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

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

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."

Have they been closing the balcony for this?

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:

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 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:

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."

"

"

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.

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 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 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

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

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

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