BAT OUT OF HELL Will Play 8 Weeks At NY City Center In 2019- Page 24

[V2David]

Posted: 8/12/19 at 10:00pm

Yes Will was good, but I'm kind of pissed off I missed Andrew. Not that it is his fault, but I don't live in NYC, and I really wanted to see Andrew with Christina. Oh well...

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 8/12/19 at 10:10pm

I saw their performance on the Today Show. Of course, no set and the cast gave it their all, but it was...not good...

Of course, in all transparency I’ve never been much of a fan of Steinman’s overblown style with exception of Total Eclipse of The Heart...I fu**ing love that bop. Maybe if the blonde had taken off his shirt, but it was morning network tv.

Updated On: 8/12/19 at 10:10 PM

[ren598]

Posted: 8/12/19 at 11:35pm

Miles2Go2 said: "I saw their performance on the Today Show. Of course, no set and the cast gave it their all, but it was...not good...

Of course, in all transparency I’ve never been much of a fan of Steinman’s overblown style with exception of Total Eclipse of The Heart...I fu**ing love that bop. Maybe if the blonde had taken off his shirt, but it was nothing network tv."

I agree.  Their Today Show performance was sort of flat compared to what I saw last night.  Probably won’t help sell many more tickets.  I would have preferred if they did a more upbeat song like “Out of the Frying Pan (And into the Fire)” or even “Bat Out of Hell’.  This is a show that needs to be experienced live.  Something was just missing on network TV that early in the morning.  

[Lot666]

Posted: 8/13/19 at 8:26am

Sho-Tunes-R-Us said: "Sondheimite said: "This will play City Center when the Spiderman tour launches."

I have a freshly baked crow pie awaiting you."

[Lot666]

Posted: 8/13/19 at 9:36am

I saw the matinee this past Saturday with my husband and a friend. Our seats were dead center of orchestra row D. My husband is not a Meat Loaf fan and had virtually no interest, so I was basically dragging him along; the friend is a lover of almost every style of music, but particularly classic rock, and he was very eager to see this show.

My friend and I loved it, but the big surprise came from my husband, who said "That was fabulous! Best show of the trip and I would see it again in a heartbeat." (For reference, we also saw Hadestown, Moulin Rouge, The Prom, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Be More Chill).

I'm a bit confused by the comments suggesting surprise and/or disappointment that this show is "campy", "over the top", and "bombastic". These are signature elements of all Jim Steinman compositions, including the namesake album. I struggle to understand how anyone who has heard his music could possibly have been expecting something serious here, as Mr. Steinman almost always writes with tongue firmly planted in cheek; one need only review a list of his song titles to know this (e.g., Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are). In interviews, he has often described his style as "Wagnerian rock", and Bat Out of Hell: The Musical is a perfectly logical and appropriate use of Mr. Steinman's catalog.

Another common criticism is that the plot is "thin". Bat Out of Hell is basically yet another Romeo & Juliet story, not terribly dissimilar from the story being presented over at Hadestown, but with a fresh twist:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

A love triangle involves a boy who is also in love with the Romeo character, which proves to be a somewhat pivotal plot point. Given that the Steinman/Meat Loaf audience has historically comprised a segment of the population which might be expected to disapprove, I applaud the production for including a gay central character, along with an ensemble of seemingly pansexual characters who frequently shift between male/female, female/female, and male/male pairings in various scenes.

Having read about the staging and visual effects in the original production, I was a bit disappointed that certain elements were scaled back or eliminated for New York. However, if you aren't aware of how these things were done previously, you will likely be quite pleased by the set design and its clever functionality (we particularly liked how Falco Tower was designed to suggest the fret board of a guitar).

If I wanted to be nit-picky, I might complain that act two is slightly padded (one or two songs felt redundant, plot-wise, and the pacing would be better if they were cut), the ostensible leads (Mr. Polec and Ms. Bennington) are at times overshadowed by the tremendous vocal power of Mr. Dean and Ms. Hall, and I would've used "Read 'Em and Weep" in place of "What Part of My Body Hurts the Most".

All of this aside, what makes Bat Out of Hell such a hell of a ride is the cast. Every one of them is 100% committed to what they're doing, and the vocal talent is at times downright astounding. Never - and I say this without hyperbole - never on a New York stage have I heard a more powerful vocal performance than that of Mr. Dean and Ms. Hall at the end of "It's All Coming Back to Me Now". Unfortunately, this scene also stands as a perfect example of my grievance noted above. It is brilliantly staged to draw parallels between the evolution of both the Strat/Raven and Falco/Sloane relationships, but when literally presented side-by-side, the voices of Polec and Bennington pale in the shadow of Dean and Hall. When the older couple deliver the final "...all coming back to me NOW" line, they hit and sustain that last note with such amazing power that one can only marvel that such a thing is humanly possible.

Updated On: 8/13/19 at 09:36 AM

[Pine-Sol Scented Air]

Posted: 8/13/19 at 1:26pm

Have they been closing the balcony for this? 

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Posted: 8/13/19 at 2:19pm

Pine-Sol Scented Air said: "Have they been closing the balcony for this?"

Not according to the City Center ticket sales chart and house seating diagrams.

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Posted: 8/13/19 at 2:25pm

Lot666 said: "I saw the matinee this past Saturdaywith my husband and a friend. Our seats were dead center of orchestra row D. My husband is not a Meat Loaf fan and had virtually nointerest, soI was basically dragginghim along; the friend is a lover of almost every style of music, but particularly classic rock, and he was very eager to see this show.

My friend and I loved it, but the big surprise came from my husband, who said "That was fabulous! Best show of the trip and I would see it again in a heartbeat." (We also saw Hadestown, Moulin Rouge, The Prom, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Be More Chill).
 

Thank you for this.   I am even moister in anticipation now.  Next Thursday 8/20 should be a joy for me.  Perhaps I'll get a discounted ticket for the 8/21 or 8/22 performance as well.  I'm flying in from California for the show.

 

 


I'm a bit confused by the comments suggesting surprise and/or disappointmentthat this show is "campy", "over the top", and "bombastic". These are signature elements of all Jim Steinman compositions, including the namesake album. I struggle to understand how anyone who has heard his music could possibly have been expecting something serious here, as Mr. Steinman almost always writes with tongue firmly planted in cheek; one need only review a list of his song titlesto know this (e.g., Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are). In interviews, he has often described his style as "Wagnerian rock", and Bat Out of Hell: The Musical is a perfectly logical and appropriate use of Mr. Steinman's catalog.

Another common criticism is that the plot is "thin". Bat Out of Hell is basically yet another Romeo & Juliet story, not terriblydissimilar from the story being presented over at Hadestown, but with a fresh twist:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

A love triangle involvesa boy who is also in love with the Romeo character, which proves to be a somewhat pivotal plot point. Given that the Steinman/Meat Loaf audience has historically comprised a segment of the population which might be expected to disapprove,I applaud the production for including a gay central character, along with an ensemble of seemingly pansexual characters who frequently shift between male/female, female/female, and male/male pairings in various scenes.

Having read about the staging and visual effects in the original production, I was a bit disappointed that certain elements were scaled back or eliminated for New York. However, if you aren't aware of how these things were done previously, you will likely be quite pleased by the set design and its clever functionality (we particularly liked how Falco Tower wasdesigned to suggest the fret board of a guitar).

If I wanted to be nit-picky, I might complain that act two is slightly padded (one or two songs felt redundant, plot-wise, and the pacing would be better if they were cut), the ostensible leads (Mr. Polec and Ms. Bennington) are at times overshadowed by the tremendous vocal power of Mr. Dean and Ms. Hall, and I would've used "Read 'Em and Weep" in place of "What Part of My Body Hurts the Most".

All of this aside, what makes Bat Out of Hell such a hell of a ride is the cast. Every one of them is 100% committed to what they're doing, and the vocal talent is at times downright astounding. Never - and I say this without hyperbole - never on a New York stage have I heard a more powerful vocal performance than that of Mr. Dean and Ms. Hall at the end of "It's All Coming Back to Me Now". Unfortunately, this scene also stands as a perfect example of my grievance noted above. It is brilliantly staged to draw parallels between the evolution of both the Strat/Raven and Falco/Sloane relationships, but when literally presented side-by-side, the voices of Polec and Bennington pale in the shadow of Dean and Hall. When the older couple deliver the final "...all coming back to me NOW" line, they hit and sustain that last note with such amazing power that one can only marvel that such a thing is humanly possible."

 

[Lot666]

Posted: 8/13/19 at 4:44pm

Sho-Tunes-R-Us said: "Thank you for this. I am even moister in anticipation now. Next Thursday 8/20 should be a joy for me. Perhaps I'll get a discounted ticket for the 8/21 or 8/22 performance as well. I'm flying in from California for the show."

In hindsight, I wish we'd skipped Moulin Rouge and bought tickets for a second performance of Bat Out of Hell instead. It bums me that I will likely never have an opportunity to see this show again.

Updated On: 8/14/19 at 04:44 PM

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Posted: 8/14/19 at 2:30am

Lot666 said: "Sho-Tunes-R-Us said: "Thank you for this. I am even moister in anticipation now. Next Thursday 8/20 should be a joy for me. Perhaps I'll get a discounted ticket for the 8/21 or 8/22 performance as well. I'm flying in from California for the show."

In hindsight, I wish we'd skipped Moulin Rouge and bought tickets for a second performance of Bat Outof Hell instead. It bums me that I will likely never have an opportunity to see this show again.
 

Lettuce assume that the producers are testing the waters for a tour.  Never say never.   FYI, I saw Moulin Rouge in both Boston and NYC.  The second act was vastly improved and I liked it very much.  My companion went nuts over it and said that it's her new favorite show of all time.





I'm a bit confused by the comments suggesting surprise and/or disappointmentthat this show is "campy", "over the top", and "bombastic". These are signature elements of all Jim Steinman compositions, including the namesake album. I struggle to understand how anyone who has heard his music could possibly have been expecting something serious here, as Mr. Steinman almost always writes with tongue firmly planted in cheek; one need only review a list of his song titlesto know this (e.g., Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are). In interviews, he has often described his style as "Wagnerian rock", and Bat Out of Hell: The Musical is a perfectly logical and appropriate use of Mr. Steinman's catalog.

Another common criticism is that the plot is "thin". Bat Out of Hell is basically yet another Romeo & Juliet story, not terriblydissimilar from the story being presented over at Hadestown, but with a fresh twist:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

A love triangle involvesa boy who is also in love with the Romeo character, which proves to be a somewhat pivotal plot point. Given that the Steinman/Meat Loaf audience has historically comprised a segment of the population which might be expected to disapprove,I applaud the production for including a gay central character, along with an ensemble of seemingly pansexual characters who frequently shift between male/female, female/female, and male/male pairings in various scenes.

Having read about the staging and visual effects in the original production, I was a bit disappointed that certain elements were scaled back or eliminated for New York. However, if you aren't aware of how these things were done previously, you will likely be quite pleased by the set design and its clever functionality (we particularly liked how Falco Tower wasdesigned to suggest the fret board of a guitar).

If I wanted to be nit-picky, I might complain that act two is slightly padded (one or two songs felt redundant, plot-wise, and the pacing would be better if they were cut), the ostensible leads (Mr. Polec and Ms. Bennington) are at times overshadowed by the tremendous vocal power of Mr. Dean and Ms. Hall, and I would've used "Read 'Em and Weep" in place of "What Part of My Body Hurts the Most".

All of this aside, what makes Bat Out of Hell such a hell of a ride is the cast. Every one of them is 100% committed to what they're doing, and the vocal talent is at times downright astounding. Never - and I say this without hyperbole - never on a New York stage have I heard a more powerful vocal performance than that of Mr. Dean and Ms. Hall at the end of "It's All Coming Back to Me Now". Unfortunately, this scene also stands as a perfect example of my grievance noted above. It is brilliantly staged to draw parallels between the evolution of both the Strat/Raven and Falco/Sloane relationships, but when literally presented side-by-side, the voices of Polec and Bennington pale in the shadow of Dean and Hall. When the older couple deliver the final "...all coming back to me NOW" line, they hit and sustain that last note with such amazing power that one can only marvel that such a thing is humanly possible."

"

"

 

[Lot666]

Posted: 8/14/19 at 8:06am

Sho-Tunes-R-Us said: "Lettuce assume that the producers are testing the waters for a tour. Never say never."

I wish I could be optimistic, but ticket sales are so weak that I can't imagine anything further coming from this. On a somewhat related note, I spoke with several members of the cast at the stage door and one of the leads said that there's no way way it could move to Broadway because, "the producer is notoriously difficult and no one wants to work with him".

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 8/14/19 at 10:32am

Never mind difficult to work with. I return to the general reaction that I reported earlier in this thread from people in my office:

"From the producer of Spider-Man and the people behind Dance of the Vampires... a Meat Loaf jukebox musical!" (Which, for anyone who doesn't know about the 50-year saga that led to this show, it is.)

This thing had an uphill battle and a downhill slide ahead of it from day 1. Can't be that surprised it's going exactly like people predicted.

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Posted: 8/14/19 at 10:20pm

Rush tickets now available daily at the City Center box office! Price is $50.
Producers have dubbed them "MEAT SEATS". Cuuute.

[magictodo123]

Posted: 8/14/19 at 10:40pm

Okay so the only reason why I didn't stay for the whole thing was because I have epilepsy and the strobe did end up  bothering me. But otherwise, I thought the cast was phenomenal. Their energy was through the roof. I actually loved it and would have stayed for the whole thing if it weren't for how much the strobe ended up affecting me. My Dad went with me, stayed for the whole thing, and he loved it! So I'd definitely say don't judge it until you see it. 

 

Also--first time I saw Lena Hall in a production and "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" was amazing. I wish they'd do a cast recording but I don't think City Center does those?

[Lot666]

Posted: 8/15/19 at 9:06am

magictodo123 said: "Also--first time I saw Lena Hall in a production and "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" was amazing. I wish they'd do a cast recording but I don't think City Center does those?"

This was the only disappointment for us - that the cast recording doesn't include the Lena Hall and Bradley Dean duets on "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" and "It's All Coming Back to Me Now". Sharon Sexton and Rob Fowler simply aren't in the same league with Hall and Dean.

[magictodo123]

Posted: 8/15/19 at 10:14am

Lot666 said: "magictodo123 said: "Also--first time I saw Lena Hall in a production and "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" was amazing. I wish they'd do a cast recording but I don't think City Center does those?"

This was the only disappointment for us - that the cast recording doesn't include the Lena Hall and Bradley Dean duets on "Paradise by the DashboardLight" and "It's All Coming Back to Me Now".Sharon Sexton and Rob Fowler simply aren't in the same league with Hall and Dean."

They’re AMAZING! I wish they’d record it (Lena Hall and Dean). 

[yyys]

Posted: 8/15/19 at 10:45am

Lot666 said: "magictodo123 said: "Also--first time I saw Lena Hall in a production and "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" was amazing. I wish they'd do a cast recording but I don't think City Center does those?"

This was the only disappointment for us - that the cast recording doesn't include the Lena Hall and Bradley Dean duets on "Paradise by the DashboardLight" and "It's All Coming Back to Me Now".Sharon Sexton and Rob Fowler simply aren't in the same league with Hall and Dean."

they weren't part of the 2017 cast......

 

[Lot666]

Posted: 8/15/19 at 11:43am

yyys said: "Lot666 said: "magictodo123 said: "Also--first time I saw Lena Hall in a production and "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" was amazing. I wish they'd do a cast recording but I don't think City Center does those?"

This was the only disappointment for us - that the cast recording doesn't include the Lena Hall and Bradley Dean duets on "Paradise by the DashboardLight" and "It's All Coming Back to Me Now".Sharon Sexton and Rob Fowler simply aren't in the same league with Hall and Dean."

they weren't part of the 2017 cast......"

Yeah, we know, which is why they're not on the recording. That's the point.

 

Updated On: 8/15/19 at 11:43 AM

[Kad]

Posted: 8/15/19 at 12:08pm

Hall has released a number of EPs of her covering songs by specific artists she loves (including songs from Hedwig). I wouldn't be surprised if she released a Steinman EP to join the set. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 8/15/19 at 12:11pm

She's been promoting a Steinman concert, so I'm sure it's in the works.

[Lot666]

Posted: 8/15/19 at 12:40pm

RippedMan said: "She's been promoting a Steinman concert, so I'm sure it's in the works."

Assuming you're referring to Lena Hall, what is in the works? A NY cast recording? As much as I'd love it, I can't imagine that.

[Kad]

Posted: 8/15/19 at 1:13pm

I think he meant an independently-produced EP of Hall covering some of these songs. 

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 8/15/19 at 2:42pm

Sho-Tunes-R-Us said: "Rush tickets now available daily at the City Center box office! Price is $50.
Producers have dubbed them "MEAT SEATS". Cuuute."

 

It sounds like City Center is basically running a TDF window out of their own box office since the TDF tickets are 44 to 49 dollars. Perhaps they end up getting more money by running the discount out of the City Center box office. Maybe TDF takes a percentage.

 

[V2David]

Posted: 8/16/19 at 1:39pm

There's not going to be a NY cast recording. Hopefully Lena Hall will release her own EP.

Updated On: 8/16/19 at 01:39 PM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 8/17/19 at 1:41pm

I finally caught Bat Out of Hell the other night, and I can honestly say that it is without a doubt the loudest and most “in your face” live entertainment  experience I have ever had in my entire life. And I mean this in the BEST way possible. Is the show perfect? Not at all. Is it a messy garbage fire? Sure. But does it provide nonstop high energy fun? HELL. YES.

The cast is full of great performances. Andrew Polec and Lena Hall deliver knockout performances, and they are the very definition of powerhouses. Christina Bennington and Bradley Dean were also both great. The minor characters and ensemble are full of energy and vigor.

I have never seen the show in any of its previous and more elaborate incarnations. What I saw onstage at New York City Center in terms of physical design was definitely serviceable, but there was certainly nothing gasp inducing about the set or any of the effects. I wasn’t a huge fan of the multiple bedroom sets for Raven’s room and the live video projections. It was overkill.

While Bat Out of Hell has no place on Broadway (in my opinion), I will be damned if I didn’t have a great time. I can definitely see how and why this show has done well outside of the U.S. I’m very grateful for the limited run at New York City Center just so I could have a chance to see this fun and whacky show!