REVIEW - BAT OUT OF HELL - NEW WIMBLEDON THEATRE

Looking for a musical that provides sweat, blood and rock n roll? Look no further.. Bat out of Hell is your answer!

I took my mum to see this show she’s a massive Meat Loaf fan – as am I, it’s the music I grew up on. And it hits different now that both Jim and Meat have passed away.

The musical is written by Jim Steinman, using the music made by him and Meat Loaf. It’s one of the rare jukebox musicals that is not a biopic about the artist. These shows are great, but it is nice when they do something different with a jukebox musical.

Bat out of Hell is set in a dystopian future, in the city that was Manhattan but is now Obsidian. The city is now desolate and led by a businessman style dictator, named Falco (Rob Fowler).

Down below from the tower block Falco lives in are “The Lost” a group of kids that do not age, Peter Pan lost boys style. They will be forever young at 18 years old. The leader of The Lost is Strat, played by the outstanding Glenn Adamson. It really felt like he was born to play this part, bringing an eccentric edge to the character, and an insane amount of stage presence.

Martha Kirby, gave an equally amazing performance as Raven, Falco’s daughter. She is kept shielded from The Lost by her father. Her performance of “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” gave me literal chills!

The staging was great, with flames, motorbikes and even a bomb that’s thrown into the orchestra pit, which results in musicians climbing up to the stage with broken instruments. Although I did feel that it was a bizarre choice to have a camerawoman film the scenes in the bedroom and project them onto a screen, as I didn’t really get why this was necessary.

It was amazing to see Fowler and Sharon Sexton, in the roles of Falco and Sloane, which they originated. Their chemistry is undeniable, which I suppose is a good thing considering their off stage relationship. One highlight of the show was their performance of “Paradise by the Dashboard Light”.

Ok, yes the plot is wafer thin, and slightly strange. But the music and the performances are so good, you forgive the show its shortcomings.

I’ve heard there have been a lot of changes and cuts to the show for this tour. However, this was my first time seeing the show so I cannot comment on the changes. But if you previously saw Bat out of Hell at the Coliseum or Dominion be prepared from some changes from these productions.

This is a must see for fans of Meat Loaf and Steinman. And if you love musicals you’ll enjoy it. It’s unique, but it delivers on every level. And they have such an incredible cast, especially Adamson playing Strat, the rock n roll Peter Pan. Catch it on tour soon!

Seen in January 2022 – with the Cast Including; Glenn Adamson (Strat), Martha Kirby (Raven), Sharon Sexton (Sloane), Rob Fowler (Falco), Joelle Moses (Zahara), James Chisholm (Jagwire), Killian Thomas Lefevre (Tink), Danny Whelan (Ledoux) and Kellie Gnauck (Valkyrie).

Plus, Laura Johnson (Kwaiden), Jamie Jukes (Markevitch), Rebecca Lafferty (Scherzzo), James Lowrie (Denym), Rory Maguire (Astroganger), Amy Matthews (Vilmos), Stacey Monahan (Mordema), Samuel Pope (Hoffman), Luke Street (Hollander), Leonardo Vieira (O’Dessasuite), Beth Woodcock (Spinotti) and Jayme-Lee Zanoncelli (Goddesilla).