Bringing Rock to Musical Theatre
Naomi MacKay watched Bat Out of Hell at Milton Keynes Theatre – running until Saturday 28 June.
Jukebox musicals like this one – which features the fantastic music of Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf – are not usually known for their narrative. And to be honest, Bat Out of Hell is no different.
The show follows The Lost and their leader Strat, forever teenagers, and the love story between Strat and Raven, the daughter of the wealthy and ruthless Falco. If I add that one of the main characters is called Tink, who is not-so-secretly in love with Strat, that should give you a clue as to what story this is loosely based on!
But actually, the story is not all that important – demonstrated by the fact that quite a bit of it has been chopped and changed from the original version, which I was lucky enough to see at the Dominion Theatre pre-Covid.
But again, it doesn’t matter! The original show had a few spectacular effects, which understandably can’t be replicated on a touring stage. Die-hard fans may miss them, but I didn’t. One effect that has been kept are the large screens and the wandering cameraman, who films action taking place above the stage.
Instead the show is carried by both the fantastic music and performances of the cast – most notably Glenn Adamson as the intense Strat (a role he played in the West End), Katie Tonkinson as Raven, Rob Flower, who originated the role of Falco, and the wonderful Sharon Sexton as Sloane, who combines amazing vocals with fabulous comedic timing.
The supporting all-singing, all-dancing cast are also wonderful – special mention to the fabulous voices of Ethan Tanner and Reese Duncan. If you don’t come out of the theatre wishing you could be one of The Lost too, there’s no hope for you!
And for a show that relies on its music – mention has to go both to the band, and the sound technicians, who created the perfect level of sound – again not always easy in a touring production. There is one slightly odd thing – the singers all use hand-held mics, which took a bit of getting used to. At first I thought that there had been an issue with sound, but on checking discovered that this is indeed a feature of the show – perhaps it explains the spot-on music mixing.
One of the most memorable parts of the show for me was Falco and Sloane, in a Rocky-Horr-esque party planning scene, where they recreated their teenage passion in Paradise By the Dashboard Light.
But there are many memorable moments, thanks to fantastic songs including of course Bat Out of Hell, I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That, Dead Ringer For Love and oh-so many more.
A show not to be missed? You Took The Words Right Out of My Mouth!
Book your tickets at atgtickets.com/MiltonKeynes.
Photo credit: Chris Davis Studio
