REVIEW - Bat Out Of Hell is the must see musical of the year fizzing with energy!

On Wednesday, we were invited to the Palace Theatre, Manchester to see Bat Out Of Hell. Read what our reviewer Karen Ryder had to say about this unbelievable production...


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


Bat Out Of Hell is on at the Palace Theatre, Manchester until Saturday 8th March 2025.


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