Bat Out of Hell: The Musical was on my list as a must-watch so when the UK tour rocked up nearby earlier in the year, I couldn’t help but snap up tickets. Part of me wondered whether it was going to be too similar to We Will Rock You, an absolute staple in my musicals collection. It has that vibe about it, dystopian rock and roll, a jukebox musical of great rock from decades past, and some grungey characters leading the way. But it definitely was different and held its own.

The main way it differs though, is that I’m not sure I actually liked it. The music is out of this world, obviously, so as long as you love Meat Loaf, you’ll get something out of it. But the musical part of it, I’m not sure it worked. The story is based on Peter Pan and the Lost Boys but set in that dystopian cityscape where somehow they live in the abandoned subways, have developed the ability to live forever, and end up battling against the ruthless city owner for reasons I’m not quite sure about. The characters feel underdeveloped, and things happen, the plot rolls on, but it doesn’t quite hang together.

There are choices in this particular staging that I think take away from the performance rather than add anything. The decision for the main cast to have hand-held mics doesn’t seem like a bad thing on the surface, but when they’re holding an intimate or moving conversation with those same microphones, it feels weird and out of place. And then the addition of a camera-person following around and doing close ups which are then broadcast on screen also distracts. At one point, our romantic couple are sitting looking up at the sky but deliberately facing away from the audience because the camera is doing all the work. We’re left to either watch their backs or the big screen.

But as I said, the main thing about it is the music and there are some really good interpretations of excellent songs. It’s a Jim Steinman rather than a Meat Loaf musical, although most of the songs were released by the big man himself. However, it’s slightly awkward that the best moment of the musical was It’s All Coming Back to Me Now which was Celine’s powerhouse hit penned by Steinman. That moment, plus Heaven Can Wait were my two highlights, although the big finale with I’d Do Anything for Love is not to be sniffed at.

As a whole, the show definitely doesn’t live up to We Will Rock You which I’ve seen many times and would have seen even more if a little global pandemic hadn’t gotten in the way. But Bat Out of Hell is a good appreciation of some incredible music, and so I haven’t written it off, even if this staging wasn’t a favourite. I hope it sticks around long enough to be reimagined and given another go, as I’ll certainly be there.