Theatre Weekly is reporting that Birmingham Royal Ballet today announces performance dates for Black Sabbath: The Ballet, at London’s Sadler’s Wells - October 18-21, with tickets going on general sale on May 22. The run in Birmingham completely sold out and an extra matinee has been added at 1 PM on September 24. Tickets are still available at Plymouth Theatre Royal - October 12-14.

Following an initial two-week rehearsal period, a first listen / look at some of the music and choreography were shared with supporters and media yesterday. The show is still very much a work in progress with months to go until the opening, however early signs show great excitement amongst the ranks involved with Carlos Acosta saying: "It has been so great to finally have all of our creative team together after so much planning, and to get started on the actual creation process for this very ambitious show. There has been such an electric atmosphere in the rehearsal room, but also, this is just the beginning, there’s so much more to come!"

Tony Iommi, who has been present at some rehearsals and has been visited in his studio by Black Sabbath Ballet composer Christoper Austin, had this to say about the direction the show is heading in: "It’s beginning to feel very real now after so much planning by everyone involved. I have to say I had no idea what our music was going to sound like, how it would work in the context  for a ballet, but I’m really excited by what I’ve heard so far. Things are being taken in a really interesting direction and I even dropped into the ballet rehearsal out of curiosity and, well, they’ve got some moves!"

The eight Black Sabbath tracks that will feature are: "Paranoid" (Paranoid, 1970);  "Iron Man" (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.

Read more at Theatre Weekly.

(Photo - Perou)