‘A dystopian, underground extravaganza’
Jim Steinman originally wrote Bat Out Of Hell as a musical and Meatloaf’s album, released in 1977, has become one of the most successful of all time. Forty years later, the musical has been staged; it’s been worth the wait and musical theatre will never be the same again.
Steinman’s music rocks the auditorium from the very first second, as the show begins loudly and continues, fast paced and ‘in your face’ – where West Side Story meets Peter Pan – with attitude.
Steinman’s music rocks the auditorium from the very first second, as the show begins loudly and continues, fast paced and ‘in your face’ – where West Side Story meets Peter Pan – with attitude.
In a
post-apocalyptic setting the tunnels under Obsidian are the homes of The Lost who live in a dystopian underground,
where no one ages beyond eighteen. Something has affected their DNA and they
shall never grow old. Nothing
ever grows in this rotting old hole, and everything is stunted and lost.
The production
kicks off with All Revved up and Nowhere
To Go and the energy from every member of the cast is astounding.
Zahara and
Jagwire deliver a powerful duet – Two Out
of Three Ain’t Bad!
Falco, Obsidian’s
Commander in Chief intends to ‘remove’ The
Lost. He has a beautiful daughter, Raven, who is about to turn eighteen and
her birthday party has not only an extravagant setting but an outrageous
conclusion. Falco and his wife, Sloane remember their past when they
experienced Paradise by the Dashboard Light
– a truly stunning performance.
‘The sky looks down onto the sea; the sea
looks up to the sky – nothing will happen.’
The rebellious
leader of The Lost, Strat, falls in
love with Raven – Oh,
baby you're the only thing in this whole world that's pure and good and right – even though she has been kept away from everything
outside her home. For Crying Out Loud, he needs to get her away. He discovers that remaining eighteen forever isn’t so
idyllic – Raven will age!
Every Steinman
song was delivered in an intoxicating way – speaking of intoxication, there’s
the Pride of Obsidian lager to try On a Hot Summer Night – would
you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses? – Raven had to be asked a
number of times before she gave the correct response.
I don’t think I
have ever been to a theatre production where there was a standing ovation at
the end of the first act. Exuberance and dynamism shone from every cast member
who each gave a spectacular performance.
The orchestra
was energising, bringing everyone together in clapping the rhythm of Modern Girl. The choreography was superb
and faultless.
Motorbikes,
crashing cars, fire, water, bats even – and, of course, the red scarf in
Falco’s hand at the very end, when Strad would Do Anything for Love, was the subtle salute to Meatloaf’s
championing Steinman’s brilliant musical works.
To see a
trailer, the cast and creatives, the merchandise and more, just visit the
website. https://batoutofhellmusical.com
And don't forget to pick up your copy of The Obsidian Times.
The albums:
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| Giovanni Spano as Ledoux |
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| On the way to the Coliseum |
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| By the 'Bat Out of Hell window |
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| All revved up and ready to go |
