As a general comment, this genre was beloved by Goths: black clothes, black makeup, everyone different yet somehow the same. I’m pleased to say both of my daughters emerged from that phase relatively unscathed.

The First Act Heavy Metal Ballet features a series of set-piece dances with no obvious cohesion. A young couple perform an intimate duet in the foreground, while the ensemble interacts in the background. A steady drumbeat accompanies the orchestra’s rendition of Iron Man. What surprised me, and others who commented, was that despite the ballet having toured for months, the dancers were often uncoordinated.

A clever addition throughout all Acts is a leather-clad guitarist strutting between the dancers – a tribute to the band itself. Unfortunately, this creates a problem. In the final minutes of the performance, Toni Iommi, the only founding member present, joins the performers on stage. His guitar playing is so far above what we’d heard before that we all wanted more.