Bat Out Of Hell - Review

Initially I was very indifferent to this musical as I'm not a huge fan of Meat Loaf and I'm also very apprehensive when it comes to Jukebox musicals as I feel like they bring in a new type of theatre goer, which usually isn't a bad thing, but in this case they're the kind of theatre goers that sing along with the music because they're familiar with it and already know all the words. And if there's anything that takes me out of the theatre experience more it's people singing along. I find it highly rude to both fellow theatre goers and also the performers on stage! However, me and my sister were looking for matinees we could go and see before we saw Heathers:The Musical yesterday evening (click here for my full review of that) and were torn between seeing Wicked again for the 7th/8th time or giving Bat Out Of Hell a chance. And after a bit of research and looking at reviews we decided we'd go with the latter as so many people have given the show amazing reviews (And also because I'm already seeing the touring production of Wicked in August and want to give more new shows a shot).

Bat Out of Hell is a loose retelling of Peter Pan and Wendy set in a post apocalyptic world called Obsidian ruled by the tyrannical Falco (Rob Fowler), and tells the story of Strat (Andrew Polec), the forever young leader of The Lost, who has fallen in love with Falco's daughter, Raven (Christina Bennington). I was a bit worried about the plot of this show before going in. I find a lot of the time, the plots of jukebox musicals can fall a bit flat and feel forced in order to make the songs fit. And if I'm being honest, there was a moment or two in Bat Out Of Hell where this happened. But overall I thought the story was very interesting, enjoyable, and had such a wonderful feel to it which I have never seen done before (I still can't put my finger on what the feel of the show reminds me of exactly but it's like a mix of A Clockwork Orange, Tim Burton's Batman Movies, and a bunch of 80's and 90's sci f/dystopian movies like Blade Runner/ The Matrix etc.) When you walk in to the auditorium there is a handout on each of the seats that gives a basic backstory to the plot in a very cool and fun way, which I absolutely loved because it meant the show started straight into the action and avoided a boring opening where they try to set everything up and explain things to the audience. 

The only major flaw I have with the plot is that I wish Tink's character was developed a little more in the first act. He has a major presence and is influential to the story line in act two but at first it felt like it came out of almost nowhere because his story line is only briefly hinted at in the very early stages of the show and isn't brought up again until act two. But having said that I dont think it makes much of a difference to the story as a whole and the events that go down in act two are powerful enough to make me feel all the feels even without a big build up.

The costumes for the show are designed by Jon Bausor and Meentje Nielson and perfectly capture the post apocalyptic world as well as the rock and roll feel from the music. it perfectly blends together and doesn't feel disjointed. The set design is also by Jon Bausor and what a man of many talents. The set design was fantastic, it really didn't even feel like a stage; just as if a piece of Obsidian was literally placed in the auditorium. The staging of the show was one of my favourite things, from the vehicles, to Falco Tower, to just about everything. I won't say much on it, to spare anyone reading from spoilers of just how awesome the set is, but the thing I liked most was the use of video recording. It was so cool seeing close ups of the actors in the moment and not prerecorded. However the visible camera man threw me off for a bit because I wasn't sure if he was supposed to be a part of the show or not. And also what they do with the motorbike parts at the end of act one is amazing (again, you'll have to go see it to understand what I'm talking about, which lets be real, you should definitely be doing!). 

The entire cast of Bat Out Of Hell was amazing. And I'm not just generalising here. Every single member of that cast was phenomenal. I have never seen a cast so strong, and I've seen a whole lot of musicals over the years. They all smashed it and I'd highly recommend anyone and everyone to go and see this cast while they still can. Christina Bennington (Raven) has such a sweet and angelic voice but manages to add a sexy rock and roll flare to it when necessary, which I feel complimented Andrew Polec's voice amazingly. The two sounded fantastic together. And the same goes for Rob Fowler (Falco) and Sharon Sexton (Sloan). Both are amazing singers on their own but when they duet it's like magic on the stage! I wish I could go into detail about every single cast member and word vomit about how awesome they all are but this post would go on for pages and pages! I do however want to talk about the two standouts of the show, in my opinion. 


Firstly Andrew Polec as Strat. What a man! He has such a powerful voice and fully commits to his character from start to finish. He really manages to draw you in to the story right from the start and keep you there until final bows. There was times when I was just completely blown away by his vocals and was sat there in my seat with my eyes wide and my jaw on the floor from how amazingly he can sing. I almost feel sorry for whoever has to fill his shoes when/if he leaves the show cause he's going to be a very tough act to beat!

And secondly, Danielle Steers as Zahara. From listening to the soundtrack before seeing the show I already knew Danielle was going to blow my socks off. But after seeing her live I was left speechless. She was without a doubt the person I was most impressed with on the cast album but she was even better in person (which is rarity these days). I have never heard anyone with a voice like hers! So powerful and strong but also so soft and smooth at the same time. From the second she sang the first line of 'Two Out Of Three Aint Bad' my body was covered in goosepimples which stayed there until she finished and reemerged every time she opened her mouth to sing. Such an extraordinary performer and I am so excited to see where her career takes her (but not until I see her as Zahara a couple more times)

And While I'm talking about the cast I just want to add that the choreography by Emma Portner is remarkable. It felt very rock and roll and futuristic but still very natural and eye catching. The group numbers were amazing and the whole time my foot was tapping and all i wanted to do was jump up and start rocking along with the cast!

As I've already mentioned, I'm not a huge Meat Loaf fan (or at least I wasn't) and,as far as I know, neither are my parents so growing up I wasn't really exposed to music written by Jim Steinman which meant, initially, I assumed the only songs I'd know in this musical would be the titular song and 'I'd Do Anything For Love'. However I was pleasantly surprised to find out I knew a whole lot more; I just didn't recognise them as Meat Loaf/Jim Steinman songs (especially 'It's All Coming Back To Me Now'. I'm a huge Celine Dion fan so I was surprised and delighted to hear this song be done in the show). I'm a big rock fan, especially the big rock ballads of the 80's, and I love musicals with a more rock and roll theme and feel to them so the soundtrack to this musical was actually right up my alley! Out of the 21 songs on the cast album I absolutely love 16 or 17 of them. I already know the cast album is going to be on repeat for the next few weeks. However the cast album just isn't enough, these songs sound a million times better in person and I'm extremely excited to go back and see it live again as soon as possible. This show really just blew the socks off me and is the absolute definition of 'eargasm'. There is nothing like it on the West End right now and if you haven't yet you need to go and see it for yourself; and if you have seen it you need to go again before its gone,gone, gone (which hopefully wont be anytime soon)

Rating:

Plot: 9/10

Cast: 10/10

Music: 9/10

Choreography: 10/10

Set/Costume/Lighting: 10/10

Total Rating: 9.5/10

Venue and Seat:

This was my first time at the Dominion Theatre and I have nothing but good things to say about it. It's a nice simple layout, the staff were all extremely friendly, and it was immaculate. The seat I was in was F7 in the Circle and I have to say it was the perfect seat. Because it was in the Circle I had a great aerial view of the entire stage so I didn't miss out on any of the dancing. The only parts I couldn't see were the parts when Raven went into the back corner of her room in Falco Tower, but thankfully due to the aforementioned screens and video recording I was still able to see what was going on. And as a 5'8" man I felt I had more than enough leg room and the seat was extremely comfortable. Would definitely sit in these seats again.