Page 12 - Demo

12 Phonebox Magazine | June 2025Following a brilliant tour of Australia and New Zealand, the award-winning musical Bat Out of Hell has returned to British shores %u2013 and Milton Keynes is on its list, as Phonebox%u2019s Tom Johnston discovered.There won%u2019t be many people who haven%u2019t heard of the rock album Bat Out Of Hell. The debut album from singer Meat Loaf and songwriter Jim Steinman became one of the world%u2019s best-known records and sold more than 68 million copies worldwide.Years later a follow-up album, with Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell, was another monster hit for Steinman. For the stage musical, the writer incorporated iconic songs from the Bat Out of Hell albums, including You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth, Bat Out of Hell, I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won%u2019t Do That) and Two Out Of Three Ain%u2019t Bad, as well as the previously unreleased song What Part of My Body Hurts the Most.Bat Out Of Hell %u2013 The Musical was loved by critics and showgoers alike when it played seasons at Manchester Opera House, London Coliseum and London%u2019s Dominion Theatre. The musical also had successful runs in Canada, Germany and New York, a residency in Las Vegas and an international tour which took it to the UK, Ireland, Germany, Australia and New Zealand. The musical won the Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical at the Evening Standard Awards and was nominated for eight WhatsOnStage Awards, including Best New Musical.The new show will be a %u2018thrilling experience%u2019, say the producers, featuring an eight-piece rock band on stage and sprawling multi-level platforms that will transport you through the diverse worlds of Bat Out of Hell, from Raven%u2019s bedroom to the depths of the Lost%u2019s underground domains.As the Lost boys and girls fl ee into the tunnels below the city from its ruler Falco, his teenage daughter Raven locks eyes with the fearless leader of the Lost, the immortal Strat, and the immensity of their love-at-fi rst-sight-obsessions threaten to destroy both of their families.Returning to the cast are Glenn Adamson who plays Strat, Katie Tonkinson as Raven and original cast members Rob Fowler (Falco) and Sharon Sexton (Sloane).\ are in for an absolute rock and roll party. It's larger than life and an absolute riot%u201d, says Glenn. %u201cAnd it's everything you'd expect from their (Steinman and Meat Loaf) fantastic songs, but in a story that's set in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic world. It's a fantastic night out.\Glenn knows the musical theatre genre well. He's been in We Will Rock You, American Idiot, Bat Boy and Magic at the Musicals. And he's thrilled to be in this new version of Bat Out of Hell, which is inspired by the spectacular arena tour of Australia and New Zealand that he also starred in, in 2023.%u201cIt's a bit like going to a gig but with a great story that's being told,\stage makes it even more exciting.\And Katie Tonkinson loves Strat's love interest, Raven.%u201cShe's been kept locked up for her whole life, and she's looking for freedom and exploration and love,%u201d says Katie. %u201cShe's still quite innocent, she doesn't have a lot of knowledge of the world and, because she's so excitable, she is quite emotionally reactive to things. That's a lot of fun to play.\Like Glenn, Katie is a big fan of Steinman's songwriting. \ in it matters. The way the songs are written, they all tell a story, and they're full of drama. That's why they work so well in a musical.\Bat Out Of Hell is at Milton Keynes Theatre from Monday 16th to Saturday 28th June.BAT%u2019S HOW YOU DO IT!