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| re: Number 7 | |
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daveake 04:56 pm UTC 03/15/17 |
| In reply to: | re: Number 7 - daveake 04:55 pm UTC 03/15/17 |
| 7 down I mean, of course :-) > & down 993 to go before Jim finally realises that he and > everyone else involved have produced a masterpiece. :-) > > > > > http://ilovemanchester.com/2017/03/15/review-bat-out-of-hell-the-musical-hits-all-the-right-notes.aspx > > > > Review: Bat Out of Hell The Musical hits all the right > > notes at Opera House > > > > I was nearly hit in the heart by a missile during this > > show - and that's not the only explosive thing about Bat > > Out Of Hell The Musical > > > > Meatloaf’s Bat Out Of Hell has sold more than 43 million > > so far and still shifts more than 200,000 copies annually. > > So how do you turn one of the biggest selling albums of > > all time into a musical? With motorbikes, real fire and > > one of the most elaborate sets I’ve ever seen, that’s > > how. > > > > Bat Out Of Hell The Musical brought it all on opening > > night at The Opera House last night. Written by Jim > > Steinman, the producer of the original record which was > > inspired by Meatloaf’s love of Bruce Springsteen and > > Wagner, it certainly is an ambitious undertaking. And all > > eyes were on Manchester where the show premiered before > > heading to London. > > > > The musical manages to follow the story behind the 1977 > > concept album, making it accessible to people who may > > never have heard the songs before. It’s a tale of teenage > > angst turned epic, following Strat (Andrew Polec) and his > > group of bike-toting rockers, as he falls in love with > > Raven (Christina Bennington), an 18-year old girl trapped > > in an American nightmare of obsessive parents and excess. > > > > It sounds simple but the ambitious set works to magnify > > every emotion going. A built-in escalator, cavernous > > tunnel, a suspended room and mounted cameras beam this > > multi-level activity onto a big screen recreating the > > claustrophobia and crush of teenage surburbia so well. > > > > The set, designed by Jon Bausor, who has worked on many > > large-scale productions before including Bugsy Malone, was > > months in the making and it shows. I have never seen > > anything like it. An elaborate construction of the > > American dream gone grotesquely wrong – and to great > > effect. > > > > It would easy for the story to stay focused largely around > > the rebellious Strat and his sense of having no one, > > especially as the energetic Andrew Polec engages utterly > > with the role. Strat hovers from bold biker to tender > > lover but rather than mimic Meatloaf, Polec brings his own > > dynamism to the character, embracing the free spirit of > > the music. > > > > The show is all about breaking boundaries and enjoying > > sweet release and, thanks to an energetic cast and the > > enigmatic Raven, the music manages to weave into a number > > of subplots. Dance helps to drive it forward, a > > significant achievement by Emma Portner, the youngest > > woman in history to have choreographed a musical. > > > > Comedy is interlaced with contemporary comment on marriage > > in the relationship between Raven’s parents Falco (Rob > > Fowler) and Sloane (Sharon Sexton) using the well known > > track Paradise By The Dashboard Light to explore their > > passionate past. Performed as a sensuous duet which > > involves a striptease, a parked car and running > > commentary, it reveals a great rapport between the > > actors. > > > > Yes, there is cheese, but it’s well rounded. Think a whole > > Stilton rather than a slice of own brand Cheddar. > > > > The first half of the show contains many memorable songs – > > classic after classic. All Revved Up And No Place To > > Go, Wasted Youthand Who Needs the Young? are all in there > > backed by a live band. > > > > But is it a case of too much, too soon? Well perhaps it is > > but rightly so. Meatloaf’s album was considered ahead of > > its time for its exploration of fame, excess and > > controversy, so magnifying this in musical form brings > > back the sense of scandal which originally accompanied the > > tracks. > > > > It’s alluringly naughty and hits you hard. A car falls > > into the orchestra, inches from the sears, with band > > members getting on stage to wave their mangled > > instruments – an excellent piece of comic timing. > > > > Party poppers are also fired into the crowd (one hit my > > shoulder) as part of Raven’s eighteenth birthday > > celebrations, and members of the audience were covered in > > silly string, glitter and streamers during the course of > > the night. And then there was blood. > > > > Yes, that’s right, blood. The first half ends with a > > passionate, powerful rendition of the title track Bat Out > > Of Hell, showcasing both Polec and Bennington as highly > > capable vocalists as well as actors. It would have been > > wrong for the interval to be preceded by any other song, > > and it certainly was an immersive experience with jets of > > flame, showers of confetti and blood dripping from Strat’s > > front. > > > > The first half went out on such a high I was left > > wondering how the second part could live up to it. But it > > did, picking up on some of the sub-plots from the first > > half, including the intense relationship between Zahara > > (Danielle Steers) and Jagwire (Dom Hartley-Harris) and, of > > course, the loveable Tink (Aran MacRae). > > > > Steinman has managed to craft a musical not ashamed of of > > its melodrama and capable of portraying characters with > > whom we can empathise. > > > > The tracks It’s All Coming Back To Me Now and I Would Do > > Anything For Love make for an intense finale. > > > > I left feeling satisfied. This is a musical that hits all > > the right notes. > > > > Bat Out Of Hell The Musical is at The Opera House until > > 18th April > > > > > > Sent from AOL Mobile Mail | |
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