Theatre Review: ‘Bat Out Of Hell The Musical’ (West End)

Last year, a musical nearly fifty years in the making – Bat out of Hell: The Musical – finally made it onto the stage. Based on the songs by Jim Steinman, most of which were made famous by powerhouse vocalist Meatloaf, the show was met with open arms by fans during its initial run at the Colosseum. It was so beloved that, rather than be a limited edition run, its popularity has seen it make a welcome return to London, this time at The Dominion Theatre.

Bat out of Hell: The Musical is set in a future industrial wasteland known as Obsidian in the aftermath of an unspecified global tragedy. An odd side effect of this tragedy is that there is now a band of kids whom, due to a mutation, biologically freeze at eighteen, never growing any older. Headed up by Strat (Andrew Polec), the group go by the name ‘The Lost’ and they live their lives rocking, rolling, and fighting business tycoon Falco (Rob Fowler). Falco is a man whom just wants to ‘make Obsidian great again’, but in order to do this he wants to wipe out Strat and the rest of The Lost. Events start to unravel on the eve on Falco’s daughter, Raven’s (Christina Bennington) eighteenth birthday as she declares her love for Strat. Having been confined to her tower house all her life, watching her parents’ marriage slowly decay, she yearns for adventure, love, and excitement – something that Strat has in spades. As the star-crossed lovers runaway, Falco struggles to reign in his rebellious daughter and events get dangerous.

The show starts with an almighty bang as Strat bounds onto stage to recite one of Steinman’s poems (that will be familiar to those with the album Bat out of Hell II: Back into Hell) and doesn’t let up until the conclusion of the epic finale song. The first half sets up the story, introducing us to Strat and The Lost, Raven, and her parents Falco and Sloane (Sharon Sexton); it hammers home themes of unrequited lust (Lost members Zahara and Jagwire), forbidden love (Strat and Raven) and forgotten passion (Falco and Sloane). The dynamic of each duo is explored through the magic of Steinman’s music, with Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad, Paradise by the Dashboard Light, and Making Love Out of Nothing At All, taking you on a roller-coaster of emotions. Two out of Three Ain’t Bad showcases the very accomplished singing pipes of Zahara (Danielle Steers), her voice has a huge breadth of power, and she belts out the Meatloaf ballad perfectly. Paradise by the Dashboard Light is easily one of the highlights of the first act. During its rendition we see Falco and Sloane reminisce about when they first met and fell in love, and it’s easily the most zany, hilarious and entertaining number. We end of course on Bat out of Hell, a song which showcases the brilliant minds of the production team as Strat’s beloved motorcycle is shattered into pieces.

The second act continues the pace of the first, though does offer the opportunity for several slower numbers, the standouts being What Part of My Body Hurts the Most (from Falco and Sloane) and a haunting rendition of Objects in the Rear View Mirror (May Appear Closer Than They Are) from Strats trio of confidants Ledoux (Giovanni Spanó), Jagwire (Wayne Robinson) and Blake (Jonathan Cordin). Fowler and Sexton both deliver the song with so much emotion its almost visceral. There’s the crowd-pleasing You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night), and Dead Ringer for Love (complete with on stage band) with the climax being I Would do Anything for Love (But I won’t Do That) which sees the conclusion of our trio of relationships, and one epic breath-taking costume change by Rob Fowler.

The majority of the core cast have been performing together now for a year and this shows through on the stage. Everyone is clearly at ease with one another and that trust enables the actors to push their performances to a higher level. Bennington and Polec have been perfectly cast as Raven and Strat, and they make for a very striking couple. Polec could have easily done the expected Meatloaf karaoke impression, but he chooses instead to forge his own path whilst not losing any of that power or emotion that is the essence of Meatloaf’s performance. Bennington compliments Polec completely and their harmonies are a delight to hear. Women don’t typically get much to sing in a Meatloaf song and Bennington proves that songs such as Heaven Can Wait can be just as stunning with a female spin. Most importantly with this pair is that, despite having done show after show together for an extended amount of time, they still have the ability to make you believe that you’re witnessing their characters fall in love for the first time.

The other, equally powerful dynamic that has formed over the last year is that of Rob Fowler and Sharon Sexton. Their characters at war offer a lot of the humour (and pathos) of the piece; Fowler and Sexton are the perfect sparring partners. Most of their songs are duets between just themselves and they display chameleon-like powers when it comes to tugging on the emotions. Their first song (Who Needs the Young) is a fun and comedic ditty, their second (Paradise by the Dashboard Light) is electrically entertaining, and their third (What Part of My Body Hurts the Most) is simply heart-breaking. The intimacy that they bring to a scene in a sold out house in breath-taking. It’s like they are singing to each individual audience member’s soul. The whole cast ooze charisma and charm, and you’ll want to be inducted into The Lost as soon as you possibly can. The energy from the ensemble is infectious and it insidiously creeps into the audiences so that, come the end of the performance, everyone is oh so eager to get on their feet, join in and show their appreciation for all on the stage.

Outside of the cast and the songs, the big talking point of Bat out of Hell: The Musical is the incredible production design. I’ve mentioned the exploding bike earlier, but everything on set offers a visual feast for the viewer. Slower, more dialogue-driven scenes are brought to life with the addition of superimposed projections of the actor’s live performances on the set. In scenes between raven and Strat in her room, this offers an added dimension of atmosphere and intimacy. The realisation of Obsidian is industrial, dirty and gothic. It’s how people imagined a dystopian future back in the eighties before everything got all sun-scorched and clinical. The main set has various levels and depths that are utilised in clever and inventive ways; there are pyrotechnics galore and some of the set changes and reveals are simply genius.

For honesty’s sake I should be admit that I am a massive fan out both Jim Steinman and Meatloaf. Being a child during the late eighties and early nineties meant I was around for the release of the phenomenal Bat out of Hell II: Back into Hell album. My love for that took me to the original Bat out of Hell and I’ve kept an eye out for other collaborations between the pair over the years. Whenever I listened to either Bat out Hell album, I could always imagine them as a stage show, which considering Steinman had originally Intended Bat out of Hell to be one, makes perfect sense. To now see these songs brought to life so emotively and visually was a literal dream come true, and I’m not afraid to confess to getting rather teary at several points as the songs were so beautifully rendered into reality. That being said, the show isn’t elitist to fans of the music, fun will be had even if you just know the more famous tunes. This is a fun, vibrant, punk-rock take on the traditional love story that can be enjoyed by all. Romeo and Juliet collides with The Lost Boys for this high adrenaline, gothic romantic rock opera that is the perfect way to spend a hot summer night.

Bat out of Hell: The Musical plays at London’s Dominion Theatre until 27th October 2018.