Review: BAT OUT OF HELL, Dominion Theatre

After a run at the London Coliseum last year and a subsequent tenure in Toronto, Jim Steinman's Bat Out of Hell is back in town - and it puts rock well and truly back into the West End.

The Dominion Theatre feels like the home of the rock opera after it was filled with the music of Queen for so many years during We Will Rock You's celebrated residency. And the vast stage and gaping auditorium perfectly lend themselves to a show, which relies on feeling like a concert for the most part.

There is a story, although it's pretty flimsy and, like its rock musical predecessor, is set in a futuristic dystopia, where the Earth has been scorched into submission and the young have become The Lost, frozen in adolescence forever. There are elements of Peter Pan interwoven there too, but it's buried beneath some pretty silly subplots, so could easily be missed.

But for this show, the story plays a very minor part. It's all about Jim Steinman's outstanding music and the pure visual spectacle. And it really is a feast for the senses, with vocal acrobatics so sensational your ears will feel as if they are in heaven.

Add to that a stupendous design by Jon Bausor, complete with video projections, pyro techniques and some gargantuan set-pieces, and the result is an epic piece of theatre.

Cast wise, it's very much an ensemble performance and there are no weak links, with each performer excellently winding their way through the soaring rock melodies with ease. But special mention must go to Danielle Steers, whose earthy Cher-like voice beautifully cuts right through you.

Emma Portner's choreography adds to the heat, with steamy and vibrant routines that give a light-hearted feel throughout.

Bat Out of Hell is not a hard-hitting or thought-provoking piece of drama, but it is a really entertaining and well-delivered rock musical.

Bat Out of Hell at Dominion Theatre until 27 October

Photo credit: Specular

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