A monumental, dominating, exuberant production, Jim Steinman's life work realises the promise within his rock and roll fantasies in the temple of imagination that is the theatrical stage and now the end has come and Jim Steinman's Bat Out Of Hell The Musical (to give it its full title) has played its final performance at the London Coliseum. The fact the pre-show sequence was greeted with a standing ovation speaks volumes about how much this production has come to mean to so many different people; Bat Out Of Hell has become more than a musical, more than an experience - for some, it is a way of life.
Jim Steinman has apparently always had a fascination with Peter Pan - something I can relate to - believing it to be naturally equatable with rock music and its ethos. This, tied with his love of grand opera, gave birth to his early attempts to create a musical based on J. M. Barrie's fairy-tale and nearly half a century later these principles still form the fulcrum of Steinman's megalithic musical, the ultimate realisation of all his previous efforts.
Sometime in the future a cataclysmic event has separated the island of Manhattan from the mainland of America, isolating its inhabitants. In the same event a group of teenagers are mysteriously genetically frozen so that they never age a day again. This group form The Lost who are led by eternal rebel Strat, whilst the remaining inhabitants eventually come under the rule of Falco who, in the year 2100, is busy redeveloping the island which has come to be known as Obsidian. The Lost are opposed to much of his plans and the two opposing sides frequently clash.
Each side has their own issues with Falco having to deal with his unhappy, alcohol fueled wife, Sloane, who aches for the passion and freedom of her youth (something Falco also envies of The Lost) and the impending 18th birthday of his rebellious daughter, Raven, who is enamoured with The Lost and their secret lives.
The Lost battle to retain their way of life whilst attempting to deal with their internal relationships; tribe members partner up with each other, some evidently moving from one to the other, whilst adult emotions attempt to make their mark with Jagwire persistently pursuing the exotic Zahara despite her protestations of un-interest in a serious relationship with him.
Strat's best friend, Tink, suffers constant emotional turmoil given the fact he was 'frozen' on the brink of pubescent maturity and he harbours a secret love for his hero and leader which soon turns to jealousy when Strat falls in love with Raven, prompting severe reactions from her father and, sadly, from Tink. It is Strat and Raven's relationship that forms the core of the musical, whilst the other relationships also have to be dealt with.
In presenting three variations of a love story, Steinman enriches his plot and forms a unique triumvirate which can be seen as different facets of love at different stages of life. We also see an outside force acting upon this triumvirate in the form of Tink, who epitomises the darker aspects of unfulfilled love; love gone bad, as it were.
Through all the action and emotional eddies that occur, ultimately it is the rock and roll sensibilities, based on primary emotions, that must win out and, naturally, love and hope are the strongest of these.
Jim Steinman's book is relatively simple and frequently punctuated with his famed word-play and abstract speeches and it is quite a change from the earlier incarnations of Neverland and The Dream Engine in being far more accessible for an audience than the earlier versions of the musical. His retelling of J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan is infused with his sexual and rebellious rock and roll sensibility whilst the integration of Steinman's songs are completely organic, generally serving to promote the plot and/or reflect internal feelings whilst often exploding externally.
It is, perhaps, rather misleading to call Bat Out Of Hell a "jukebox" musical - as some have done - since the majority of songs have been created from some incarnation or another of Steinman's Neverland project and therefore suitably reflect the appropriate requirements of a particular scene or moment. Even the 'flashback' scene works utterly in harmony with the nature of the piece. Rather, Bat Out Of Hell is the ultimate development of a musical that has had a number of permutations over the decades. As the saying goes, musicals aren't written - they are rewritten.
Steinman has never thought small and the creative team assembled rise to meet his OTT standards to create a theatrical language and environment that suitably match his otherworldly vision, from the monolithic set which encapsulates the environments of the island city of Obsidian, further enhanced with video projection and some incredibly dynamic lighting that fuses the best elements used in theatre and stadium shows through to the energised and spirited unconventional choreography (which often tells its own story) and the fluid, sometimes abstract, direction which is perfectly paced whilst eloquently presenting the relevant information. The costumes, redesigned following the Manchester run, are also integral to the world and now create a unified vision whereas, in Manchester, a number of pieces stood out glaringly - and not always for the right reason. Altogether a unified visual ideal is promoted that is succinctly attuned to Steinman's material.
The orchestra (or band) are also quite exceptional, breathing new life into Steinman's songs with their dynamic playing of the incredible arrangements and orchestrations that pay homage to the original recordings whilst also serving as fresh, theatrical interpretations. Led by the more than capable Robert Emery they are an equal part in the success of the production and the little nod to the orchestra's presence in the first act is quite brilliant.
The production has undergone some further changes just before closing; changes in dialogue, dialogue cuts and a line or two moved streamline the musical further without damaging the plot at all, though the "mirror" speech omission - cut down a while back - still makes the sole remaining line rather awkward, coming out of nowhere as it does and without any context. Reinstating the speech, or some version of it, would only benefit the scene.
The biggest change is the cutting of the gorgeous "It Just Won't Quit", one of the more mellow songs that added an emotional resonance to proceedings as they stood. Whilst the reworked scene works just as well, and the emotional connection between Strat and Raven easily reaffirmed elsewhere, the song is missed as a gentler number amidst the more frantic ones that dominate the musical score and also as an opportunity to give Raven more musical material. Missed most is the brief moment of Tink singing the final line of the song which further suggested Tink's inner turmoil which ultimately leads to his final choices.
The magnificent cast excelled themselves even further than previously and it's clear that the closing night was an emotional one for all and the company evidently made the most of their final performance with sheer joy on some faces and tears in their eyes as and when appropriate. Danielle Steers' and Dom Hartley-Harris' relationship as Zahara and Jagwire has never been stronger and their connection has never been so heart-warming, no doubt reflecting the fact that Dom is not travelling on to Toronto with the company. Steer's face said it all during their moments together, especially during "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad" where it was a case of smiling through the tears. Steers really is something else and is an especially unique find amongst the gifted cast. The emotional and vocal powerhouses extend throughout the company with Rob Fowler's Falco and Sharon Sexton's Sloane continuing to be a dynamic duo whose bitterness and despair spills across the stage as they journey through the disappointments of growing up. Something that Aran MacRae's Tink laments being unable to do. MacRae is the catalyst for several plot points and his is a precisely attuned performance and it's a shame there is not more made out of the character. Christina Bennington surpassed herself as Raven, aching to be free and revelling when the opportunity arises, while Andrew Polec's dynamo performance as Strat reached new heights, as did his vocal prowess which has never been more assured. His embodiment of Steinman's rock-n-roll ethos is sublime perfection.
Steinman and his creative team could not have wished for a more perfect ensemble and it is one of the greater joys of this production to see a youthful company make fresh claims on Steinman's epic songs and interpret them with new eyes and voices; voices that, unlike many current musicals, are all distinct and unique yet, when blended together, beautifully harmonious.
Looks like The Lost have indeed been found ...
I have, of course, previously written about Bat Out Of Hell and those writings can be found here, here and here.
Finally; it is a shame that, presumably for health-reasons, Jim Steinman could not witness his creation in the flesh and bask in the triumph so deserved. I hope he gets the chance to attend the Toronto production but I, selfishly, am overjoyed to know that the production will be returning to London in 2018 and urge all to buy a ticket when it does!
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