Peacock Theatre, London – until 7 June 2025
Reviewed by Emily Smith
4****
Bat Out of Hell has arrived back in London at the Peacock Theatre for three weeks only as part of a UK-wide tour. Featuring the music of Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf, the show has been a fan-favourite since it first opened in 2017. Featuring songs such as Dead Ringer for Love, I’d Do Anything For Love and the titular Bat Out of Hell, it is a must-see for any Meat Loaf fan.
This new touring production features Glenn Adamson who returns to play Strat, leader of ‘The Lost’. Glenn is great casting for Strat – he plays the role with a craziness and defiance that suits the show perfectly – and of course his vocals are incredible. Katie Tonkinson stars as Raven, and delivers delicate yet powerful vocals throughout the show, particularly in numbers such as Heaven Can Wait and It’s All Coming Back To Me Now. The duets between these two characters are also fantastic with their voices complementing one another.
Rob Fowler and Sharon Sexton reprise their roles as Falco and Sloane – roles they have been playing since the show opened in 2017. Having seen the show multiple times, I have loved seeing how Fowler and Sexton have developed the characters. Continuing to be playful and silly (how can you not when you’re in your underwear on stage?!) and consistently delivering powerhouse vocals, they also now feel even more like Raven’s cringey parents! Their beautiful duets, especially What Part of My Body Hurts The Most, and powerhouse vocals (in particular Sharon Sexton – I am in awe) luckily remain a consistent for Bat Out of Hell – forming a big part of the reason people keep coming back to the show in my opinion.
Georgia Bradshaw (Zahara) delivered a captivating and emotionally charged version of Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad, alongside Ryan Carter (Jagwire) who has a beautiful tone to his voice, making this a perfect vocal pairing. Their energy in Dead Ringer for Love was also infectious! Luke Street (Ledoux) and Carly Burns (Valkyrie) are also notable in their roles, consistently delivering great vocals, in particular in Objects in the Rearview Mirror. The ensemble deliver brilliant performances with energetic choreography throughout, which also enhances the performance.
The above being said, the set is underwhelming compared to the previous, more permanent, productions. Of course this is to be expected for a touring production but in the Peacock Theatre it is noticeable; between the scaffolding structures that the band sit on at the back of the stage to the flight cases being used as furniture, it feels as though something is missing. There are two large screens used at the rear of the stage to add context to scenes, showing cave walls or the outside of buildings, but this does little overall to add to the effect. The screens are also used for the live filming that happens throughout – an element that has been consistent in all previous productions and good to see retained. The restrictions in terms of the set also make stage entrances and exits a bit clunky.
The decision to use handheld mics throughout the show is also an odd one in my opinion. I had to check the programme and production images to make sure this was a conscious choice, rather than a temporary fix for a technical issue! The handheld mics were distracting, and while it may be intended to improve the sound and be a nod to the ‘rock and roll’ nature of the show, it also restricts what the cast can do on stage and detracts from the performance.
The narrative of Bat Out of Hell has never been strong; I think most people who love the show have always known this, yet they return because of their love for the music. Unfortunately, this touring production has removed even more narrative, making it incredibly hard to follow the (already loose) plot unless you already know the background. This also means less time for emotional connections between characters to develop, which makes the songs feel more misplaced and less connected than in previous productions.
If I could give the show 5* just for the cast, band and music, I would, but as an all-round production, this touring version is lacking development in a few key areas. To pull off a show like Bat Out of Hell, you have to have an incredibly talented cast with impressive vocals, and that’s exactly what this production has, and that is reason enough to go and see the show – as long as you take the plot with a pinch of salt!