Musician channels Black Sabbath as guitar god in royal ballet show

AT 12 years old Marc Hayward was captivated by the opening riff of Black Sabbath's Iron Man, marking a pivotal moment in his life.

- by MAXINE DENTON AND GINETTE DAVIES

A year into an obsession with the guitar and fresh from a Battle of the Bands at Mount's Bay School in Penzance, where older pupils won with a Sabbath cover, he knew he'd discovered his sound.

Fast-forward a few decades and Marc is now channelling those very chords on stage as the Guitar Spirit in Birmingham Royal Ballet's (BRB) acclaimed production Black Sabbath - The Ballet.

Alongside a cast of dancers, he weaves live electric guitar through a three-act homage to Birmingham's most renowned heavy metal export.

Only weeks after the world bade a final farewell to Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne the show visited the Theatre Royal in Plymouth from October 16 to 18, as part of an autumn UK tour; Black Sabbath - The Ballet also came to Plymouth on a previous run in 2023.

Directed by BRB's Carlos Acosta, with Black Sabbath's actual guitarist Tony Iommi as music consultant, the work distils the band's journey from its working-class Birmingham roots to global acclaim.