Review: Bat Out of Hell at New York City Center
Disclaimer: I am an independent writer, not affiliated with any media company. My credentials are that I have seen more than 400 different artists live in concert, as well as a variety of theatre shows ranging from Broadway (Waitress, If/Then, Rock of Ages, The Lion King), to Off-Broadway (Atomic, Skintight, Application Pending, Mary Page Marlowe), to local productions (The Sound of Music, Little Shop of Horrors, Twelfth Night, Once).
I attended Jim Steinman's Bat Out of Hell: the Musical at New York City Center (NYCC) on two consecutive nights in August 2019. Here are my thoughts. (This post may contain spoilers.)
First let's talk about terminology, because I was confused. Is this show Broadway? Is it Off-Broadway? Well, it's neither. Generally theatres are defined in terms of number of seats. More than 500 is Broadway, fewer than 500 is Off-Broadway. So by that definition the NYCC should be Broadway, right? The capacity is 2,257 while the largest official Broadway theatre (the Gershwin, currently showing Wicked) holds 1,933. But the NYCC, in addition to plays and musicals, also devotes a large chunk of its bookings to non-theatre works such as ballet, therefore it is not eligible to be an official Broadway theatre. So, points deducted from the American Theatre Wing for their silly rules, and added to the Bat company for plodding ahead anyway!
Now, let's go inside. The NYCC is a gorgeous Moorish Revival theatre. All the front-of-house staff I encountered were friendly. Bag and ticket checks were efficient. The merchandise table was to the right of the entrance. There appeared to be two lines for merch, but this was an illusion. One of the staff at the table was only there to provide complimentary items for people who had been asked to change seats, leaving one poor soul to handle sales for everyone else. The two lines converged into one chaotic mob which clogged the hallway. On the other side of the theatre, the cast list was hidden in a corner; I didn't even see it until the second night I attended. If you're looking for it, it's near the "patrons lounge" which was closed. (How big is the lounge? Could they put the merch in there?)
As I entered the seating area I was handed a copy of the "Obsidian Times," a faux newspaper from Obsidian, the setting of the musical, which acted as a de facto playbill/program. The first night I attended I was on the far side of the orchestra section, house left/stage right. I don't recommend sitting here as I was unable to see a lot of the stage and action. The second night I was in the center, which was much better.
The cast was, in a word, phenomenal. Two of them (Andrew Polec and Bradley Dean) were in the original New York workshop in 2015 before it premiered in the UK. (And as I write this, a third workshop member, Billy Lewis Jr., is joining the NYCC run as well.) Three more (Christina Bennington, Danielle Steers, and Paulina Jurzec) came over from the award-winning UK production. Another (Lena Hall) is a Tony winner from Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Jim Steinman's songs are notoriously untouchable. After all, who would dare sing "I'd Do Anything for Love" or "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" when the Meat Loaf and Celine Dion versions exist? Well this cast dares, and let me tell you EVERY SINGLE SONG is a showstopper. From Danielle's tear-jerking "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" to Christina's soaring "Heaven Can Wait" to Bradley and Lena belting out "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" to Andrew dominating "Bat Out of Hell" atop an exploding motorcycle, these versions have become my favorites.
Let's clear up one thing, though. This isn't a jukebox musical where you take a bunch of songs and add a story later. In the case of Bat Out of Hell, the story came first. In fact, the story has been around for 50 years! Parts of the show are taken from Jim Steinman's The Dream Engine, which he wrote and performed as his senior thesis at Amherst College in 1969. To bring it full circle, at one point in Bat Andrew wears a shirt with a photo of Jim in The Dream Engine. (And fittingly, Andrew starred in the 50th anniversary production of The Dream Engine at Amherst this May.)
The beauty of the Bat script is that you can dive as far into the deep end as you like. If you just want something fun and easy to digest, the core of it is basically Peter Pan - pretty straightforward. Or you can go deeper and reveal another layer - is Strat learning to walk and talk again a metaphor for Jim Steinman who in real life has suffered a stroke and undergone open heart surgery? Or you can go even deeper - scripts exist online for The Dream Engine, Neverland (Steinman's reworked musical from 1977), and Bat Out of Hell 2100 (Steinman's film concept from the 1990s which is very similar to the Bat musical but contains much more backstory, like how exactly the Lost became frozen at 18 years old). But no matter how you look at it, remember - if you find yourself getting confused, just listen to the lyrics. The lyrics tell the story!
When Bat was in the UK, there were several jaw-dropping special effects, including a car plunging off the stage into the pit, an underwater quick-change costume trick, and a cast member literally flying around the theatre like Peter Pan. Unfortunately, due to the physical limitations of the NYCC, we didn't get any of that in New York, and that I have to admit is disappointing. But we do still get a lot! The set is multi-level with buildings, cliffs, tunnels, motorcycles, and a giant video screen onto which close-ups of the action are projected.
It's easy to see why the Bat Out of Hell musical has amassed a cult following. Multiple fan groups have been formed with thousands of members. People make their own costumes and wear them to the show. Fan art and other tributes abound online. When I attended I met people who had traveled from Canada and the UK!
Bat Out of Hell will make your heart beat in time to the music, then rip it out and bring you back to life, all in less than 3 hours. I give it 5 out of 5 stars and two thumbs up.
Bat Out of Hell: the Musical runs at the New York City Center until September 8. Find more information at https://www.nycitycenter.org/bat-out-of-hell
I attended Jim Steinman's Bat Out of Hell: the Musical at New York City Center (NYCC) on two consecutive nights in August 2019. Here are my thoughts. (This post may contain spoilers.)
First let's talk about terminology, because I was confused. Is this show Broadway? Is it Off-Broadway? Well, it's neither. Generally theatres are defined in terms of number of seats. More than 500 is Broadway, fewer than 500 is Off-Broadway. So by that definition the NYCC should be Broadway, right? The capacity is 2,257 while the largest official Broadway theatre (the Gershwin, currently showing Wicked) holds 1,933. But the NYCC, in addition to plays and musicals, also devotes a large chunk of its bookings to non-theatre works such as ballet, therefore it is not eligible to be an official Broadway theatre. So, points deducted from the American Theatre Wing for their silly rules, and added to the Bat company for plodding ahead anyway!
Now, let's go inside. The NYCC is a gorgeous Moorish Revival theatre. All the front-of-house staff I encountered were friendly. Bag and ticket checks were efficient. The merchandise table was to the right of the entrance. There appeared to be two lines for merch, but this was an illusion. One of the staff at the table was only there to provide complimentary items for people who had been asked to change seats, leaving one poor soul to handle sales for everyone else. The two lines converged into one chaotic mob which clogged the hallway. On the other side of the theatre, the cast list was hidden in a corner; I didn't even see it until the second night I attended. If you're looking for it, it's near the "patrons lounge" which was closed. (How big is the lounge? Could they put the merch in there?)
As I entered the seating area I was handed a copy of the "Obsidian Times," a faux newspaper from Obsidian, the setting of the musical, which acted as a de facto playbill/program. The first night I attended I was on the far side of the orchestra section, house left/stage right. I don't recommend sitting here as I was unable to see a lot of the stage and action. The second night I was in the center, which was much better.
The cast was, in a word, phenomenal. Two of them (Andrew Polec and Bradley Dean) were in the original New York workshop in 2015 before it premiered in the UK. (And as I write this, a third workshop member, Billy Lewis Jr., is joining the NYCC run as well.) Three more (Christina Bennington, Danielle Steers, and Paulina Jurzec) came over from the award-winning UK production. Another (Lena Hall) is a Tony winner from Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Jim Steinman's songs are notoriously untouchable. After all, who would dare sing "I'd Do Anything for Love" or "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" when the Meat Loaf and Celine Dion versions exist? Well this cast dares, and let me tell you EVERY SINGLE SONG is a showstopper. From Danielle's tear-jerking "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" to Christina's soaring "Heaven Can Wait" to Bradley and Lena belting out "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" to Andrew dominating "Bat Out of Hell" atop an exploding motorcycle, these versions have become my favorites.
Let's clear up one thing, though. This isn't a jukebox musical where you take a bunch of songs and add a story later. In the case of Bat Out of Hell, the story came first. In fact, the story has been around for 50 years! Parts of the show are taken from Jim Steinman's The Dream Engine, which he wrote and performed as his senior thesis at Amherst College in 1969. To bring it full circle, at one point in Bat Andrew wears a shirt with a photo of Jim in The Dream Engine. (And fittingly, Andrew starred in the 50th anniversary production of The Dream Engine at Amherst this May.)
The beauty of the Bat script is that you can dive as far into the deep end as you like. If you just want something fun and easy to digest, the core of it is basically Peter Pan - pretty straightforward. Or you can go deeper and reveal another layer - is Strat learning to walk and talk again a metaphor for Jim Steinman who in real life has suffered a stroke and undergone open heart surgery? Or you can go even deeper - scripts exist online for The Dream Engine, Neverland (Steinman's reworked musical from 1977), and Bat Out of Hell 2100 (Steinman's film concept from the 1990s which is very similar to the Bat musical but contains much more backstory, like how exactly the Lost became frozen at 18 years old). But no matter how you look at it, remember - if you find yourself getting confused, just listen to the lyrics. The lyrics tell the story!
When Bat was in the UK, there were several jaw-dropping special effects, including a car plunging off the stage into the pit, an underwater quick-change costume trick, and a cast member literally flying around the theatre like Peter Pan. Unfortunately, due to the physical limitations of the NYCC, we didn't get any of that in New York, and that I have to admit is disappointing. But we do still get a lot! The set is multi-level with buildings, cliffs, tunnels, motorcycles, and a giant video screen onto which close-ups of the action are projected.
It's easy to see why the Bat Out of Hell musical has amassed a cult following. Multiple fan groups have been formed with thousands of members. People make their own costumes and wear them to the show. Fan art and other tributes abound online. When I attended I met people who had traveled from Canada and the UK!
Bat Out of Hell will make your heart beat in time to the music, then rip it out and bring you back to life, all in less than 3 hours. I give it 5 out of 5 stars and two thumbs up.
Bat Out of Hell: the Musical runs at the New York City Center until September 8. Find more information at https://www.nycitycenter.org/bat-out-of-hell
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