Book, Music & Lyrics by Jim Steinman
Directed by Jay Scheib
Review by Annie Aslett
The question one must ask themselves when watching a jukebox musical is, would this have worked better as a tribute act? The answer, when it comes to Bat Out of Hell, is unclear.
In a Jim Steinman/Meatloaf tribute act, I could hear the same awesome musicians play the same awesome music – the band led by Iestyn Griffiths is phenomenal. However, in a Jim Steinman/Meatloaf tribute act, I would miss out on the glorious voices in the 20-strong cast, led tonight by alternate Luke Street. But, and it is a big but, in a Jim Steinman/Meatloaf tribute act, I would not be subjected to a paper-thin plot, cringeworthy dialogue (“even the hiding places are hiding”) nor ham-fisted acting.
In Bat Out of Hell, written by Steinman and directed by Jay Scheib, we meet Strat and Raven. Strat (Street) is a rock ‘n roll Peter Pan, tearing up the sewers with his gang, ‘The Lost’. Raven (Katie Tonkinson) is… in love with him? Tonkinson gets absolutely nothing to work with, backstory-wise, other than her father, Falco, who is firmly anti-Strat and is trying to stamp out the gang, while her mother, Sloane, is more sympathetic but too weary of her husband to argue. Sharon Sexton as Sloane gets the script’s best lines and makes the most of them, providing some much-needed levity amongst the earnestness. There’s really not much more to the story than that – the plot is firmly and laughably in the back seat, playing second fiddle to Steinman’s legendary back catalogue. It’s jarring at the beginning but, once you lean into it, you can’t help but be mightily entertained by these monster hits being sung and played so well. Let’s face it, we’re all here for the music, and we’re getting it in spades.
The sound design (Gareth Owen/Matt Peploe), with its heavy, belly-rumbling bass, is exactly what you want from the Bat Out of Hell musical – what you don’t necessarily want are the 80s high school dance moves that accompany the upbeat numbers. In fact, the choreography, costuming and script all give the production a ‘school show’ feel. The mums and dads have been told to provide a generic ‘80s rock costume’ for their children, the cast earnestly clatter through the cheesy script and the choreography is all a bit “look at this dance we made up in the playground”. Any drama teacher would cut off a limb to have such a budget and so many triple threats in the cast, but the point stands. The show walks the line between cheesy fun and cringe; it mostly manages to cling on but is truly painful when the balance shifts – the mishearing of Tink’s name as Think/Stink/Blink was old before it had begun and a few moments where characters throw glitter in the air for no apparent reason felt farcical. The result is too *musical theatre* for heavy rock fans and too *bad* for musical theatre fans.
Street, standing in for Glenn Adamson, comes hot off the press from the recent revival of Jesus Christ Superstar – a production that did the whole ‘rock stars with hand-held mics’ thing a lot better. Having to share a hand-held mic for dialogue is as awkward to watch as it must be to perform. What cannot be denied are the face-melting vocals provided by the cast – Street leads the pack, his Bat Out of Hell a masterclass. Tonkinson, while not given enough to do with Raven to reach the acting heights that we’ve seen from her before (her recent, stunning turn as Bonnie in Bonnie & Clyde, for example), lends a sweet power to hits like Heaven Can Wait and It’s All Coming Back to Me Now. Sexton and Rob Fowler make light work of Paradise by the Dashboard Light and What Part of My Body Hurts the Most. The role of Zahara is heaven for an alto; Georgia Bradshaw’s growling intensity is gorgeous in Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad. The most serious rock voice in the cast is Reece Duncan, stepping into Street’s usual role; Duncan’s gravelly belt is a dream.
So, would Bat Out of Hell work better as a tribute act? Begrudgingly, I grew quite fond of the show by the end – for all its faults, it’s a real spectacle and this production does justice to the music. However, if I could see this cast and this band perform those songs without the “storyline”, I would jump at the chance. As it is, the Bat Out of Hell musical is not a bad second choice.
Jump At The Chance
Bat Out Of Hell runs at The King’s Theatre, Glasgow, until April 19th
Running time – Two hours and Forty minutes without interval. Suitable for ages 10+
Review by Annie Aslett – contact@corrblimey.uk
Annie is a not-so-recent graduate of the University of Edinburgh with a degree in French and Spanish, along with a Masters in Translation from the University of Glasgow. A Spanish teacher for three years, she decided to leave the classroom behind to pursue personal goals and has since been regularly reviewing for Corr Blimey’s Glaswegian wing. Annie is a life-long lover of musical theatre, whose childhood performances included a rousing production of Snow White in The Hall and a heartfelt rendition of Go, Go, Go Joseph in The Living Room.
