In the late
sixties the first rock musical Hair defined a genre in an innovative and
compelling form that has seldom been surpassed. Perhaps only the staging of the
Who’s rock opera Tommy has really combined successfully rock music with a
strong story line and its influence is hinted at in the criss-cross pattern
around the proscenium arch which echoes the Tommy album cover. But in Bat out
of hell we have a exciting new rock musical that combines strong rock anthems,
innovative staging and a large talented cast to produce a genuine modern rock
musical for today. Having seen it in Manchester and at The Coliseum in 2017 it was
with great anticipation that I saw it in its new residency at the Dominion.
Jim Steinman
has created a wonderful dynamic show around the music made famous by Meatloaf.
There are strong allusions to Peter Pan in the story created to link his songs.
We have Peter, here called Strat, leading the lost with his special confidant ,
Tink and falling in love with Raven (Wendy ) while being pursed and at war with
Falco (Hook) .But at its heart are the love stories between Strat and Raven and
between Falco and Sloane (his wife and Raven’s mother).
From the moment Strat, played by
Andrew Polec, climbs on stage to polish his beloved Harley Davidson and
delivers his menacing opening monologue the tone is set .He is a leader, a rock
star and his lost tribe will follow him against the police state lead by
Falco. Raven played with youthful
innocence by Christina Bennington is locked away from him in her 1st floor
bedroom but she breaks free to meet him.
She is embarrassed by her own parents’ passionate love making played
with amazing stage presence and powerful voices by Rob Fowler and Sharon Sexton.
The relationship between these
two couples is supported by a wonderful cast of 26 (perhaps at times too many) with
standout performances from Danielle Steers as Zahara and Wayne Robinson as Jagwire.
Their duet of “Two out of three ain't bad” is exciting and, but they surpass
this with a thrilling “Dead ringer to love”. Throughout the songs are backed with
high energy modern tribal choreography.
The staging
is grandiose and multi layered with amazing automated scene changes, multiple
projections and some stand out special effects to create the post-apocalyptic city
of Obsidian.
Of course at
the heart of the show is the music with classic rock anthems such as “Objects
in the Rear View Mirror”, “Dead ringer for love”, “Bat out of hell”, “I'd do
anything for love”, and “All revved up with no place to go”, sung with great
musicality and energy the show builds to an exciting finale which is certain to
produce standing ovations night after night.
The production
have just announced six sing along performances to add to the fun.
Nick Wayne
4 stars
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