The "story" is certainly one of the main reasons I haven't seen it. I didn't like the story in Whistle Down the Wind either (I know it's from an old movie). The dancing is insane from what I've seen. I can't think of a musical I really like that has excess dancing during key songs. In fact most musicals I really like probably only have about 1-3 songs with dancing and usually that is for a good reason. Masquerade from Pantom / Les Mis Wedding / Wicked ball intro / Red light area scenes from Miss Saigon. / Buenos Aires & party scenes from Evita Etc...

I did like Fame but then the dancing again makes sense. It's not on my favourite list.

This musical is perhaps more targeted towards the Queen We Will Rock You / Mama Mia type of rock/pop dance audience who like Bat too. Or perhaps I'm just old fashioned. There certainly has been a tendency in the last 10-15 years on TV and on stage to show tonnes of people in group formation dancing. Michael Jackson probably started a lot of that stuff but then he was Michael Jackson...

Dancing in group formation to Bat out of Hell on a stage musical? Well, I never expected that at all. Nor did I want that. I'm guessing as musical creators they think more is better, more people on stage doing stuff giving off energy. I just have to think back to the first time I watched Les Mis where in Act II most songs have just one or at most 3 characters on stage. It felt like every song was the finale. I was amazed at the performances, I was stunned by the songs. When someone says they will do a Bat musical, it is that what I expect I guess. Sure the last 2 minutes the whole gang joins in in Les Mis but perhaps that could have been done exactly with Bat at the very end. Reprise: everyone has those feelings/sentiment. It just makes more sense to me an approach like that and the focus on the song/character is not lost with bizarre choreographed distractions.

I'm not saying the musical should have been inspired by Meat, the writer and musical staff can do as they wish and I'm truly glad people are enjoying it tremendously but it's obvious the dancing malarky comes heavily from Steinman's sort of quite bizarre (in my mind) 80s videos rather than Meat Loaf's career. Watching Jim playback to Rock n Roll dreams whilst some athlete is dancing with a guitar is embarrassing to watch now.
Jim's music is amazing, I will always love it. I just visualise something totally different than he does when I listen to it I think. Meat's interpretation comes closest to that. Michael Bay got things quite right too to be fair. No dancing in the Bat 2 videos thank goodness.

I wonder if Steinman envisaged the Batman musical to also include dancing, I'm guessing so.

Well, you can't really have a musical without choreography; I think what they're saying is that the specific choreography on display isn't up to snuff, and quite frankly, a lot of people have been saying that from the beginning, so I'm inclined to believe it.

Ignoring them is what should be done. Utter utter shit rags. But them again most of the UK population is why I am jumping ship.

The choreography is average (and I said so in my initial post immediately after seeing it) but it doesn't detract at all from the show, it's all about the songs and leads. Outside of Dead Ringer (maybe Out of the Frying Pan & Hot Summer Night too) I'm not sure how many of the songs even lend themselves to big dance numbers anyway. Scoring it 2/5 because of the dancing is absurd. It would deserve a three on the Two Out of Three Ain't Bad scene alone!

I agree. The music and performances are so stunning that the dancing is largely immaterial apart from in a couple of key scenes, where it steps up and delivers.

I think the dancing is that over the top with that many dancers on stage I do think it detracts and distracts from key parts where it isnt needed.

Maybe the venue is more accustomed to pirates of penzance and maybe Steinman won't replace Billy Shakespeare in schools and maybe the Bolshoi won't send scouts over.
But what this show does do is give punters a thoroughly enjoyable night out. Sometimes you just want to settle into a seat, switch off from the stresses of life for a few hours and be entertained. And this musical does that.
Maybe.

I can honestly say that I wasn't "distracted" by the dancing.
Only on one occasion did I allow myself to seek out the dancers to see what they were doing other than follow the singers of a particular scene.
On that particular occasion the choreography was weird at best!
But I smiled.

so I was at the press night, it was my second show, and I have to say it was a lot better than the first for the production and extra sound effects added to the amazing set. ( not that there was anything wrong with the first night)
I really do like the vocals of Rob and Sharron , pure emotion.
The one thing I did notice was all of the lead singers seemed to be struggling with the power vocals , Im thinking maybe their voices maybe bit tied? don't get me wrong they put on a great show, but we all know Meats songs are way above the average song :)
Great work from all

Yes Andrew is struggling with those end C's in Bat on the West End Live videos.

I really get a better appreciation for how much Meat had to do show after show handling all the lead vocals (except a duet or two) over so many years. I have never thought anyone else could have done what he did.

Hmmm they are big songs. Remember Andrew has to do 6 shows a week for several months.

Hope it doesn't strain him too much

They need to use Ben Purkiss more to save Andrew from being burnt out. His voice is clearly struggling.

Remember Meat often said he struggled to do 3 or 4 shows a week (granted Meat was going solo for 3 hours plus).

Meat barely survived the original Bat tour. I would think performing even a couple of the shows Meat did in the 90's when he was nearly 50 years old would be taxing on any singer of any age. So I hope they do have a way to give Andrew a rest. I will probably never get to attend a show but everything I have heard sounds good. It would be a shame for him to blow out his voice at an early age.

Looking back with the benefit of hindsight Meat should have done more to preserve his voice but the demands and environment was much different back then. Had Meat not been around for so long there probably wouldn't be a musical.

I don't think I've written a review yet?

We saw Ben as Strat and he was phenomenal! I was worried with all the hype about Andrew but he absolutely blew me away!

The vocals from Sharon and Rob was just perfection

I've seen both Andrew and Ben, Ben was great but Andrew is a star and has an intensity/look perfect for the role.

I noticed that on an official video I saw the other day .. and remembered all the Meat shows I attended on the last few tours, and how often he made those notes, and as loaferman says, carried the lead for every song in a two hours plus continuous show even though he would still be faced with comments about his vocals! ....

I've always understood how physically exhausting the shows were for Meat .. a 2-3 hour hard physical work-out. It was only when I met him immediately after a show I truly realised just how hard a workout those songs are on the vocal chords; blindingly obvious in hindsight, but it had not struck me so forcefully before. To do this night after night, even when young, must be terribly taxing, almost frighteningly so.

Andrew was making those high Cs fairly consistently (even if for me without the richness, the timbre of Meat's vocals), and I agree the schedule is the issue. Against that is that he does bring that intensity which the songs need, but it's something they do need to address. He is a very, very talented performer, and whilst for me the songs will always be twinned in my heart with Meat, he brings something very special to the musical which makes it what it is imo. I'd hate to see the show burn his voice out.

Any news on if Jim and Meat are planning to watch the musical in London?

Over the years, Meat's musical directors (pretty sure it wasn't Meat himself, since he was still insisting it was three high C's at the end of "Bat" every night right till the end of his touring career even though it hadn't been in that key since 1978 and he'd been doing four high notes rather than three) learned to lower keys to accommodate where his voice was at. Perhaps the musical director or arranger should be considering alternate keys, at least for Toronto if not for later in the run, in order to preserve the cast's voices. As many of these songs have been performed live by Meat, there are even -- in some cases -- a fairly broad selection of lower keys to consult (there are at least two in the cases of "Paradise" and "Anything for Love," for example).

Very good post. Meat over-worked himself vocally and physically. I hope the younger performers and producers learn something from it. To me Andrew is very good, IMO he is no Meat Loaf- but still excellent at what he does (which is a somewhat different thing)

I think that would be a No. I'm pretty sure Meat said he hopes to see it in Toronto (if he were able to get to London I think he would have done so on Press night to boost promo). Personally I doubt Jim would make it before Broadway, which I'm sure he's hoping for next year.

Thanks for the reply Caryl. It must be so frustrating for Jim and Meat not to have seen it in the flesh. Hope both are in good health and get to see the show soon.

If Jim was in good health he would have already seen the show. :shrug:

Jim has seen the show dozens of times already.

Via Skype?