Showing posts sorted by date for query Jay Scheib. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query Jay Scheib. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Wednesday, 16 October 2024
Full Cast Announced for 2025 UK Tour of Bat Out of Hell The Musical
The producers of the award-winning Bat Out of Hell The Musical, which features Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf's greatest hits, have announced the full cast for the upcoming 2025 UK tour. This electrifying show, which begins performances on 6 January 2025 at the Edinburgh Playhouse, will tour across the UK until 20 September 2025, concluding in Northampton. Fans can expect a spectacular production featuring a dynamic cast, iconic rock songs, and unforgettable theatrical energy.
Joining the previously announced Glenn Adamson as Strat, Katie Tonkinson as Raven, Rob Fowler as Falco, and Sharon Sexton as Sloane, new cast members include Georgia Bradshaw as Zahara, Ryan Carter as Jagwire, Carla Bertran as Tink, Luke Street as Ledoux, and Carly Burns as Valkyrie. The full ensemble cast features a talented mix of West End and touring performers, including Leo Abad, Peter Camilleri, Joshua Dever, Reece Duncan, Georgia Holland, Georgia Iudica-Davies, Natalie Pilkington, Harriet Richardson-Cockerline, Sophie-Rose Emery, Catherine Saunders, Ethan Tanner, Craig Watson, James Wilkinson-Jones and Beth Woodcock. At certain performances, roles such as Strat, Falco, Sloane, and Ledoux will be covered by alternate actors, including Luke Street and Beth Woodcock.
Inspired by its arena tours in Australia and New Zealand, this reimagined production promises to be a high-octane experience, with a sprawling set design featuring multi-level platforms and an on-stage eight-piece rock band. The show immerses the audience in the fantastical world of Bat Out of Hell, delivering some of the most iconic rock anthems ever recorded. The musical features Jim Steinman’s legendary songs like You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth, Bat Out of Hell, I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That), and Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad. It also includes the previously unreleased song, What Part of My Body Hurts the Most.
The stage adaptation of Bat Out of Hell has wowed audiences worldwide, with successful runs in Manchester, London’s West End, and international productions in Canada, Germany, New York, Las Vegas, and beyond. It received critical acclaim and won the Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical at the Evening Standard Awards, in addition to eight nominations at the WhatsOnStage Awards, including Best New Musical.
The musical tells the story of the immortal leader Strat and his love-at-first-sight obsession with Raven, the daughter of Falco, the ruler of a dystopian city. As their passionate connection grows, the two lovers find themselves caught in a struggle that threatens to tear both of their families apart. The production brings Steinman and Meat Loaf's epic collaboration to life on stage with a thrilling mix of music, romance, and rebellion.
The creative team behind Bat Out of Hell The Musical includes book, music, and lyrics by Jim Steinman, direction by Jay Scheib, musical supervision by Michael Reed, additional choreography by Xena Gusthart, set and costume design by Jon Bausor, and lighting design by Patrick Woodroffe. The UK tour is produced by Michael Cohl, Tony Smith, and David Sonenberg, with executive producer Julian Stoneman.
Audiences across the UK will have the chance to experience the exhilarating power of Bat Out of Hell when it kicks off its tour in 2025. Don’t miss this unforgettable celebration of rock ‘n’ roll, love, and rebellion!
photo credit:
Thursday, 5 May 2022
Bat Out of Hell Returns to the West End
The producers of Jim Steinman’s Bat Out of Hell – The Musical, featuring Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf’s greatest hits, are delighted to announce the musical’s return to London in 2023. The show, which is currently touring the UK and Ireland, will play a limited season at the Peacock Theatre with performances from 17 February, ending on 1 April 2023.
Bat Out of Hell – The Musical will also have a residency at Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino from 27 September 2022.
Casting for both productions to be announced.
Bat Out of Hell – The Musical wowed critics and public alike when it played limited seasons at Manchester Opera House, London Coliseum and London’s Dominion Theatre from 2017 to 2019. The musical also ran successfully in Canada, Germany and at New York’s City Centre in 2019. The current UK and Ireland tour began performances at Manchester Opera House on 11 September 2021 and has been playing to sold out houses and great critical acclaim.
Bat Out of Hell – The Musical won the Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical at the Evening Standard Awards and was nominated for 8 WhatsOnStage Awards, including Best New Musical. Bat Out of Hell became one of the best-selling albums in history, selling over 60 million copies worldwide. 16 years later, Steinman scored again with Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell, which contained the massive hit I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).
For the stage musical, the legendary and award-winning Jim Steinman incorporated iconic songs from the Bat Out of Hell albums, including You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night), Bat Out of Hell, I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That) and Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad, as well as two previously unreleased songs, What Part of My Body Hurts the Most and Not Allowed to Love.
The electrifying rock songs of Mr Steinman propel an epic story of rebellious youth and passion as Strat, the immortal leader of The Lost, has fallen in love with Raven, the beautiful daughter of the tyrannical ruler Falco.
The UK & Ireland Tour of Bat Out of Hell - The Musical has book, music and lyrics by Jim Steinman, direction by Jay Scheib, choreography adapted by Xena Gusthart, with musical supervision and additional arrangements by Michael Reed, set and costume design by Jon Bausor, original costume designs by Meentje Nielsen, original wig designs by Linda McKnight, video design by Finn Ross, lighting design by Patrick Woodroffe, sound design by Gareth Owen, orchestration by Steve Sidwell, original casting by David Grindrod CDG and UK Tour casting by Anne Vosser.
Bat Out of Hell – The Musical is produced by David Sonenberg, Michael Cohl & Tony Smith, with executive producer Julian Stoneman.
This tour is dedicated to the memory of Jim Steinman, who sadly passed away on 19 April 2021, and Meat Loaf, who passed away on 20 January 2022.
Website: www.BatOutOfHellMusical.com
Twitter, Facebook & Instagram: @BatTheMusical
photo credit: Chris Davis Studio
Sunday, 10 June 2018
In Conversation with... Andrew Polec and Christina Bennington | Bat Out of Hell | Interview | Stagey Sunday
Hi! Welcome back to Stagey Sunday, where we are focussing on Bat Out of Hell for the entire month of June. This week we have an exclusive interview with Andrew Polec and Christina Bennington about their lives whilst starring in Bat Out of Hell....
For anyone that hasn't seen the show, can you explain a little about the story line and how your characters fit into it?
Andrew: I play Strat, he is the leader of this Lost gang who are all 18 and never age. We're set in this post-apocalyptic world; the island of Manhattan, due to some cataclysmic event has broken off from the rest of the country and floated out to sea. On this island there's a dictator named Falco who Strat is rebelling against and doing his best to liberate the people of Obsidian, give them equality, make them all feel special and give them value in their lives. As he is rebelling against Falco and this violent revolution, he suddenly realises that Falco has a beautiful daughter who's name is Raven...
Christina: We find Raven on the eve of her 18th birthday. She has been watching Strat and the gang of The Lost for basically as long as she can remember. They have all the freedom and liberation that she's always wanted so she eventually manages to escape and meet Strat. From there it's all about love for the two.
Andrew, you were involved in the show from the workshop stage, so what was that like and how was it for you Christina, joining a little later. Did you both know how big the show would end up?
C: Absolutely not! I did I guess an average audition process, I say average in that I got the call from my agent and I went to various rounds, but that was probably where the average ended. There were lots of very interesting movement workshops that we did, I got paired with different people to read the Strat and Raven scenes. We also had stamina tests to see if we could sing the songs multiple days in a row. So I would come in and sing All Coming Back to Me Now, four of five times getting higher and higher and higher, and then come back the next day and do it all again to see if I could sustain it. I thought it was a fantastic challenge- great fun!
I don't think I ever thought it would be this big and I don't think I ever thought that it would be such a wonderful experience for me, personally and professionally, to grow in the way I perform. It's been really wonderful. It was great also, working with Andrew because he already had the job so wasn't part of the audition process. It was really interesting reading against all the potential alternate Strats but never reading with the actual Strat so it's serendipity that it's all worked out so well.
Do you have any pre-show rituals?
A: I have two posters in my dressing room where I've put all the rock and roll idols that I think inspire the show; there's Jim Morrison, there's Chuck Barry, there's Jimi Hendrix, Meatloaf, Jim Steinman and Iggy Pop. I basically ask that they come and help us on this journey because the show takes a lot of energy, you've got a lot of bodies up there that are burning 10,000 calories a minute!
C: My pre-show ritual is also really rock and roll... I listen to the Harry Potter audiobooks everyday, every single day. From after warm up until just before the half to kind of calm my brain down. Cause it's something I'm so familiar with it kind of clears my head of everything that's an outside influence. Then once it hits the quarter I play different music everyday that I think Raven would listen to, so then it does become slightly more rock and roll! So from me to Raven really
Have you had any onstage mishaps?
C: Oh yeah!
A: Tonnes!
C: One the other day was really good. Andrew fell off the tower when he jumped down...
A: Cool, lets just talk about the one where I hurt myself!
C: No but it's brilliant because in this show a mishap often becomes something incredible because Jay (Scheib) has encouraged us to be really free and flexible. In rehearsals he often asked up to include falls on purpose to force ourselves to be really in the moment. If you see the show, you'll notice that I fall over on-purpose-accidentally a lot... it's a real trope for Raven.
A: I think probably the biggest mishap was our first preview ever in Manchester. I had it in my mind that I would run down to the bottom of the stage and bring Christina along with me and I just slipped and we just started flying towards the end of the stage. In Manchester there was just an 8 metre drop and I knew that if we fell we'd probably not have legs like we have now! Fortunately, Christina grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and kept me from falling.
C: So fans of Andrew Polec, you're welcome!
Bat Out of Hell is so full on, how do you relax and calm down after a show?
C: It is difficult to go to sleep afterwards because it's so exciting. At the end of the show every night there's a massive buzz from the audience, they're on their feet, screaming and you feel like a rockstar with everyone coming together to celebrate this amazing music. I guess I like to eat after the show, watch something good and try and chill out.
A: Yeah, food is nice!
You have a five minute break in rehearsals, what are you doing?
C: I don't wanna say eating again! We're probably chatting about something that's happened in rehearsals. We do tend to talk a lot about constantly looking for ways to do things differently and improve so you'll probably just catch us discussing.
A: Mostly we're walking up the stairs!!
What's your favourite part of each others track?
C: One of my favourite bits ever is after I leave Revved, I stand at the side, and I watch from the stage left wing and the screen of Hope Rock, Andrew and the main Lost gang singing the end of Revved. I think it's absolutely incredible and I love it. I think Andrew is a force of nature and I love watching it, it's so exciting and there's so much visceral energy. Raven doesn't ever see that Strat which I think is so wonderful because she sees a completely other side of him. So it's really interesting for me to see that force.
A: I really, really admire Raven's whole scene in her bedroom during Heaven Can Wait. If I have enough time after the interval preparations and can get down to the video screen then I watch the perspective of the camera as she sings the whole song and it's really cool. She blows it out of the water every night, she remarkable!
Are you like your characters at all?
C: I'd love to say yeah, I'm really cool like Raven but I guess I can be tempestuous sometimes like she can. The thing about Raven is that she's all about life or death, that first love that is absolutely everything. In that way I guess we share something that we both think love is probably the most important thing in life. But the intensity with which she feels it is more like 17 year old me than it is current me.
A: I guess Strat and I are both hopeful. I think what surprises people when they meet me is that I'm more soft spoken than Strat. Considering he just shouts on stage all night, I think when they meet me they're like "where's your high-octane energy?".
They're certainly characters and they continue to grow and develop everyday that we work on them. They're good friends to have around.
Other than yourselves, who would you like to see play your roles?
A: I think I'd love to Jim Morrison to play this part, I think that would be a lot of fun. Or someone like Elvis would be really fun.
C: Ellen Foley was involved in the first stages of the show playing the Wendy/Raven character so it'd be really cool to see what she would do with Raven as she is now.
A: You're absolutely right, I mean Jim Steinman hands down should be playing Strat- he's even on the t-shirt.
C: If it had to be someone from the cast I think one of the super swings should have a go. I'd pay good money to see someone like Jono play Raven!
Finally, can you tell me your best piece of advice for anyone wanting to get into performing?
C: I would say, be very sure of yourself and your strengths and weaknesses. Believe in yourself and your ability because no one else can do that bit for you.
A: Love what you do, no matter what you end up doing. As long as you take joy in your work then you've found the secret of life and you'll be happy.
C: and be nice!
Watch the full interview plus some fun games here:
Thank you Holly for organising all of this, Andrew and Christina for filming with us, Sophia for being camera woman extraordinaire and all the lovely staff at the Dominion Theatre.
Join us next week to see Emily Benjamin become her character, Mordema!
Bat Out of Hell is currently at the Dominion Theatre until 27th October 2018
Interview by Editor, Olivia Mitchell
Interview by Editor, Olivia Mitchell
photo credit: Specular
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