re: A Three Star Review | |
Posted by: |
Ali 02:57 am UTC 03/18/17 |
In reply to: | re: A Three Star Review - nowhere_fast 01:50 am UTC 03/18/17 |
Yeah, I was confused by that as well! I agreed with his comments about Zahara, she is without doubt the standout vocalist and the Paradise sequence is indeed something incredibly special but other than that I think he's not entirely got the point of the whole thing. He seems to have been expecting a standard, vanilla flavoured rock musical with short, pop song length numbers. Bat out of Hell is far more of a rock opera. Ironically 'Bat out of Hell' the song is far more suited to being an Act one finale in a musical than it ever was to being a single. This is where it belongs. Ali > For every opinion and they can have them i would love to > know how the reviewer can suggest that BAT,DR and TTW have > been "stretched widely" in the show.If anything all the > songs in the show are parent album/demo length and under > with a slight break in Bat for the crash > > > 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 | |
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