Okee dokee folks… Tonight I attended a performance of the Bat Out Of Hell musical at The Hanover Theatre in Worcester, MA. Usually, I do not like to know too much about a show before I see it because I prefer to enjoy it fresh and to see if it stands on its own without clarification. Any questions I have are usually answered by a perusal of the program, but there was no program given out at this performance. I wish that I had researched it because I was a bit confused by the story. Parts of the tale needed explanation to fully comprehend what was going on. With a title like Bat Out of Hell and inspiration from the music of The Bat Out of Hell albums by Jim Steinman/Meat Loaf, one would think that it was a simple jukebox musical with a story to serve as the framework to sing Meat Loaf songs. Nope.
The show began with a short monologue by the character Raven, played by Carly Burns. Unfortunately, the sound quality was not the best, and it was a bit hard to completely hear. This may have set the stage for the musical, I am not entirely sure. The singing and the dancing started immediately after this, and ultimately that was what drove the show.
Included are the big Meat Loaf hits — “All Revved Up With No Place to Go,” “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” “Bat Out of Hell,” and of course, “Paradise by the Dashboard Lights,” as well as other songs that Steinman composed. There was a lot of great dancing and costumes, stellar singing and performances, and classic songs to compensate for the lack of MY complete understanding of what was going on. The rendition of “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” sung by Falco (Travis Cloer) and Sloane (Tori Kocher) was, by far, the best number in the entire show and received an extended round of applause. It was apropos, sexy, fun, and funny! After a three-time tease of reciting, “On a hot summer night would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses…” “You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)” began with the audience organically adding the CLAP-CLAP, CLAP parts.
As I watched the show, I sensed an overall dystopian feel, and I wasn’t wrong. After reading up on it when I returned home, I found that I was correct. The story is a mix of Romeo & Juliet with Peter Pan, set in a post-apocalyptic world. A group of the characters are called “The Lost,” and they will remain the same ages forever. One of the group, Strat, who is 18 and “many months” old, falls for Raven, who is just going to turn 18, but Raven’s parents don’t approve. Raven will age, Strat will not. Raven’s father, Falco, is the leader of the city and doesn’t like The Lost. This is what fuels most of the story. Of course there are elements to the plot that made it complicated. You don’t need to know all the fussy details to appreciate the music and dance. Girl meets boy, they fall in love, there is drama, and it all gets resolved. Overall, it’s fun.
The set was simple. There are multiple platforms, a simple bedroom set, an arch where the characters entered and exited, and a couple of video screens. The video screens show images from a cameraman who follows the onstage action. Sometimes this was interesting, sometimes distracting. The band was perched at the top of a multi-level platform and didn’t detract from the visuals.
If you are a fan of Meat Loaf’s albums you will enjoy this show, but bone up on Bat Out of Hell and you will enjoy it much more! It certainly spurred a lot of spirited discussion on the way home! Currently the show is just doing one-night stands at theatres across the country. For more, fly over to: batoutofhellmusical.com
This was my first time at The Hanover Theatre, and it was a very easy location to get to-just 45 minutes from Providence. The theatre itself was quite nice. There is street parking and a garage across the street. I have added this one to my theatre radar!
That’s it for now. You can listen to my podcasts at motifri.com/rootsreportpodcast and find my Farm Aid concert photographs at motifri.com/fuzeksfotos. Thanks for reading and listening. johnfuzek.com
John Fuzek
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Roots Column, Photographer, Podcast – Motif Magazine
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