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AndrewG · 22 Jun 2025, 03:28

My Full Review After Finally Seeing Bat Out of Hell: The Musical in Milton Keynes
(Spoiler alert!)

What I Loved:
"What Part of My Body Hurts the Most"
Holy hell, this moment was superb. Rob Fowler (as Falco I believe) did an awesome job.
It was the first time the show genuinely brought a smile to my face. The Jim Steinman magic finally was there.
It was lacking before that! I nearly teared up by the end of the song.
Honestly, I would’ve preferred the whole show to revolve around Falco.
That performance alone was worth the ticket (£40 for each seat I had, which is pretty cheap for a musical these days,
but the show is not worth more).

What I Liked:

Most of the vocals were pretty good throughout the show.
Dead Ringer had decent choreography and energy.
Anything for Love worked well, especially the idea of switching between the three relationships you see
in the show.
It was a clever use of the song’s dynamics and lyrics. I should acknowledge that.
It can't be easy to morph these songs into any story I guess.
(Although frankly I think many of the remaining board members could probably do better).
The reprise of Bat Out of Hell was exactly what you'd hope for; high energy. Sexy poses by the girls.
Made me forget most of their terrible choreography so far (almost!). Especially the silly leg kicks.
The visual effect of the silver confetti and lighting as shattered glass during the crash sequence in BOOH
was simple but good. More of that kind of inventiveness, less cameraman and weird bedroom ceiling please!
Also (sorry but, Sex and Drums and Rock N Roll eh?); I liked watching Raven's ass and legs in fishnets on stage.
The actress playing her looks tiny in person, but according to online bios,
she’s three inches taller than Zahara’s actress. Someone's exaggerating I think.

What I Hated:

Unfortunately, almost the entire first act. The plot and choreography were atrocious.
Strat and The Lost (Not called The Lost Boys due to copyright perhaps?). Who are they? Why are they hunted by Falco's henchmen? What’s Falco’s role in the world?
Why do The Lost follow Strat? Why does he get the girl without doing much? Why do Falco and his wife randomly join the Lost at the end?
None of it is explained. It’s just a cascade of "Don’t knows."
Strat's character is imbecilic rather than a heroic rebel.
It's hard to root for him when he comes off more like a horny high crackhead than a romantic heroic main character.
He just wants to bang Raven and that pretty much goes ahead unhindered.
! I'm just saying Raven; at least I would have bought you a coffee first.
There are weird and inexplicable references to Les Misérables.
Tink almost dying in Strat's arms felt like a poor man's "A Little Fall of Rain."
Falco infiltrating the Lost screamed "Javert goes undercover." Why? No clue.
And oddly, there’s zero nod to Meat Loaf. No jokes, no references. Just a red handkerchief stuffed down Falco’s underwear
to make it look like he has a bigger dick. His wife removes it and then Falco constantly puts his hands in front of his dick.
Not funny, just uncomfortable.
I don't want to look at Falco's dick. But I'm forced to it seems. Bring back Raven's legs or ass.

They even did more with a reference to Meat Loaf in We Will Rock You. Bizarre.
The unnecessary background choreography in Paradise by the Dashboard Light was pure cringe.
It became torturous to watch, especially when they were dressed in awful underwear.
I felt like shouting out "Come on, please don't do that."
Jesus H Christ.
The onstage cameraman. Why?
The psychedelic visuals on screen were distracting and added nothing.
I was worried we were going down a truly weird high crackhead psychedelic route early on,
but at least it didn't last. For gaining close-ups: a few well-placed, embedded into the set cameras
could achieve these without the chaos.
Handheld mics? I get the rock concert vibe they were going for, but they looked clunky and got in the way of the storytelling.
Strat's singing and general presence were just... ugh. What a douchebag. You don't know what you're missing, Raven.
"You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth" started awkwardly without a snare hit.
Not sure if it was a technical issue or a weird directorial choice. It sounded off launching straight into that.

What Could Have Made It Better:

Strat needs to be likeable. Give him a redeeming moment. Save Tink from suicide, show vulnerability, anything.
Right now, he’s just a guy trying to bang Raven raw and the fact he is supposed to be ageless makes no difference.
Give us something to root for. This leads me onto:
Add a time jump between Acts 1 and 2: maybe 20 years.
That way, you could explore a deeper love story between an ageless Strat and an older Raven.
It would give songs like "It’s All Coming Back to Me Now" and "Objects in the Rearview Mirror" emotional weight.
Focus less on youth. Steinman’s songs are full of longing, nostalgia, and reflection. Maybe it's just me. That's
how I take them anyway.
They’re not just horny teenage anthems.
This musical feels more Romeo & Juliet than Peter Pan anyway.
I agree with LetsGoTooFar: this all being about Peter Pan is just a bunch of BS
when we really consider the lyrics in these songs.
Less wokeness please: It feels like the show is overcorrecting by giving all the iconic spoken-word monologues to Raven,
including "Love, Death & an American Guitar," which clearly came from a male character’s perspective. And one that is not 18!
And also the most hard done by thing ("There's only one girl I will ever love") is changed to sung by a woman.
Ba-humbug! The fact it was a woman that walked out on the guy in 2 out of 3 in the past and now he is telling a woman to shut the hell up
and to be happy he is not going to do that but at least give her 2 out of 3 great things,
is what made that song unique. No?
Musicals by themselves are often regarded as somewhat gay.
But this one seems to have been stripped of almost all masculinity which was totally not necessary.
Wicked has more masculinity (Fiyero is done with the bitch ass bullshit going on in Oz when Elphaba opens his eyes
and becomes the man he should be - no such rescue here)
Truly bizarre when we consider Steinman's lyrics!

Final Verdict:
Honestly, for a long stretch of Act 1, the only words in my head were "~~~~ing irritating."
Especially if it hadn't been for Raven's legs and ass.
I was hovering around a 4/10 score, it was that bad.
I was honestly thinking I should go home and just listen to the original music and wash my memory of this mess.

For context, I’d rate We Will Rock You (the UK tour version I saw in 2022) a 5/10 - the worst mainstream musical I had seen till that first act of BOOH! -
and weirdly, the RCL cruise ship version last year I saw was better — maybe a 7/10.
But Act 2 picks up to be fair.
Especially thanks to a great What Part of My Body, AFL and the BOOH reprise,
So I’ll give this a 6/10. But I'm being too kind I think.
Maybe it's more like a 5/10 objectively.
The first Google review I saw this evening after I came home is from someone who gave it 1 star and left at the intermission.
I don’t blame her, but she did miss the best parts.

In the end, Bat Out of Hell: The Musical joins a very short list of musicals I’ve truly disliked. And that’s saying something!
Most shows I see easily score an 8 or more. All of the big West End ones are like that.
Not sure you can class Whistle Down The Wind a West End show, I only ever saw the tour when it came out. But that was
a 7 from what I can remember. Honestly, most shows that are set in London theatres and play there for years
(out of the ones I've seen at least) I've never
thought should have a rating of less than an 8.
I bet even rewatching Evita with that woke-assed bitch Rachel Zegler will still be an 8. I'll probably end up seeing it.

This could have been so much better, given the incredible Steinman music it had to work with.
What the hell were they thinking?!
Still, I don’t regret going.
It had moments of greatness.
Just... far too few of them.

Final score: 6/10.
A missed opportunity.
But one brilliant song.
It really shows that gravitas that an experienced singer can bring (such as Rob Fowler AND mostly Meat Loaf of course)
makes ALL the difference.
They should have gone down a different route I reckon.

22 Jun 2025, 03:28	#21
AndrewG I hope your salmon sucks! Join Date: 18.01.2004 Location: Northamptonshire Posts: 7,080	My Full Review After Finally Seeing Bat Out of Hell: The Musical in Milton Keynes (Spoiler alert!) What I Loved: "What Part of My Body Hurts the Most" Holy hell, this moment was superb. Rob Fowler (as Falco I believe) did an awesome job. It was the first time the show genuinely brought a smile to my face. The Jim Steinman magic finally was there. It was lacking before that! I nearly teared up by the end of the song. Honestly, I would’ve preferred the whole show to revolve around Falco. That performance alone was worth the ticket (£40 for each seat I had, which is pretty cheap for a musical these days, but the show is not worth more). What I Liked: Most of the vocals were pretty good throughout the show. Dead Ringer had decent choreography and energy. Anything for Love worked well, especially the idea of switching between the three relationships you see in the show. It was a clever use of the song’s dynamics and lyrics. I should acknowledge that. It can't be easy to morph these songs into any story I guess. (Although frankly I think many of the remaining board members could probably do better). The reprise of Bat Out of Hell was exactly what you'd hope for; high energy. Sexy poses by the girls. Made me forget most of their terrible choreography so far (almost!). Especially the silly leg kicks. The visual effect of the silver confetti and lighting as shattered glass during the crash sequence in BOOH was simple but good. More of that kind of inventiveness, less cameraman and weird bedroom ceiling please! Also (sorry but, Sex and Drums and Rock N Roll eh?); I liked watching Raven's ass and legs in fishnets on stage. The actress playing her looks tiny in person, but according to online bios, she’s three inches taller than Zahara’s actress. Someone's exaggerating I think. What I Hated: Unfortunately, almost the entire first act. The plot and choreography were atrocious. Strat and The Lost (Not called The Lost Boys due to copyright perhaps?). Who are they? Why are they hunted by Falco's henchmen? What’s Falco’s role in the world? Why do The Lost follow Strat? Why does he get the girl without doing much? Why do Falco and his wife randomly join the Lost at the end? None of it is explained. It’s just a cascade of "Don’t knows." Strat's character is imbecilic rather than a heroic rebel. It's hard to root for him when he comes off more like a horny high crackhead than a romantic heroic main character. He just wants to bang Raven and that pretty much goes ahead unhindered. ! I'm just saying Raven; at least I would have bought you a coffee first. There are weird and inexplicable references to Les Misérables. Tink almost dying in Strat's arms felt like a poor man's "A Little Fall of Rain." Falco infiltrating the Lost screamed "Javert goes undercover." Why? No clue. And oddly, there’s zero nod to Meat Loaf. No jokes, no references. Just a red handkerchief stuffed down Falco’s underwear to make it look like he has a bigger dick. His wife removes it and then Falco constantly puts his hands in front of his dick. Not funny, just uncomfortable. I don't want to look at Falco's dick. But I'm forced to it seems. Bring back Raven's legs or ass. They even did more with a reference to Meat Loaf in We Will Rock You. Bizarre. The unnecessary background choreography in Paradise by the Dashboard Light was pure cringe. It became torturous to watch, especially when they were dressed in awful underwear. I felt like shouting out "Come on, please don't do that." Jesus H Christ. The onstage cameraman. Why? The psychedelic visuals on screen were distracting and added nothing. I was worried we were going down a truly weird high crackhead psychedelic route early on, but at least it didn't last. For gaining close-ups: a few well-placed, embedded into the set cameras could achieve these without the chaos. Handheld mics? I get the rock concert vibe they were going for, but they looked clunky and got in the way of the storytelling. Strat's singing and general presence were just... ugh. What a douchebag. You don't know what you're missing, Raven. "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth" started awkwardly without a snare hit. Not sure if it was a technical issue or a weird directorial choice. It sounded off launching straight into that. What Could Have Made It Better: Strat needs to be likeable. Give him a redeeming moment. Save Tink from suicide, show vulnerability, anything. Right now, he’s just a guy trying to bang Raven raw and the fact he is supposed to be ageless makes no difference. Give us something to root for. This leads me onto: Add a time jump between Acts 1 and 2: maybe 20 years. That way, you could explore a deeper love story between an ageless Strat and an older Raven. It would give songs like "It’s All Coming Back to Me Now" and "Objects in the Rearview Mirror" emotional weight. Focus less on youth. Steinman’s songs are full of longing, nostalgia, and reflection. Maybe it's just me. That's how I take them anyway. They’re not just horny teenage anthems. This musical feels more Romeo & Juliet than Peter Pan anyway. I agree with LetsGoTooFar: this all being about Peter Pan is just a bunch of BS when we really consider the lyrics in these songs. Less wokeness please: It feels like the show is overcorrecting by giving all the iconic spoken-word monologues to Raven, including "Love, Death & an American Guitar," which clearly came from a male character’s perspective. And one that is not 18! And also the most hard done by thing ("There's only one girl I will ever love") is changed to sung by a woman. Ba-humbug! The fact it was a woman that walked out on the guy in 2 out of 3 in the past and now he is telling a woman to shut the hell up and to be happy he is not going to do that but at least give her 2 out of 3 great things, is what made that song unique. No? Musicals by themselves are often regarded as somewhat gay. But this one seems to have been stripped of almost all masculinity which was totally not necessary. Wicked has more masculinity (Fiyero is done with the bitch ass bullshit going on in Oz when Elphaba opens his eyes and becomes the man he should be - no such rescue here) Truly bizarre when we consider Steinman's lyrics! Final Verdict: Honestly, for a long stretch of Act 1, the only words in my head were "~~~~ing irritating." Especially if it hadn't been for Raven's legs and ass. I was hovering around a 4/10 score, it was that bad. I was honestly thinking I should go home and just listen to the original music and wash my memory of this mess. For context, I’d rate We Will Rock You (the UK tour version I saw in 2022) a 5/10 - the worst mainstream musical I had seen till that first act of BOOH! - and weirdly, the RCL cruise ship version last year I saw was better — maybe a 7/10. But Act 2 picks up to be fair. Especially thanks to a great What Part of My Body, AFL and the BOOH reprise, So I’ll give this a 6/10. But I'm being too kind I think. Maybe it's more like a 5/10 objectively. The first Google review I saw this evening after I came home is from someone who gave it 1 star and left at the intermission. I don’t blame her, but she did miss the best parts. In the end, Bat Out of Hell: The Musical joins a very short list of musicals I’ve truly disliked. And that’s saying something! Most shows I see easily score an 8 or more. All of the big West End ones are like that. Not sure you can class Whistle Down The Wind a West End show, I only ever saw the tour when it came out. But that was a 7 from what I can remember. Honestly, most shows that are set in London theatres and play there for years (out of the ones I've seen at least) I've never thought should have a rating of less than an 8. I bet even rewatching Evita with that woke-assed bitch Rachel Zegler will still be an 8. I'll probably end up seeing it. This could have been so much better, given the incredible Steinman music it had to work with. What the hell were they thinking?! Still, I don’t regret going. It had moments of greatness. Just... far too few of them. Final score: 6/10. A missed opportunity. But one brilliant song. It really shows that gravitas that an experienced singer can bring (such as Rob Fowler AND mostly Meat Loaf of course) makes ALL the difference. They should have gone down a different route I reckon. Last edited by AndrewG; 22 Jun 2025 at 04:28.