Review: Bat Out Of Hell, UK Tour, at the Liverpool Empire

I'm know there has been a delay in talking about this one - a personal reason held me back until now. But here I am ready to rock out in my platform Dr Martens and as much punk gear as I can muster: to see Bat out of Hell while it is at the Liverpool Empire. 

Premiering at Manchester's Opera House in February 2017, this dystopian musical based on the album of the same name by the late greats Meatloaf and Jim Steinman, has actually become a bit of marmite musical: I know people who love it, and I know people who hate it. 

And now it's my turn to offer perspective. 

This should be fun! 

Bat out of Hell (or BOOH) is set in a dystopian New York (according to the bio), where the dictator Falco rules with an iron fist. He forbids his daughter Raven from going outside their skyscraper apartment, and from associating with the Lost, a group of outsiders who are permanently frozen at 18 years old (don't know why). When the Lost's leader Strat notices Raven, they fall head over heels for each other, and what follows is an eruption of rebellion, passion and rock & roll. 

Here's the thing, and I am going to keep it short and sweet: I wanted to enjoy this one more than I actually did 

The main reason - the book is pretty terrible

Allow me to indulge you for a second for comparing it to We Will Rock You (WWRY). Yes, it's book is not the best either, but these two stories are pretty similar. 

While WWRY has a clear dystopian setting in London, BOOH's could be anywhere, and nothing specific to relate to. 
While WWRY introduces us to some kind of societal system and reason why the Bohemians are hunted, BOOH feels very "just 'cause". 
While the characters in WWRY are interesting, have some charm and chemistry.... BOOH's are given barely if any depth.  

You see where I'm going with this?

And the other thing is that everyone is incredibly horny! I know that sounds crass, but anyone else who has seen it will understand. It is the elephant in the room after all. 

Why else would Falco and Sloane strip down to their undies and be THAT close to getting it on, on their daughter's birthday (although can I say Rob Fowler looks FINE in pink speedos 😉).
Why else would Raven want to run and "fall in love" with the first guy she meets? Because she's been locked away Rapunzel style all her life and is desperate to lose her V-card. 

And it keeps coming back again, and again, and again!

I told you - it's the elephant in the room from the very first lines.... 

Putting all that aside, I guess the question is, was there anything I DID like? Well, I am of course a Meatloaf fan (though casually I admit), and any chance to hear his songs, I'm there for. And yes this cast has some incredible vocals: from Samuel Pope covering Strat and sounding oddly like a younger Meatloaf, to getting to see Rob Fowler & Sharon Sexton play Falco and Sloane as they have from the very beginning. (Though I admit there were some bits that were very overacted). 

BOOH to be fair has given a spotlight to some incredible talent since its inception: Danielle Steers, Dom Hartley Harris, Alex Thomas Smith and Jordan Luke Gage to name just a couple. And I hope I get to see some of these performers again in the future, because I could see they were trying really hard with that they had to work with. 

What they skipped out on the book, they threw twice as much into making this a spectacle. 

Yes, this may seem obvious, but the lights, sound level and any scene involving the bike were HUGE. Plus, how often do you get a confetti shot at the end of Act 1?  

Included in this, were live video projections for certain scenes, similar to what Chess did. Definitely needed for a space as big as the Liverpool Empire. 

As stated before - I wanted to enjoy this, I really did. But it is the only show I remember seeing that I wish had a song list in the programme so I knew when it would be finishing. 

Like Marmite, Bat out of Hell is not a favourite of mine. 

If you want to try this, then by all means there is no harm. It doesn't offer some meaningful lesson to think about, just a reason to rock out in your seat. Having said that though, without a proper plot, this is more like a Meatloaf & Jim Steinman tribute show; and if that doesn't sit well, then this is not for you.