Rock and roll dreams are set to come through when hit musical Bat Out Of Hell arrives at His Majesty’s in Aberdeen next week.
Bringing the legendary anthems of Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf to life, the award-winning musical will also pay tribute to the two talented musicians who passed away in the last 12 months.
Released in 1977, Bat Out of Hell – the debut album by American rock singer Meat Loaf and composer Jim Steinman – is one of the best-selling albums of all time.
Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical – written by Steinman – is a loose retelling of Peter Pan, set in post-apocalyptic Manhattan.
The show follows Strat, the forever young leader of ‘The Lost’ who has fallen in love with Raven, daughter of Falco, the tyrannical ruler of Obsidian.
Glenn Adamson as Start in Bat Out Of Hell
Glenn Adamson, who leads the Bat Out Of Hell cast in the touring production, said becoming Strat and singing legendary rock and roll anthems was a dream come true.
“I loved the show – I went to see it three times before I got cast,” said Glenn.
“I was just so addicted to it and I really wanted to be part of it.
“Strat is larger than life, very much a rock star who has some of the biggest numbers in the show. He sings Bat Out Of Hell, and Anything For Love.
“He is an outsider – much like I was as an 18-year-old boy. He’s not sticking to the status quo.
“And The Lost can’t age past 18. So they’re sort of stuck in their youth. There’s also Tink – who’s based on Tinkerbell – and she’s Strat’s sidekick and best friend.”
Loose retelling of Peter Pan
Bat Out Of Hell follows Strat as he falls in love with Raven – but it’s not your usual love story.
Glenn said: “When Start meets Raven – who’s 18 – he falls in love with her and everything descends into chaos. Her parents don’t want her to join The Lost and to leave home. And obviously, much like Tinkerbell, Tink is very disgruntled that Strat wants to leave.”
Glenn thinks the musical, which premiered in Manchester in 2017, is “modern” and “feminist”.
He explained: “The musical really tries to come at a feminist angle in the sense that Raven has all the power in the relationship. It’s very much Raven that’s pursuing Strat rather than the other way round. In the show, when they touch each other, it’s instigated by Raven first – it’s not your standard Disney romance.
“The love story that you see is two 18-year-old kids discovering each other – it’s just that Strat will never age past 18 so they have this debate about what their relationship will look like when Raven is in her 50s.”
Celebrating Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf
The hugely popular musical always celebrated the music of Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf, but now that both of them passed away, the Bat Out Of Hell cast decided to dedicate a song to the famous duo.
Glenn said: “Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through that we sing in act two… it was always their favourite song and we really do dedicate it to them every night.
“I love being a part of that because you can really feel that energy and then hits like Anything For Love and It’s All Coming Back to Me Now are real crowd-pleasers and you hear the audience gasp when the song starts so I love performing those ones too.”
The show also features other hits including Paradise by the Dashboard Light and Making Love Out of Nothing at All.
Glenn cannot wait for Bat Out Of Hell to visit Aberdeen
This won’t be the first time Glenn will travel up north to perform as part of a rock musical. The actor previously sang Green Day songs when the American Idiot tour stopped at His Majesty’s Theatre.
“Rock musicals are my thing now – that’s where my career is headed,” laughed Glenn.
“That’s the music I grew up listening to and the music that I love performing so that’s where my passion lies.
“I love Aberdeen and its architecture and I think it’s such a beautiful theatre. And Scottish audiences just respond to the show very well. They’re much less inhibited than down south. I can’t wait to be back.”
Starring in We Will Rock You and Rock Of Ages would also be “the dream”, said Glenn.
“I’d also love someone to write a show about Bon Jovi – I think there is a musical in the pipelines so I hope to do that one day.”
How to book tickets to see Bat Out Of Hell in Aberdeen
Bat Out Of Hell is at His Majesty’s from Tuesday April 12 to Saturday April 16. Tickets can be purchased here.