A pack of revving Harley-Davidsons circling His Majesty’s Theatre could only mean one thing… Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical had officially arrived in Aberdeen.
Theatre lovers were given the unique welcome by members of Dunedin Chapter Scotland of the Harley-Davidson Owners Group as they were arriving at HMT to enjoy two hours of high-energy rock ‘n’ roll entertainment.
And it certainly ‘never felt so good, never felt so right’ to bring the legendary and larger-than-life anthems of Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf to life.
The show – written by Steinman and based on the Bat Out Of Hell album trilogy by American singer Meat Loaf – pays a wonderful tribute to the two talented musicians who passed away in the last 12 months.
Review: Bat Out Of Hell transforms audiences to rock concert
Set in post-apocalyptic Manhattan (now called Obsidian), the musical is a loose retelling of Peter Pan, with a nod to the story of Romeo and Juliet too.
The show follows Strat, the forever young leader of ‘The Lost’, who has fallen in love with Raven. Her father Falco rules Obsidian and forbids Raven from seeing him… but she would do anything for love and took last night’s audiences on a thrilling journey of self-discovery, passion and love.
The modern show, which premiered in 2017, is not your usual jukebox musical. With only a few lines of dialogue, it often felt more like a rock concert. So it’s no surprise that Bat Out Of Hell heavily relies on its cast’s powerhouse vocals and strong stage presence – and boy, did they deliver.
The show’s lead actor Glenn Adamson (Strat) has all the charisma and talent of a true rock star – his rendition of the title number Bat Out Of Hell was particularly impressive. Martha Kirby (Raven) also completely stole the show with her emotional It’s All Coming Back To Me Now performance.
Joelle Moses (Zahara) made it to the finals of The Voice UK in 2012 and seriously, what an incredible voice she has. Together with her Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad singing partner James Chisholm (Jagwire), Joelle also contributed to some of the funniest moments in the show.
Seeing Paradise By The Dashboard Light performed live by Rob Fowler (Falco) and Sharon Sexton (Sloane) was also one of my personal highlights. In fact, the whole ensemble was fantastic, delivering great musical as well as dance performances.
Jon Bausor’s dystopian set and rock ‘n’ roll costumes as well as Finn Ross’ clever live videos quite literally brought another dimension to the show. There was so much happening on the stage during the biggest musical numbers and audiences could enjoy the action from different angles and perspectives.
The musical received roars of applause and a well-deserved standing ovation from last night’s audience. It definitely didn’t feel “cold and lonely in the deep dark night” when theatre-goers were leaving His Majesty’s – many of them were still humming their favourite Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf song on their way home.
So click here to book tickets to see Bat Out Of Hell which is at His Majesty’s Theatre until Saturday April 16. You won’t regret it.
