Review: Bat Out of Hell: the Musical


On Tuesday, 11th July 2017, I was able to see a performance of Bat Out of Hell: the Musical in the London Coliseum. I was fortunate enough to be able to see the full original cast for the show, with no understudies performing that evening. This is ... I guess it's a review, but I don't think it's a typical one, if that will make any sense to you.


The first question I should answer: what is the musical about? That's an interesting question and I'll do my best to answer it. Okay, so the show is set 20 Minutes Into the Future, following an accident which caused a portion of humanity to 'freeze' - once they reach 18, they never age again. We're roughly ... 25 years on from that event that still has no real explanation. Set in the city state of Obsidan, ruled by a guy named Falco, who is devoted to raising and caring for his daughter - Raven. We open on the eve of Raven's 18th birthday, and Falco Towers are being attacked by a group of these frozen teens known as The Lost, who have an enemagtic leader in a guy called Strat. At this ... trashing of Falco's home, Raven and Strat catch sight of each other and fall in love and ... that's pretty much the story. Well, no, he goes to kidnap her and what was a crush becomes love in the space of 10 minutes and ... yeah. that's it.

There isn't really a plot to this show, there's hardly any dialogue. It's an excuse to sing - really well - some of Steinman's most popular songs that he wrote for Meat Loaf. It also seems to be an excuse for him to use elements of his Neverland musical that never was (hence the whole thing with The Lost and their leader who looks a bit like an older version of the 2003 live action Peter Pan...)

Christina Bennington as Raven and Andrew Polec as Strat
I can't say the cast aren't great because they are. Vocally, they're fantastic and do as much as they can with the very little they're given. Personal favourite among the characters was one of the Lost, a boy named Tink who was frozen at just a bit younger than the rest of them. If any character in this show has an actual story, it's Tink. He goes through a full arc that really tugs at the heart and includes a beautiful rendition of I'm Not Allowed to Love, originally written for a Batman musical that also never came to be. This one song tells us everything we need to know about Tink and frankly I wish more of the show centered around him

Yeah, if I'm completely honest? Raven and Strat are not the rock kids whose story I want to follow. While there's a lot in the concept of Strat - the 'leader' of a group of forever teens who seems to be somehow looking to at least mature emotionally if he can't do it physically -  I personally found Raven to fall very flat as a character. She comes out with a few pretenious statements that I think we are meant to see as deep and is otherwise enclosed in her tower. Had the story centered around the idea of Strat's empathy wanting to free this girl from her imprisonment and not their whole love story? I think I would have been more into it. Though of course they had to close with I Would Do Anything for Love...

To be very clear: Beinngton and Polec do as much as they can with the little plot there is, and their chemistry on-stage is undeniable. Vocally they are really amazing and to be able to perform those songs in the manner they do is something that's just amazing to watch, and I'd happily do it again because it really is such a delight to listen too ... It's just that my heart was stolen by a couple of rebel rebels in the West End 12 years ago, and I don't think there'll ever be a rock musical that'll do it the way they did.


ALL THAT BEING SAID? I do actually think you should check out Bat Out of Hell. It's a fun way to spend a few hours in London, and it closes 22nd August to move to Toronto with the cast. Thus far there's no news of a cast recording, but here's hoping. 

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