Bat Out Of Hell

BAT OUT OF HELL IS THE MUST SEE MUSICAL OF THE YEAR FIZZING WITH ENERGY!

Bat Out Of Hell The Musical is a no brainer for me every time it tours for I am a huge Meatloaf and Jim Steinman fan.  Having been lucky enough to see Meatloaf live in concert on more than one occasion, I can concur that his theatrical legacy rocks on in this unapologetic, larger than life musical.  The Bat Out Of Hell album by Meatloaf and Steinman has sold over 43 million copies worldwide, elevating it to one of the worlds best selling albums of all time, so it seems insane that it received rejection upon rejection in its early life, whilst trying to be signed by a record label.  It’s rebellious nature of course meant that it refused to slip away quietly, and the insults hurled at them from record executives only poured fuel onto their burning fire of determination.  This music broke the rules.  It didn’t follow the usual melodic patterns for chart music, and Meatloaf certainly didn’t look like anyone else out there, so no one was prepared to take the risk.  A few white lies about record deals later, they found a producer, legit musicians in the form of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band (who pulled in a few favours to get the music in front of the right people), and the rest, as they say, is just rock and roll!

Steinman had been working on a theatrical piece for numerous years, which bore the music we know and love today.  Following the albums success, he returned to his passion project and was able to breathe new life into it.  Bat Out Of Hell The Musical started its life as Neverland, the futuristic rock world of Peter Pan.  Its core feature was rebellious, angst driven teenagers who didn’t want to grow up.  They were known as the lost and were led by a charismatic leader, dripping with bad boy vibes and an air of mystique.  Bat Out Of Hell The Musical continues this theme as we meet Strat, leader of the group known as The Lost, whose DNA were frozen as teenagers.  Living in exile in the underground subway tunnels of a dystopian city, they are despised by its oppressive leader Falco and deemed dangerous creatures who have no place in his vision of Utopia.  In fact, he plans to demolish the subways, The Lost’s only haven of safety, to make his city great again! (A tyrannical leader believing that wiping out the minorities and marginalised communities will make his country great again?!  As if that would ever happen………oh wait!)  As we see Falco not only bully The Lost, but also his wife Sloane and daughter Raven, he believes it is for their own protection.  He has kept Raven prisoner all these years, forbidding her to step foot outside Falco Towers for ‘her own safety,’ and controlling her thoughts with dream supressing medication.

So, when Strat and Raven meet and fall in love, Falco believes he must do whatever it takes to ensure they are kept apart.  What follows is a series of plot twists, betrayals, kidnappings, battles, unrequited love stories, tests of friendships, abuse of power and the chance to start over – all in the name of love!  Bat Out Of Hell The Musical has a jam packed storyline that in the past has seemed a tad confusing and over complicated, but not tonight!  The show has undergone some subtle changes and they’ve made it make sense!  That said, this show ultimately comes down to the power of its undeniably scorching music and the seismic explosion of talent on stage, who keep this music alive in the hearts of Meatloaf and Steinman fans across the globe.  It is great to welcome Bat Out Of Hell back to Manchester,  where it began its life as a musical, and even greater to see the cast pay homage to it at the end of the show.    
 

Our devilish, dreamer Strat is brought to life in epic proportions by Bat Out Of Hell veteran Glenn Adamson (Bat Boy, We Will Rock You, American Idiot).  This performance alone is worth watching the show for, and one I’m certain Meatloaf himself would have paid to witness.  Vocally, it isn’t enough to say Adamson is flawless, for he reaches stratospheric dimensions with these songs, injecting them with his own adrenalin fuelled vision and quite literally has the entire theatre bouncing!  He is dripping with testosterone, he permeates the air with rebellious intent, and he rips the sound barrier apart with his torpedo interpretations, leaving you electric, alive, and lost for words.  Echoing this is Katie Tonkinson (Bonnie & Clyde, Snow White, Tarantino Live) as love interest Raven, who scales new heights for female rock n roll vocalists everywhere.  Raven displays her emotions more than Strat, and we see that vulnerability played out through songs such as Heaven Can Wait.  This is a tender and beautiful version of the song and is perfectly pitched to give the show a much needed gear change from the revved up chaotic atmosphere.

Rob Fowler (Mamma Mia, The Rocky Horror Show, JCS) as Falco is domineering, foul, and fabulous, creating a strong identifiable character that we can all unite against.  He oozes power, arrogance, and privilege, yet equally brings us humour in abundance.  Matched with killer vocals, it truly is an outstanding performance.  Sharon Sexton (A Night With Janis Joplin, Mamma Mia, The Liza Minnelli Story) gives us everything as his long-suffering wife Sloane.  Wistful, fierce, dominated by various kinds of love and lust, she sets the stage alight with her performance.   Separately they are brilliant, together they are electric, and with duos such as Paradise By The Dashboard Light to sink their teeth into, you’ll be left not knowing which way to look as they dial up the temperature tenfold!  And I have to mention their rendition of What Part Of My Body Hurts The Most as they ripped themselves apart with emotion singing this one!  Absolutely incredible.

Strat’s best friend Tink is delivered by Carla Bertran, ravenous with love and jealousy.  We see a Judas style performance, that brings an outcome delivered so poignantly that Bertran brought a tear or two to the audience.  Georgia Bradshaw and Ryan Carter perform the complex relationship of Zahara and Jagwire the best I’ve seen it and made it make sense more than previous times of me seeing the show.  They beautifully connect with songs such as Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad yet switch it up entirely for their fast paced and infectious rendition of Dead Ringer For Love. 
     

The live eight-piece band led by Iestyn Griffiths were out of this world, transporting the Palace Theatre Manchester into the rebellious realms of Rock and Roll.  Guitar chords vibrated the foundations of the building, before being absorbed into our pounding hearts.  Drums drove pulsating rhythms into our veins, striking out through our hands and feet and we matched the beat of the show.  This is live music at its best and serves to marry musical theatre with a rock concert.  May they live happily ever after!  And to top it all off, the cast are not only belting out some of the most challenging songs to date, but doing it over a multi-tiered set, reminiscent of a bohemian style play centre!  Scrapbooked together in an imperfectly perfect way, Jon Bausor has designed a revolutionary fairy tale world, befitting of a future stained with the shards of a broken misplaced youth, nestled alongside oppressive wealth.  A luxurious apartment nestles alongside the underworld of The Lost, and with motorbikes revving on and off stage, and has even been designed to house the band, ensuring that the musicians are given the spotlight they deserve.  Video design by Finn Ross and lighting by Patrick Wodroffe help depict the grungy, grimy life of The Lost and complete the feel and vibe of a world built on opposing tensions.  The show also chooses to intersperse live camera feeds and handheld microphones.  I’ve never been sure of the reason behind this but tonights show seemed smoother than ever in regards of interspersing these elements.

The most problematic thing about Bat Out Of Hell is trying to control yourself as an audience member, and remember this is a musical, not a concert, for the urge to let loose, ramp it up, and sing along is overwhelming.  This musical is fizzing with energy.  It is a living breathing organism and at the interval, I was already reaching for my phone to message a friend, organising when we can come and watch it again!  And as long as it keeps pumping out world class talent to bring home some of the best music ever written, I will keep returning.  So, Bat Out Of Hell, like a sinner before the gates of heaven, I come crawling on back to you, time and time again!  For crying out loud, you know we love you!  

WE SCORE BAT OUT OF HELL...




WATCH OUR "IN CONVERSATION WITH GLENN ADAMSON" VIDEO

Well I remember every little thing as if it happened only yesterday……. well actually it was yesterday, It was my first theatre trip since pre-covid so it had to be a good one, it was bigger and better than I could’ve expected.

Being ‘of that age’ my teenage years were spent listening to Meatloaf's ‘Bat of Hell’ we could all sing along to the entire album, it was a rite of passage for girls of my age, so when I heard the show was coming back to Manchester I was first in line for tickets. I had no idea of the storyline, but knew that the Jim Steinman penned songs are operatic in their own right and they’d lend themselves perfectly to a musical.

We arrived at the Opera House to a red carpet of Harley Davidsons to set the scene. A quick mention to Covid precautions too, we had to show passports or have a quick temperature check, it was all very easy.
The curtain rose to a set of ‘The Deep End’ with some of the cast sat around on a Harley or on rocks. When the rest of the set burst into life with lights and music, there was so much going on I hardly knew where to look. The inside, of Falco towers, The Deep End, home to The Lost and a large screen which is used throughout the show. ‘All Revved up and no place to go’ was the big show starter, the cast immediately showing us what kind of a night we were in for, with all the audience clearly as impressed as me. It was real wow moment.

Glenn Adamson and Martha Kirby as leads Strat and Raven were believable and lovable from the start with amazing vocals. We follow these two through their journey of unrequited love as a rich, spoilt girl just turning 18 and a boy from ‘The Lost’ a gang that have been stuck as teenagers since a chemical war and living in hiding.  It’s tough to pick out a favourite song from these two as they were all fantastic but the title song ‘Bat Out Of Hell’ closing the first act was huge, the vocals, the passion from these two, the set, with lighting and pyrotechnics not to mention the story line around the scene was absolutely a favourite. ‘You took the words right out of my mouth’ as a favourite song of mine also more than lived up to expectations.

Ravens Parents Falco (Rob Fowler)  and Sloane (Sharon Sexton) provided the comedic aspect to the show, although the storyline gets darker around them as the show progresses. The two of them were a perfect casting, they play Ravens parents, Falco is the disapproving father and Sloane the cocktail loving mum. Their rendition of ‘Paradise by the Dashboard Light’ was a definite highlight, a classic song brought to life with stunning vocals and choreography, clever use of the aforementioned screen made this another favourite for me. Vocals from Fowler and Sloane were showcased in other songs and were always met with appropriate audience response. These two were clearly audience favourites and for good reason.

I could name all of the cast as I don’t think there was anyone that didn’t stand out but I’m in danger of being here all day. However, I can’t not mention Joelle Moses as Zahara, what a voice! I’d love to see her in other shows, Joelle and James Chisholm as Jagwire had a real electricity to their scenes.

The choreography, the unusual and striking set, the classic rock songs that we know and love as well as a few new ones written for the show, the costumes, the vocals, the acting, the lighting….. you get my point, there are really no words. It was a show that I could sit through again and again and that really doesn’t happen often. I have been singing the songs since I left last night and I’m going to check ticket availability and try and get back before the show ends.

The raucous applause throughout and particularly at the finale was no surprise, nor was the fact that we all spilled out on the Quay Street singing and saying how amazing it was and how much we had enjoyed it. The only tough thing was trying not to sing along and embarrass myself.

I cannot recommend it enough. If you know the music like me or if you’ve never heard it before but want to see a show that’s funny, sad, stunning and a great night out with the best score then get tickets quickly.
If I could give it more than 10 I would. Rock Musical at it’s very best.
   

WE SCORE BAT OUT OF HELL - 10/10!!!

Wow! What an amazing show.

When my auntie said we were going to Bat out Of Hell, I didn’t know any of the music or anything about the storyline but I couldn’t wait to get back to the theatre after our long covid break.

When we arrived the red carpet was full of Harley Davidsons which set off on a noisy drive by past the theatre. It was quite the start to the show.

The show opened to Raven played by Martha Kirby stamping her foot which lit up the set, her monologue about the past led into the start of the main storyline where she was about to celebrate her 18th birthday and began to fall in love with Strat, Glenn Adamson. Strat the leader of The Lost was joined by the rest of the cast to sing ‘All Revved up’. At the end of the number the whole audience went mad cheering and I knew I was going to love the show.

The set was amazing, it combined Falco Towers, with the area known as ‘The Deep End’ where the teenagers known as The Lost live. They are going to stay teenagers for ever and as Strat and Raven fall in love the musical tells their story.

Falco played by Rob Fowler and Sloane, Sharon Sexton are Raven’s parents and they disapprove of Strat. The couple have several funny scenes and star in some of the big songs, Paradise by the Dashboard light being my favourite of theirs.

There were too many amazing numbers to choose a favourite, but You took the words out of my mouth and I’d do anything for love were two that really stood for me. All of the cast were fantastic and the choreography and costumes along with the amazing set and lighting and the music which I now love all made it into one of my favourite ever shows. I’d definitely love to see it again. I’m 17 and even though there were some scenes that were inappropriate for younger children I’m sure anyone over 14 or 15 would love it.