What do you get if you cross Peter Pan, Romeo and Juliet and Gossip Girl? Sadly, it would be a mess, which is what happened when Bat out of Hell opened at the Liverpool Empire last night.
The show is set in the Dystopian city of Obsidian (although this is never mentioned to the audience) and the story of Strat, who is one of ‘The Lost’ and Raven, the daughter of the city’s leader – Falco. They have seen each other briefly, but have fallen madly in love with each other, much to Falco’s disapproval. The other issue is that Strat has been frozen and will remain 18 forever, no matter how old Raven becomes. It is not just Strat that Falco disapproves of it is all of The Lost and he tries as hard as he can to remove them from the streets and subways of the city. Act one was extremely difficult to follow, as none of the surroundings were explained. From the set design and lighting, it was easy to guess that it was a dystopian setting, but apart from that we were clueless. Act two, however was easier to follow, whether or not because we googled the plot in the interval, who knows?!
Glenn Adamson was Strat and he definitely felt as though he’d fit the bill of ‘misguided youth’. Vocally he would have been more suited at a rock concert, than musical theatre, but it fits in well with the role. Kellie Gnauck was Raven, who seemed to play her as a more spoilt version of Blair Waldorf but performed the numbers beautifully. Her rendition of ‘Heaven Can Wait’ had the audience on the edge of their seats. Rob Fowler as Falco and Sharon Sexton, as his wife Sloane were a perfect match and as they have been with the show since its first run, clearly know their roles inside and out. I have to say that Joelle Moses and James Chisolm as Zahara and Jagwire respectively, were definitely the characters that drew my interest the most. Their duets were a highlight of the show, and you were definitely willing the characters to get together before the end of the show.
I really wanted to enjoy the show, I’m a fan of Meatloaf and I’m a fan of musical theatre. I even really enjoy a Jukebox musical. I just wasn’t sure what I was I was supposed to be loving about this show, that I’ve seen many rave reviews about.
Bat out of Hell is at the Liverpool Empire until 15th October and you can buy tickets here: https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/bat-out-of-hell/liverpool-empire/
Reviewer: Jenn McKean
Reviewed: 4th October 2022
North West End UK Rating: ★★