Steinman’s musical surrounds Strat (Andrew Polec) - a perpetually rebellious rocker who is cursed to be 18 forever, and Raven (Christina Bennington) - the daughter of the ruler of the city Falco (Rob Fowler), who he has fallen hopelessly in lust with, although the show characterises this as love.Unfortunately, the course of their love does not run smoothly as Falco does not approve of the romance and some of Strat’s comrades are wounded or killed in the process. Raven is pulled between the fear of losing her lover and the love she has for her unconventional parents (Fowler and Sharon Sexton), whose relationship resembles Mortica and Gomez Addams. Meanwhile, Strat has an admirer named Tink, who directs love songs towards him whilst trying to drive a wedge between Strat and Raven. At the same time, Zahara (Danielle Steers) and Jagwire (Dom Hartley-Harris) – two friends of Strat – are attempting to deny their love for each other.
It sounds completely bonkers, and it is completely bonkers. The plot line resembles Romeo and Juliet with a hint of Peter Pan with steampunk style. Surprisingly, Meatloaf’s songs lend themselves to musicals – with long narratives and booming choruses to boot. They are inherently theatrical, and they lend themselves to the dramatic acting throughout. Despite this, the choreography is a weak point – the dancing is slightly jarring to the action, and doesn’t seem to fit the beat or style of the music.
Jon Bausor’s design is very eccentric and post-apocalyptic, with exploding motorbikes and cages – there is always something to feast your eyes on, with the use of multimedia and pyrotechnics.
The singing is overall very strong - the stand-out performers undoubtedly being Danielle Steers and Dom Hartley-Harris who gave me goosebumps with their rendition of ‘Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad’. The lead, Polec, also does a stellar job of tackling some of Meatloaf’s epic classics whilst executing some ambitious and energetic choreography. Sexton and Fowler also give strong performances - they both have an unruly, rebellious style and it is delightful to watch.
Overall, the musical is boisterous and unapologetic – and although at times glaringly clichéd, it is quite a refreshing burst of adolescence and will leave you feeling pretty reckless. It irrefutably has its own energy, and if you are a fan of rock musicals, this is a treat. Would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?
West End shows don’t come much more anticipated than Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill. A tribute to the late, great Billie Holiday, Lady Day was originally meant to transfer from Broadway to London in June of 2016. But when the star of the show Audra McDonald discovered she was pregnant the production was postponed. Now one year on she finally brings her Tony Award winning performance as Holiday to the Wyndham’s Theatre on Charing Cross Road.