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| If Meat was going to play a role | |
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rockfenris2005 08:26 am UTC 02/27/17 |
| In reply to: | the rest of the whole thing :) - Jacqueline 10:16 am UTC 02/26/17 |
| Personally, I'd like to see it as some kind of godly disembodied voice figure, where he doesn't have to turn up every night, and they just record it in the studio. > MEAT'S BEEF WITH BRUCE > ‘Everybody’s always compared Bat Out Of Hell to > Springsteen, but my voice doesn’t sound anything like > Springsteen’s,’ says Meat Loaf. > > ‘I had to learn how to sing in a rock style. I really have > an operatic voice. > > ‘I had to work hard to sing Bat Out Of Hell. That’s > three-and-a-half octaves. People have no idea how tough > that is. > > ‘The one thing I know is that Max Weinberg and Roy Bittan > [Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band members] played drums > and piano on Bat Out Of Hell, and Bruce was mad about > that. > > ‘So when Springsteen does his benefit stuff, or gets > together with a bunch of people, I’m never invited.’ > > ‘The only thing that I have said to them is, “When you > bring it to Broadway, let me do the father [Falco]”. I’m > not taking anything away from the guy who’s doing the > father, but when it comes to Broadway, let me do that.’ > He leaves a dramatic beat. > ‘We’ll just have to see if the play’s a hit.’ e > Jim Steinman’s ‘Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical’ previews at > Manchester Opera House until April 8 before moving to the > London Coliseum in June. > > > Read more: > http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/event/article-4249844/Bat-Hell-Musical.html#ixzz4ZmjjAlbQ > > Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook > > > Operatic rock songs, roaring motorbikes and a starring > > role for Meat Loaf... maybe! Event gets exclusive access > > behind the scenes of Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical > > > > It’s a rarely aired fact that the Princess of Wales was a > > massive Meat Loaf fan. Were she still with us, Diana would > > have undoubtedly been making discreet enquiries about > > attending the premiere of Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical. > > It is poignant that the 20th anniversary of her death > > comes 40 years after the first release of the Wagnerian > > rock album that she so enjoyed. > > > > Meat Loaf, who isn’t yet appearing in the rock ’n’ roll > > opera but has been cheerleading for his songwriting friend > > Jim Steinman, composer of those seven songs that shook the > > world, takes up the story. > > > > ‘Diana had been to four of my shows,’ says Meat at his Los > > Angeles home. ‘She was a fan – I did not know this. They > > would sneak her in after the lights went out. > > ‘I met her at the Pavarotti and Friends concert [in > > 1995],’ the awestruck singer continues. ‘I was standing > > right with her, and she turned to me and she said, “I’m > > hungry,” and I said, “You know what? If you said right now > > to somebody, I want a chicken leg, I guarantee you’d have > > one in two minutes.” > > > > ‘She was so down-to-earth and funny. I really liked her. > > And when she told me she’d been to four shows – wow, I > > couldn’t believe it.’ > > > > While the princess was hot on The Loaf, he’s not so sure > > about the Queen singing along to his operatic > > blood-and-thunder anthems. > > > > ‘I don’t think the Queen will come,’ he sighs. ‘She > > doesn’t like me because I didn’t behave properly at It’s A > > Royal Knockout [in 1987]. > > > > ‘I told Prince Edward: “When you walk in the room, my knee > > hurts. I’m not standing up, dude.” > > > > ‘He said, “That’s cool. You haven’t got to,” and I said, > > “And I’m going to call you Ed, or Edward,” so I called all > > the royals by their first names. Fergie was there. She > > called me Meaty, and I said, “Well, if you’re going to > > call me Meaty, what am I going to call you?” She says, > > “Flower,” so I went around calling her Flower all > > weekend.’ > > > > Bat Out Of Hell, the 43-million selling testament to > > creator Jim Steinman’s wild imagination, is a modern > > phenomenon. One of the biggest selling records of all > > time, it still shifts over 200,000 copies a year. > > > > ‘What’s funny is that everybody hated it to death when it > > first came out,’ says Meat, who is rarely given to > > understatement. ‘I knew nine people who liked it, and that > > was counting me and Jimmy.’ > > > > The UK, Lady Diana included, bought into Meat Loaf’s > > overblown blend of Spector, Springsteen and Wagner from > > the start. He has enjoyed a special relationship with > > Britain since he first appeared on BBC2 in 1978, eyes > > bulging above a generously overfilled dress shirt, his > > lank locks and crimson hanky sodden with Texan sweat. Bat > > Out Of Hell remained in the UK charts for 474 weeks. > > > > It is fitting, then, that the musical will play first in > > Britain, opening at Manchester Opera House before swooping > > down to the London Coliseum in June. > > > > Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical is a tough show not to love. > > Steinman began developing the project 50 years ago, the > > teenage opera having begun as Neverland, a futurist rock > > retelling of Peter Pan, in the late Sixties. > > > > It’s been through some changes since then. ‘I’ve got at > > least four drafts sitting here in my drawer,’ Meat Loaf > > guffaws. > > > > The latest version features 17 celebrated Meat Loaf songs, > > including You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth, Bat > > Out Of Hell, Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad and I Would Do > > Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That). > > > > Event has been given exclusive access as the spectacular > > revs up, to experience the sights and sounds, and speak to > > its key players. > > > > The lead characters, Raven and Strat, will be played by > > Belfast-born Christina Bennington, 25, and Andrew Polec, > > 28, a high baritone from Pennsylvania. > > > > Cast together in a mind-warping wasteland, love for our > > latter-day Romeo and Juliet, will not come easy. > > > > Blond and gym-honed, Polec bares scant resemblance to the > > well-nourished chap with the perspiration issues who > > toured Bat Out Of Hell in the late Seventies. In his time, > > Meat Loaf was as unlikely a sex symbol as Jeremy Corbyn. > > > > ‘You never thought, “Everybody’s going to want to sleep > > with that guy,”’ agrees Polec. ‘Until you saw the power > > and passion he brought. He didn’t have a six-pack but he > > still took his shirt off and rolled around on stage. I > > wish I’d been old enough to see those shows.’ > > > > Bennington recollects hearing Bat Out Of Hell as a child, > > her father bellowing along in the car. ‘He won’t be doing > > that during the shows,’ she promises. > > The behind the scenes personnel on Bat Out Of Hell are no > > less impressive than the leading players. Canadian > > choreographer Emma Portner recently worked with Justin > > Bieber, having starred in his Life Is Worth Living video. > > Lighting design is by the legendary Patrick Woodroffe, who > > has illuminated the Rolling Stones’ stages for the past 35 > > years. Among the group of prestigious producers is Tony > > Smith, who has managed both Genesis and Pink Floyd. > > > > Director Jay Scheib, 47, a professor of music and theatre > > arts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology admits > > that Bat Out Of Hell wasn’t in his musical sphere as a > > teen. He was ‘heavily into The Cure and Joy Division’ but > > acknowledges that the Meat Loaf album was the soundtrack > > for a lot of people growing up. > > > > ‘It’s all about these songs,’ Scheib explains. ‘I want to > > get to the heart of what they’re expressing and then put > > that on stage. Although the music is 40 years old, the > > story still speaks to us all today.’ > > > > The script tells the tale of the never-ageing Strat and > > his wayward gang The Lost, who roam the streets of a > > dystopian Manhattan under the rule of the ruthless Falco. > > > > The temperature rises when Strat falls for Falco’s > > daughter Raven. Cue a slew of chest-beating paeans to > > love, rebellion and destiny. > > > > Visually, the show will combine live and video > > performances with state-of-the-art lighting. With live > > motorcycles and that relentless rock ’n’ roll rhythm, it’s > > a full-throttle ride with a sidecar-full of social > > conscience, as epic but intimate an experience as the > > songs themselves. > > > > Steinman, who has suffered a heart attack and two strokes > > in recent years, and has been too unwell to travel, > > watches rehearsals on Skype then rewatches the videos each > > evening, prior to a weekly telephone conference with > > Scheib. ‘They can be long conversations,’ Scheib says, > > rather pointedly. > > > > Scheib is more than aware of the opera world’s snobbery > > towards rock operas and musicals, and the disdain this > > project may attract from the high-art crowd. ‘There’s the > > feeling that some musicals aren’t “serious”,’ he says. > > ‘It’s not considered fine art. It’s “commercial” and > > “spectacle” without the content of some operas, whereas > > some opera can be wildly lacking in content.’ > > > > Yet musicals are notoriously high-risk. Even with songs by > > U2’s Bono and The Edge, Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, the > > most expensive Broadway production in history, closed > > after two-and-a-half years in 2014, enmeshed in a tangled > > web of technical problems, financial woes and health > > setbacks. > > ‘Of course it is high-risk,’ breezes Scheib. ‘But crossing > > the street – particularly for an American in London – is > > high-risk.’ > > > > ‘If you thought about the risk all the time then you would > > just be trying to please those people who don’t want it to > > work,’ adds Bennington. > > > > ‘I wrote Jimmy an email,’ recalls Meat. ‘“How’s the play > > going?”. He writes back: “Well, I’m seeing it every day > > but it may close in two weeks”, and then he put “LOL”. > > > > ‘I wrote back, and made the letters giant, really huge: ‘I > > don’t think it’s going to close in two weeks. LOL.’ > > > > The laughter stops and he suddenly turns deathly serious. > > ‘For Jimmy’s sake, I hope it’s a huge hit because it’s > > been literally 50 years and… it could kill him. I’m not > > kidding. If it fails, I dread the day. > > > > > > http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/event/article-4249844/Bat-Hell-Musical.html > > > > | |
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