Bat out of Hell- the musical- a meaty tribute to Meat Loaf

Bat out of Hell, the musical - a meaty tribute to Meat Loaf.

There are times when some West End musicals get you right there. They hit you right between the eyes and tingle through your nervous system and, more often than not, leave you speechless with amazement, puzzled perhaps but then glad that you were there when it happened. Then again you may think that the plot was threadbare, the acting not quite up to the standard you were expecting or you may have been too tired to understand the multi layered complexities of the show. But that was never case last night. Bat out of Hell- the musical was an evening of good, old fashioned fun with plenty to keep you totally engaged, fascinated and engrossed in.

Take one larger than life character, mix in a generous helping of American rock anthems and what do you get? Meat Loaf. The Dominion theatre in London's finger clicking, toe tapping, West End, may well have seen it all but a flattering homage to one of America's full on, in your face, uncompromising rock bands was simply a feast for your senses. This was a West End musical that must have reached parts of your soul that you would never have thought it was capable of reaching.

Last night at the Dominion theatre in London's Tottenham Court Road there was a weird and wonderful collection of hilarious looking scenery, stage props that must have belonged in a production of War of the Worlds and actors and actresses who looked as though they'd just come from a local fancy dress party. It was certainly one of the most extraordinary West End musicals I'd ever seen because quite frankly I had no idea what I'd be getting.

So here we were live on stage with what looked like huge rocks and craters from some very remote planet, a set of traffic lights in one corner of the stage, strange camera angles and shots of people in bedrooms shown in  huge and very revealing video imagery. This is not to suggest that Bat Out of Hell was vulgar, rude or offensive but undoubtedly it was both dark, sexy and provocative.

Suddenly we were witness to the innermost thoughts of a young girl agonising over her teenage years, declaring her love one minute and then having second thoughts the next. Then we were presented with what can only be described as some bizarre, showbiz and quite clearly dysfunctional American family who didn't quite know how to handle their daughter's precocious interest in boys. Maybe the parents could have been accused of being overly protective by a girl whose dreams of fame and celebrity were washed away by a wave of disapproval and criticism.

But then confusion set in for yours truly. Men and women proceeded to run into dark tunnels off stage before embarking on some delightfully choreographed dances full of athletic high kicking and high jumping, racing across the stage like a thousand passengers trying to catch one of the many Routemaster buses running outside Tottenham Court Road. Then some rather risque and erotic scenes must have sent the collective blood pressures of the audience through the roof of the Dominion.

At times there was something of  the old fashioned Carry On mentality about Bat Out of Hell, as clothes were whipped off shamelessly and men threw themselves at women with all of the outrageous lust of a long forgotten Soho caper. Everywhere you looked there were gold and silver boiler suits, girls in varying states of undress and much that would have appalled Mary Whitehouse.

By now the story seemed to be a cleverly fashioned cut and paste account of conflicting emotions, heartbreak, unrequited love, more sadness and more desperation with just a hint of mickey taking irreverence.  There was the mother who didn't quite know how to react to her daughter's troubled adolescence, the father who was similarly lost for words at times and a general sense of mayhem that rippled through the whole production.

Then the whole show seemed to quite literally go off on a number of almost baffling tangents, characters running around the stage as if searching for something they were never likely to find, gang warfare, fiery arguments, heartrending accusations and counter accusations, drama upon never ending drama, melodrama that occasionally resembled soap opera and then more satire of the most harmless kind.

Of course the show gave us its outstanding title track Bat Out of Hell, a rousing, fantastically epic rock number that must have shaken all the foundations in Tottenham Court Road. There were massive black bats on stage and the chart song that sold in millions and would forever take up residence in every rock fan's extensive record collection. Then there was 'You Take The Words Right Out of My Mouth', a hard driving, powerful rock ballad that kept bubbling and smouldering with vitality. The romantically yearning 'I Will Do Everything for Love' had most of the audience hanging on every word. 'Two out of Three Ain't Bad' kept the seasoned Meat Loaf fans in a state of advanced ecstasy for what seemed an age.

Overall then, Bat Out of Hell was rather like an appetising plate of steak and chips, a meaty, beefy musical full of tasty, salivating songs that kept on delivering the goods. There was a super charged dynamism about this show that has to be seen. With motor bikes roaring at full volume and a  man called Falco dominating the stage, it may be worth a visit even if you've no interest in rock music at all. Bat Out of Hell ticked all the relevant boxes even if yours truly was slightly taken aback at times.