re: A Three Star Review | |
Posted by: |
Lordy 01:32 pm UTC 03/18/17 |
In reply to: | A Three Star Review - Jsteinfan 11:23 pm UTC 03/17/17 |
Sounds like he might be on a back hander from another production to talk this down! Word of mouth is a powerful thing. Loads of people from my work have seen it, some twice and I haven't heard a bad word. Think hes talking out his chuff > Theatre Review: Bat out of Hell, Manchester Opera House > Kevin Bourke March 17, 2017 Arts, Editor's Picks, > Featured, Theatre 0 Comments > Bat-Out-of-Hell-premiere > Part of the strange charm of the original Bat Out Of Hell > recording has always been that it was unashamedly > grandiose and knowingly absurd, and that, lyrically and > presentation-wise, it was also pretty funny. That was > absolutely its saving grace and surely the factor that, > eventually, brought record-buyers around to it in their > millions. > > At about the same time, of course, that love of rock ’n’ > roll mythology (while recognising its fundamental > foolishness) was being taken in the opposite, minimalist > direction by The Ramones and some of their > co-conspirators. Music history has probably been kinder to > The Ramones but that’s at least partly because there’d > never been anything quite like Jim Steinman’s concept, a > delirious mixture of a larger-than-life, > ridiculously-named performer with a Wall Of Sound > re-imagining of every rock trope out there. And there > certainly hasn’t been anything since, notwithstanding > various misguided further ‘Volumes’. > > It’s both ironic and unfortunate for Jim Steinman’s Bat > Out Of Hell – The Musical, to give the show its full, > legally approved title, that although it’s well known the > songs and concept came from a musical theatre piece > Steinman had begun working on and employed Meat Loaf to > perform, that was five decades ago. Now, BOOH finally > appears in the middle of a theatrical landscape fairly > littered with rock musicals, most of them > chuckle-inducingly grandiose and almost all of them simply > stupid – We Will Rock You anyone”? > > So the only way for the show to go, to employ a well-worn > rock cliché, is to turn everything up to “eleven” – and I > don’t mean just the live band but also Jon Bausor’s > jaw-dropping set, for which the stage, and a fair bit of > the auditorium seems to have been gutted, as well as the > performances and the pyrotechnics. This might be one of > those rare shows worth showing up for just for the sheer > visceral experience of seeing it. > > Bat out of HellInevitably, it’s all set in a near future > dystopia where The Lost (that ‘lost children’ allusion and > a character called ‘Tink’ a reminder of its origins as a > rock ’n’ roll re-imagining of Peter Pan) live underground > and, because of a genetic mutation, never get older than > 18. Strat (Andrew Polec) is their charismatic leader, > although his charisma doesn’t seem to extend much beyond a > few half-baked Jim Morrison impressions. Above ground, > where they and their goons seem to be the only > inhabitants, is the domain of evil(ish) overlord Falco > (Rob Fowler) and his frustrated rock-chick of a wife > (Sloane), who live with their over-protected and typically > teenage daughter Raven (Christina Bennington) in a > towering skyscraper named for the despot. Hmmm. > > Mid-riot – at least I think that’s what was going on – > Strat falls for the never-knowingly over-clothed Raven, > Daddy gets a bit upset, and, erm, that’s it really, > plot-wise. > > There’s some terrific singing and at least one truly > tremendous set-piece, with Falco and Sloane trying to > patch up their failing marriage with a duet, Paradise By > The Dashboard Light, that finishes explosively with a > presumably horrendously expensive gag involving an onstage > car being pushed into the orchestra pit. But the show just > never knows when to stop. Already portentous songs like > Bat Out Of Hell, Dead Ringer For Love and You Took The > Words Right Out Of My Mouth are often stretched out > wildly, apparently just so each cast member can have a go > at singing them, while some of the dance routines are as > clunkily unattractive as Strat’s woeful ‘poetry’. > Crucially, with the glaring exception of that Paradise By > The Dashboard Light sequence, it just isn’t funny or > thrilling enough to let that stuff slide. > > Still, Danielle Steers as Zahara fully deserved the > audience cheers for her vocal power and stage presence > (although her role in the script was inexplicable – last > minute cuts even in a show this length?) and Rob Fowler > and Sharon Sexton really do look like they’re having fun > up there. If only the show itself could be a bit more like > that and a bit less like an old bloke’s indulgent – and > sometimes sexually ambiguous – rock ’n’ roll fantasy. > Unless that’s the point of the whole thing, of course. > > By Kevin Bourke, Theatre Editor > > golden-star golden-star golden-star | |
reply | | |
Previous: | re: A Three Star Review - daveake 03:37 pm UTC 03/18/17 |
Next: | re: A Three Star Review - Jacqueline 05:43 am UTC 03/18/17 |
Thread: |