REVIEW: Bat Out of Hell revs up audience with classic rock and visual spectacle
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Rock musical Bat Out of Hell has roared onto the stage in Aberdeen and entertains with a high-octane theatre experience.
The award-winning hit show features the greatest hits of Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf and is at His Majesty's Theatre until Saturday.
A combination of classic rock songs along with a unique visual spectacle ensures that audiences are entertained by the time they are singing their favourite tune after the final curtain.
Theatre-goers were welcomed by a ride out of motorbikes from the Aberdeen Dunedin chapter before the show, with others on display outside His Majesty's.
The musical is set in post-apocalyptic Manhattan, which is now named Obsidian, and follows Strat, the forever young leader of group The Lost who has fallen in love with Raven, daughter of Falco, the tyrannical ruler of the city.
As the young couple seek to get together they have to face Falco and some members of The Lost who are determined to stop the union at all costs.
Lead character Strat is played by Glenn Adamson who brings great intensity to the role particularly at the end of act one which is a dramatic performance of the title track and leaves the audience breathless and ready for the break.
He pines for love interest Raven, who is played by Martha Kirby, who shines as she struggles to choose between her family and the mystery, intrigue and excitement of Strat and The Lost.
Raven's parents Falco and Sloane, played by Rob Fowler and Sharon Sexton, have a natural connection and produce a show-stopping performance during the epic Paradise by the Dashboard Light.
The majority of the other cast also get their chance to take centre stage with the quality across the board at a high standard. Joelle Moses, who plays Zahara and James Chisholm as Jagwire also have a budding romance but unlike the central pairing one is more keen than the other.
The show's live band is impressive and ensures Steinman's and Meat Loaf's hits make an impact but also add a new dimension to the well-known tunes.
Power ballad It's All Coming Back to Me Now is a particular highlight and features all four leads as the song switches from the young lovers to the older parents to great effect.
Adamson goes full throttle during Bat Out of Hell as the sound, visuals, lights and practical effects combine to produce a rousing performance of Meat Loaf's biggest number.
The musical's staging has a uniqueness with the main central area on levels, while a separate raised section features Raven's bedroom which can transform to a screen. Throughout the performance live video is filmed and projected onto the screens to provide a different perspective of the action.
Like a Harley Davison motorbike the story moves along at a fast pace and culminates in a suitably epic finale, while an encore performance had the audience on their feet before speeding off into the sunset.
The musical is at His Majesty's Theatre until Saturday and tickets can be purchased at its online box office.
