‘Bat out of hell’ is back where it all began. Since opening in February of 2017 this musical has been all over and come back home to Manchester.
A musical with Rock n Roll classics – count me in! Having never seen a musical on this genre/style I was really excited to see just how it would be out together, and as a first experience it was very interesting but I loved it!
The musical is set in a dystopian landscape and follows the battle between the never-aging ‘Lost’ and ruler Falco, who come to blows over his daughter, Raven. This ongoing battle comes to fruition in a blossoming love story about a girl who is ready to give up what… or who she has for what she truly wants.
This is not a traditional musical in the way it is produced. For starters, the band were there, on stage, and visible – and it really worked. It was amazing seeing the music being performed in real-time as opposed to just hearing them. It did really add to the feeling as a whole. The use of the screen and on-stage videographer was fantastic, every song seemed like a live music video in front of us – every movement was poised and it all functioned amazingly, a fabulous bit of theatre. As for the story, I have to be 100% honest – some of it was hard to follow and it seemed easy to miss bits of detail but after a bit of research I can see the script has since been changed since its opening in 2017 – and being slightly confused can be forgiven when you can’t take your eyes off a piece that is truly a visual masterpiece.
On to the performances, and we have to start with our leading man. Glenn Adamson, reviving his role as Strat, was superb. His on-stage physicality matched with his incredible singing voice had the eyes of the audience glued to him throughout his whole performance. As the lead in a musical with such a dystopian feel, I believe there has to be a level of eccentricity to the performance and Adamson embodied that the whole well. I think it may be a case of Adamson doesn't embody Strat, Strat is Adamson. He had great chemistry with Kate Tonkinson, whose version of Raven was shining, bringing defiance into the life of an innocent girl was open and clear from the very start. With this came a truly spectacular singing voice which wowed with every note and truly rounded out a 5-star performance. The two also were amazing as a couple, especially with their physicality.
Also reviving roles, the ever talented Rob Fowler and Sharon Sexton bringing to life Falco and Sloane once more. You can see from the opening that the bond is there between the two is there and their whole relationship can be seen in the rendition of ‘Paradise by the Dashboard Light’ which was funny, heartfelt, and overall a scene-stealing song. The pairs relationship is strained throughout the entire show and this was so clear - and that is only achieved by having such a strong chemistry with your counterpart that these two clearly have.
I will have to bring ‘The Lost’ in as a whole because it is hard to pick people out of what was clearly a fantastic team. All the dancing, singing and overall physicality of the gang was so easy to watch and really did add depth to the world around them. I will name-check two performers in this group, however, Georgia Bradshaw and Ryan Carter. These two had me hooked every time they took to the mics. The connection these two had and how each other's voice complimented the other was just phenomenal, hats off.
I feel I have to discuss the set again as I’ve never seen anything quite like it before. Band visible, above the pipe of the lost and broken junk scattered – sometimes less is more and this is a prime example as the actors physicality really told us everything we needed where they could jump and bounce around to give us the effect needed. Lovely aesthetics which somewhat felt like a character in itself.
This whole show capsulates the magical work of both Meatloaf and Jim Steinman. All time classics performed in such a unique way is not to be missed. Rock ‘n’ roll classics belong on stage more in my opinion! This stellar, award-winning musical is in Manchester until March 8th so there is only limited time available before this limited time run is over.
Tickets available here: https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/bat-out-of-hell/palace-theatre-manchester/
