Having never seen it before, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Bat Out of Hell: The Musical when it opened at Mayflower Theatre last night (28 June).
Yes, I knew some of the songs – who hasn’t heard of Meat Loaf? And, when it burst onto the stage with all the grace of, well, I guess a bat out of hell; I really did wonder what I had let myself in for.
It’s a story of rebellious youth and passion in a post-apocalyptic world, as Strat, the immortal leader of The Lost, falls in love with Raven – the beautiful daughter of the tyrannical ruler Falco in what I can only describe as a cross between an adult version of Peter Pan, and The Lost Boys without the vampires.
I didn’t think I was going to like it, but I did!
The set is one, if not the, most impressive I’ve seen on the Mayflower Theatre stage. The design combination of lighting, pyrotechnics and costumes worked together to draw the audience in so it didn’t matter where you were looking, something was always going on.
The music, featuring some of the most iconic hits from Jim Steinman and Meatloaf, worked along with the storyline to keep the audience engaged, and often stunned into pure silence.
When it came to the interval, I really thought there was going to be a standing ovation at that point. And if there had, the cast would have deserved it.
All of them, along with the set and music, make the show. I couldn’t pull out one outstanding performance – they all work together seamlessly and ensure that the stage presence of Glenn Adamson as Strat and Martha Kirby as Raven is perfectly surrounded.
Honestly, if you’ve never seen it you should, and if you have go again! And support musical theatre at its very best!
Bat Out of Hell: The Musical runs until 2 July 2022, tickets available from: mayflower.org.uk or 02380 711811.
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