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