there were whoops and cheers at every opportunity. You could see the difference it made to the dancers who were clearly loving every moment! 

[Emeralds]

Am bemused that (from the Dance Links forum here and a quick surf on the web) the New York Times was the first newspaper to publish their review, beating all the British broadsheets and tabloids to it. (There’s a nice little BBC Midlands report with photos, but it’s not actually a review, although it's very nice to see ballet getting news coverage). Surprised that the U.K.  newspapers are so tardy - and they had the Sunday too! 

[Tony Newcombe]

37 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

Am bemused that (from the Dance Links forum here and a quick surf on the web) the New York Times was the first newspaper to publish their review, beating all the British broadsheets and tabloids to it. (There’s a nice little BBC Midlands report with photos, but it’s not actually a review, although it's very nice to see ballet getting news coverage). Surprised that the U.K.  newspapers are so tardy - and they had the Sunday too! 

Press night on Wednesday

[maryrosesatonapin]

We are going on Thursday.  Having read the above reviews I feel relieved as I was worried the idea might not work - but it clearly did.  Above all, I applaud Carlos Acosta for reaching new audiences for ballet.  This is what's needed.  Maybe some of the audience will try going to see more dance now.  Acosta has done other experiments, some of which worked better than others, but overall I think he is breathing new life into an old artform.

[Ian Macmillan]

Tony: Thanks for confirming that tomorrow is Press Night - the lack of reviews had pretty much convinced me that something of the sort was in the wind for Links.  There are loads of sites with pics from last Saturday, all concentrated on Tony Iommi's appearance - and I've decided that one is enough for our purposes.

[Emeralds]

2 hours ago, Tony Newcombe said:

Press night on Wednesday

Oh wow, that’s unusual for ballet but that makes sense as to why it was so “silent”.  Thanks Tony. I think our members have given us really great reviews instead.....am all poised to book - for the next run! 

[alison]

5 hours ago, maryrosesatonapin said:

 I applaud Carlos Acosta for reaching new audiences for ballet.  This is what's needed.  Maybe some of the audience will try going to see more dance now. 

 

And, sneakily, some will doubtless have joined the friends to get priority booking. Hopefully they will want to get some benefit from their investment.

[JNC]

Wow this sounds great! I would have liked to have seen this but the dates didn’t align unfortunately. But given it’s such a great success I will definitely try to catch it when it’s revived in the (hopefully) not so distant future. 
 

Nice to read the reviews and well done to Acosta for doing something a bit creative and getting a new audience in. 

[Peanut68]

Have to say this didn’t sound like my cup of tea but I absolutely applaud any new way to present ballet to bring in a new fresh audience…& to inject funds through sell out box office takings! Surely with signs well in advance of dates of of sell-out shows more could be scheduled? Gotta get the money in whilst you can! 
 

[Ian Macmillan]

Further to my remark, above, about the online coverage of the show thus far - NB that the photo album in today's links comprises loads of photos of the dancers, taken by Johan Persson. 

[MJW]

Some images by Alastair Muir:

 

https://photos.alastairmuir.com/Ballet/Dance/Black-Sabbath-BRB/

 

Four stars in the Telegraph's review: "Anyone present who previously thought either ballet precious or heavy metal dumb will, I reckon, have had their mind conclusively changed. What more can you reasonably ask?"

[Ian Macmillan]

Stars galore in today's Links ........

[Ondine]

Just because it's Friday here's a little treat for all Black Sabbath fans, the inspiration for the ballet. Such a clever move from Carlos Acosta,  hopefully the coffers will overflow, delighted it's such a critical success too. I have to admit I was worried it might be what we used to term 'naff' back in the olden days.

 

Official video and link so 'the mods' can relax and singalong. 😘

 

 

 

Edited September 29, 2023 by Ondine

[Jan McNulty]

I saw both performances on Thursday.

 

The dancers of Birmingham Royal Ballet were magnificent throughout both performances and I am very glad I saw them but I do not think this is a "keeper" (well not for me anyway).

 

Act 1:  I absolutely ADORED the "kiss" duet (Matilde Rodrigues and Javier Rojas at both performances) - I was totally drawn in by it.  I loved the solo for Eric Pinto Cato (matinee) and Tzu Chao Chou (evening).  The corps dancers were outstanding but... I found the choreography boring and derivative.  I've seen this type of "swarm" choreography done before by Crystal Pite and Hofesh Shechter to name but 2.

 

Act 2:  This was my favourite section of the ballet and I loved it.  I thought Kit Holder was magnificent as a hippy band member and the duet by Yu Kurihara and Haoliang  Feng was sublime.  Goodness me, Lachlan Monaghan is one enormously talented young man!  Not only a brilliant dancer and actor but (as we have seen on social media) a pianist and now in this a singer with a wonderful voice!  If we had seen Act 2 three times and missed out Acts 1 and 3 I would have been a happy bunny.  However you pays your money and you takes your choice - I loved Act 2, my friends liked it least of the 3 Acts.

 

Act 3:  Again I found most of the choreography for Act 3 a bit mundane.  There was a nice duet for Beatrice Parma/Riku Ito at the matinee and Momoko Hirata/Tzu Chao Chou in the evening.  I also enjoyed the solo for Javier Rojas at the matinee and Riku Ito in the evening.  The final 10 minute mash-up was great fun.

 

Throughout the dancers looked as though they were having an absolute ball and their joy and energy radiated out at both performances.  Eric Pinto Cato and Gus Payne constantly caught my eye.  Riku Ito was utterly fabulous.

 

I'm afraid the music did nothing for me.  I was never a huge fan of Black Sabbath although I did see them live at the Liverpool Empire in 1974. (Of that era I saw many bands much more to my taste such as Free, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd (up to and including Dark Side of the Moon), Atomic Rooster, ELP and of course Rory Gallagher.)

 

Overall it was an enjoyable experience but not a masterpiece.

 

 

 

 

[LinMM]

I had been wondering how they were going to get three Acts out of this! 
I hope it’s not another case of this would have been fab as a longish one Acter but a bit too drawn out as three 
Anyway will have to wait and see in October! 

I do wish ENB could take their new triple out of London. I realise there are a lot of singers involved but they wouldn’t have to be the exact same singers. But maybe it would incur too much cost 😥
 

[Jan McNulty]

17 minutes ago, LinMM said:

I had been wondering how they were going to get three Acts out of this! 
I hope it’s not another case of this would have been fab as a longish one Acter but a bit too drawn out as three 
Anyway will have to wait and see in October! 

I do wish ENB could take their new triple out of London. I realise there are a lot of singers involved but they wouldn’t have to be the exact same singers. But maybe it would incur too much cost 😥
 

 

With a different choreographer for each act I don't think a longish one-acter would have worked!  It's not a hugely long programme at 2hrs 15mins (inc intervals).

[trog]

I saw this last night and I thought it was a bit dull. I found the first and third acts dragged a bit, with the second act being the strongest. The pdd in the middle of act 2 is very good, although there might be some bias slipping in here, as I saw Celine Gittens and Tyrone Singleton. I think Tyrone really shines with modern choreography, such as this and The King Dances. There is no denying he is a great dancer, but I never thought the classical roles such as the Prince in the Beauty or Sigfried in Swan Lake suited him. As far as Celine goes, I could watch her putting the rubbish out, and be very happy!

 

Like Janet, I was never a Black Sabbath fan. I wonder if the music of other Birmingham bands such as The Moody Blues, The Move/Wizzard/ELO, Duran Duran, The Au Pairs, UB40 or Slade (OK so they are from Wolverhampton) might have been a better choice. Perhaps there could be a whole suite of new ballets to come. If so, can put in a suggestion for We've Got A Fuzzbox and We're Going To Use It?

 

Of course, there were lots of people who had never seen a ballet in the audience, and hopefully they might be attracted to return. Bums on seats are the lifeblood of a ballet company.

 

[Ondine]

27 minutes ago, trog said:

Of course, there were lots of people who had never seen a ballet in the audience, and hopefully they might be attracted to return. Bums on seats are the lifeblood of a ballet company.

 

Is this not the purpose of this ballet?

 

I don't think it was ever about anything except getting in Black Sabbath fans (no not me, was never my thing back then) and hopefully filling a few big theatres (how about an arena?) and the coffers of BRB?  Also of course, masses of national publicity and local goodwill. A range of merch next?

 

He's not daft that Acosta bloke.

 

Now, what's needed is for Northern Ballet to come up with a crowd pleaser...

 

 

[zxDaveM]

47 minutes ago, trog said:

 

Like Janet, I was never a Black Sabbath fan. I wonder if the music of other Birmingham bands such as The Moody Blues, The Move/Wizzard/ELO, Duran Duran, The Au Pairs, UB40 or Slade (OK so they are from Wolverhampton) might have been a better choice.

 

Perhaps there could be a whole suite of new ballets to come.

 

 

I have to disagree. I had a couple of BS albums as a nipper (it was almost compulsory amongst my peers) though hardly a solid fan, veering more towards the prog-rock end of the rock scale. However, BS were/are utterly iconic, whereas those other Birmingham bands were just popular.

 

In some ways I'd love to be more rock/pop music used for ballet scores, but as with anything unique that becomes popular, the spawned 'copycats' would kill off the golden goose (see multiple examples in film, music, TV etc)

[Ondine]

27 minutes ago, zxDaveM said:

However, BS were/are utterly iconic

 

This. Totally. Still cool to be a BS fan, even into old age. Confessing to be a Moody Blues fan? Not so cool.

 

So many fans around who will relish the chance to dig out the old T shirts and savour the music, with others, in a theatre. Great feelgood stuff. They may or may not return for other ballets but hey, this one has made them think ballet is OK, and they've had a wonderful time. 

 

A wider range of merch next?  DVD?

 

££££ for BRB.

 

Edited September 30, 2023 by Ondine

[Fonty]

Well, I love heavy metal, and would have been intrigued to see how the dance fitted the music.  Unfortunately, I couldn't manage the dates at Sadler's Wells, so I am missing it this time round.  However, anything that will bring a whole new audience to ballet is wonderful in my opinion.  I've always wondered how ballet would work with pop music of any sort, as it is often classical music that puts people off attending ballet, rather than the dancing itself.  At least, that is the impression I have got from asking people why they have never been.  

 

 

[Sim]

The first concert I ever saw at Madison Square Garden was The Moody Blues in 1972. I loved them then, and I love them now.  Two years later I saw Sabbath there, and they were amazing. Two years after that, I saw Sabbath again, this time in a tiny venue in Geneva.  We were near the front and I couldn’t hear for two days afterwards! The support group was an up and coming band called AC/DC… amazing. No wonder I was deaf!  I have always been a huge fan of Sabbath (although Zeppelin are my all-time favourite band) and can’t wait to hear how their music translates to orchestration. 

[Ondine]

For younger readers.

 

(They were OK but at that time I was into real blues, not most pretendy UK ripoff blues bands, finger in yer ear folk,  and loved Dylan until he plugged in. I still have sooo many LPs.)

 

The Moody Blues The Ballet I don't think actually will fill theatres though.

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moody_Blues

 

Edited September 30, 2023 by Ondine