Sheffield Lyceum – until 3 May 2025
Reviewed by Adam Craddock
5*****
This Monday night as crowds queued for entry to Sheffield Crucible for the snooker I was treated to a different showcase of immortals at Sheffield Lyceum that was much more a bit of me, Jim Steinman’s “Bat out of Hell: The Musical”.
Starring Glenn Adamson as Strat and Katie Tomkinson as Raven, “Bat out of Hell” delivers a rip roaring ride through the immortal music of the legendary Jim Steinman, most notably his collaborations with legendary performer Meatloaf, in what is a loose reinvention of the tale of Peter Pan, but set in a post apocalyptic Manhattan, now going by the name “Obsidian”.
Glenn Adamson is brilliant as Strat. He has that quintessential rock star “it” factor, with a fluidity and mystique that lends itself perfect to the role. He very much puts his own stamp on the historic songs in this show, not trying to be a copy of Meatloaf but tread his own ground and make it his own. Katie Tomkinson was great as Raven, with a vocal you would not believe and a brilliant rebellious energy that meshes perfectly with Adamson’s Strat.
Beth Woodcock was brilliant as Zahara, on as understudy which I always enjoy! Her vocal performance in “Two out of three ain’t bad” was powerful and I thought she did exceptionally well. Ryan Carter was strong as Jagwire, with a delicious soul to his voice and excellent dance ability. Carla Bertran was great as Tink, with an emotional complexity to the role pulled off to perfection. Luke Street and Carly Burns were both solid as Ledoux and Valkyrie respectively.
However, the absolute highlight for me was Rob Fowler as the villainous Falco and his incredible wife Sharon Sexton as Sloane. The chemistry between the pair was predictably palpable and the blend in their vocals is absolutely to die for. There is a reason that “What part of my body hurts the most” is one of my all time favourite songs!
It was interesting for me, having seen the show a couple of times when it was in the West End, to predict what the set was going to be like, with it having previously been on at the frankly enormous Dominion Theatre, and I have to say I was quite pleasantly surprised that it has maintained a lot of the same characteristics, with obviously a couple of alterations to enable the show to tour. In particular I am glad they have kept the use of the video screens recording the drama throughout, providing that B movie sci-fi horror flair that lends itself brilliantly to this wacky plot. The use of hand mics throughout gave the show an overall air of a rock concert which added brilliantly. The sound design was great, with just the right amount of distortion to fit the music and the lighting was perfect, dingy and rugged.
Overall, I would definitely recommend catching “Bat out of Hell” while it is in town, this show is a joy ride not to be missed!