Review of Bat Out Of Hell - The Musical at Milton Keynes Theatre

Bat Out of Hell - The Musical was first realised as a stage musical back in 2017, opening at the Manchester Opera House. Since then, it has achieved significant international success. Now, as part of a new UK tour, it has returned to Milton Keynes Theatre, which it previously visited in 2022 during its global tour.

The storyline of Bat Out of Hell, written by Jim Steinman, draws on the story of Peter Pan as a basis and evolves it within a dystopian world, where a group of teenagers known as The Lost live forever at the age of 18. This plot is both flimsy and initially confusing; however, within the music of Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman, it finds a rough-around-the-edges polish that allows this weakness to shine through and succeed.

At the centre of this group of teenagers is Strat, who, following an unexpected encounter, falls under the spell of Raven. Within this, a megalomaniac lurks, as all dystopian worlds require. This maniac is Falco, the father of Raven and Sloane's husband. Falco reigns over a constant battle against The Lost, Raven's relationship with Strat, and indeed their own very bizarre relationship, to the excellent backdrop of Steinman's music. It's all a bit silly in many ways, but the sheer spectacle of the work and music ultimately prevails, following a convoluted and confusing start.

As Strat, Glenn Adamson has made the role his own, having played it for many years in the West End, UK, and internationally, and now leads this tour. You can see why, as he has strong vocals, pumping out the songs in full glory, and while now older than when he first took on the role, he is still able to present the charm and mischievous nature of the forever 18-year-old. Katie Tonkinson is a fiery Raven, rebelling against her domineering father, Falco, and her kooky mother, Sloane. Her duets with Adamson are magnificent, and her solos are equally as strong.

Rob Fowler brings the crazed father of Raven, Falco, to the stage with glee and is excellent vocally. He does, however, play second in any scene with Sharon Sexton as his wife, Sloane. Mad as a box of frogs, drunk, kooky and crazy, it is a sterling performance from Sexton, which reaches its climax in more ways than one during the magical number Paradise By the Dashboard Light.

The rest of the company is equally impressive, including Georgia Iudica-Davies as Zahara and Ethan Tanner as Jagwire. Their performance of Two Out of Three Ain't Bad is one of many show highlights. Also charming is Carla Bertran as Tink, who is full of energy throughout and performs one of the show's more poignant songs, Not Allowed to Love, providing some calm in this otherwise riotous production.

Steinman works the songs as well as possible into the story, such as it is, but it doesn't matter, as this is very much a rock concert with a bolted-on minuscule tale. It also doesn't matter that Steinman fires off the bolt of the title track to conclude the first act, as he knows he has belter after belter to work with throughout the second, strongest act.

Xena Gusthart's gritty and brawling choreography creates a sense of brutality but also, at times, a naivety of youth in their movement. Visually, director Jay Scheib adopts a comic book style, incorporating some over-the-top makeup, characterisation and fighting. This style is also captured at times in the onstage screens, which almost portray panels in comic books, thanks to the onstage cameraman who gets up close and personal with the actors in some scenes, only occasionally blocking them frustratingly. Raven's solo, Heaven Can Wait, comes particularly to mind. The decision from the previous tour to have all the main characters use microphones seems a step back and causes both distraction and awkwardness for performers and the audience alike.

Bat Out of Hell presents a fascinating and surreal story woven into music that we know and love. It provides entertainment and excitement throughout most of its duration, albeit with a few loose storytelling edges, and now serves as a fitting tribute to the music legends Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf.

Loud and brash and a fulfilling tribute to Meat Loaf and Steinman.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Monday, 16th June 2025, at the Milton Keynes Theatre.

Bat Out Of Hell is at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, 28th June 2025.

For details of the tour see the website at https://batoutofhellmusical.com/

For further details about Milton Keynes, see their website at http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre/

Production photos: Chris Davis Studio

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