re: Number 7 | |
Posted by: |
daveake 04:55 pm UTC 03/15/17 |
In reply to: | Number 7 - Jacqueline 04:29 pm UTC 03/15/17 |
& 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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