Bat Out of Hell unapologetically storms onto the New Theatre stage, bursting with the greatest hits of Jim Steinman and Meatloaf, a set straight out of a dystopian cityscape, punchy, stylish dance routines and vocals to die for.

There’s a lot to take in, from the tunnels of Obsidian, the incredible band pouring their hearts and souls into the beloved songs, the performers who look like they’re having an absolute blast and the lights and sounds which fill the theatre to even further capacity. The storyline follows a rag tag bunch of unageing friends; The Lost, who live beneath the city in the tunnel system. With echoes of JM Barrie’s Peter Pan, (indeed where the piece has its origins as Jim Steinman originally intended to pen an updated version of the play called Neverland), The Lost are bombastic, free spirited and unashamedly living their ‘forever 18’ lives. Above ground, the ‘Hook’ of the piece, Falco, threatens all that they stand for, trying to bring enforced order to their bohemian lifestyles of rock and roll. His free-spirited daughter, Raven, however, has fallen in love with the forever young Strat and is determined to run away, find The Lost and live her life her own way and be free.

Although the themes of Peter Pan are still evident in some ways, the piece now stands apart and carves out its own space in the Musical Theatre genre. To draw parallels with other jukebox musicals would be unfair; it does have similarities, but it is certainly unlike anything I have ever seen on stage before in shows such as We Will Rock You, for example. The show is pure theatre. It is unashamedly over the top, loud, proud and explosive. From the first number to the curtain call, the audience is grabbed by the frilly white shirt and pulled into their world. The dance numbers are electric; the leads and ensemble leap across the stage using the tunnel set to its full potential, disappearing and reappearing through its maw. The pure energy of the routines really impressed me; the ensemble earning their cheers in the finale just as much as the lead performers.

And what a cast of leads it is. Our four main characters clearly have Bat in their blood; Rob Fowler as Falco and Sharon Sexton as Sloane both originated their roles in the 2017 production. They clearly know these songs and these roles like the back of their hands; their musical numbers are truly spectacular with vocals that are described in no other way than brilliant. Paradise By The Dashboard Light is spectacular and hilarious in equal measure, but their voices reach even further heights in What Part of My Body Hurts the Most and It’s All Coming Back To Me Now. They clearly adore this piece of theatre; it oozes out of them whenever they step on stage.

Katie Tonkinson as Raven also returns to the role having played Valkyrie and cover Raven in the UK and International Tour and Peacock Theatre. She brings a perfect naivety to the role but then owns the stage with confidence and poise in her musical numbers. Heaven Can Wait was beautifully sung showing her softer more emotional vocals, but the counterpart to this was her heartfelt, raw rendition of It’s All Coming Back To Me Now. Glenn Adamson as Strat owns the stage and proves why this is a role this he is critically acclaimed for. He clearly channels the performances of Meat Loaf and his performance leaves the audience breathless; he bounds across the stage with restless energy and pours every energy into every single song. The ‘greatest hits’ are truly made his own with an obvious standout being his performance of Bat Out of Hell, truly raising hell at the end of act one. Georgia Bradshaw as Zahara and Ryan Carter as Jagwire also deserve mention, for their rendition of Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad alone; their vocal acrobatics had me on the edge of my seat.

The tour tries new things too, with the current in vogue method of bringing onstage videography to the production. I enjoyed this element as it did allow an extra layer to the performances and enabled lots of close ups and different angles of the musical numbers. I did, sometimes feel a little overwhelmed as I wanted to look everywhere at once; at the screens, the action on stage, the dancers and the lead vocalist. The cast also uses handheld mics throughout, even throughout dialogue. This does give the show a distinct concert feeling but it can sometimes feel slightly distracting.

Overall, the show is pure energy, dragging the audience along with its joy and vigour and certainly pulled people to their feet by the end to sing and dance along. For fans of Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf this is an absolute must, but there’s something here for everyone so catch it at the New Theatre before it roars off to the next stop of its tour!

More information and to book tickets here