Bat Out of Hell | Sunderland Empire | 18 August 2025
Review by Stephen Stokoe
There was excitement in the air even before getting into the beautiful tower entrance at Sunderland’s iconic Empire Theatre last night as people were enchanted by Harley Davidsons and other motorbikes revving their engines to announce the arrival of the award winning musical Bat Out of Hell. Shutters were clicking and phones in hands at the ready as the atmosphere built towards the curtain rising on a musical based around the immortal music of rock legends Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf.
Inside the atmosphere was no less palpable with scores of people chatting and queuing to take their seats excitedly after visiting the many well-stocked bars the venue has to offer. What was, perhaps, most noticeable was the vast demography of the audience with long haired rockers, to more seasoned patrons as well as giddy youngsters all jostling to take their places in the auditorium.
When it comes to the storyline of Bat Out of Hell, it is a little difficult to know where to start. It probably needs to sound dramatic – like a big blockbuster movie trailer with fiery explosions. In a dystopian future, those that remain are few and under authoritarian rule. The young rebels living in the underground are rocking to their own tune. A hero seeks his true love who he has tracked across the universe. This summer, at the Sunderland Empire, he’s coming – like a bat out of hell.
The hero, in this case, is Strat – an idealistic, love struck teen with a head full of lyrics and a heart full of lust. Strat is exuberantly played by Glenn Adamson. His vocal talents are phenomenal as he belts out banger after banger of Meat Loaf’s greatest hits and sings, dances and gyrates himself into the arms of Raven (Katie Tonkinson) the headstrong daughter of the de facto leader of the survivors, Falco (Rob Fowler) and his quasi-alcoholic and dejected wife, Sloane (Sharon Sexton.)
There are two very different love stories in the narrative which beautifully mirror each other as the show progresses. I really like the juxtaposition of young love, burning in intensity as it blooms into fruition and the dying embers of a previously passionate coupling petering out and spluttering into inevitable extinction. This is exemplified by two blockbusting set pieces starting with Paradise by the Dashboard Light performed in the first act by Falco and Sloane and then You Took the Words Right Out of my Mouth by Strat and Raven in the second.
As the music ends and the lights come back up, the audience were on their feet quite rightly applauding a wonderfully raucous and energetic performance from the entire company and, despite the fire and effects, one is left with a sense of curious familiarity. This show is part Footloose, part Rocky Horror with a seasoning of the quite baffling We Will Rock You.
There has been no expense spared with this visually and technically impressive show. The set is stark but visually powerful and when the two large video screens are used, you would be forgiven for believing that you are watching a Meat Loaf rock video. There are flames, there are visual tricks, there is some theatre magic all of which adds to the overall spectacle.
If you are going to use the magnificent music of Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf then you had better have a stunning band to do it justice. Grant Walsh leads a phenomenal band including Felix Sürbe and Kennedy Aitchison on keys, Ben Fletcher and Mark Cox on guitar, Hugh Richardson on bass and Elliott Henshaw and Dave Danford on drums and percussion respectively. I name them all with grateful thanks on a magnificent performance in their own right. They were collectively outstanding.
Jay Scheib’s direction is frenetic and never lets up. There is always something to look at and the use of a camera throughout the performance is novel and inspired in equal measures. The performance skips along at an incredible pace and with a running time of two and a half hours (including interval) it flies by like… well… like a bat out of hell.
Bat out of Hell is a joyous celebration of two incredibly talented song writers and composers who are sadly no longer with us. The cast, musicians and the whole production team have given us something of which I am sure the two rockers would be incredibly proud.
Bat out of Hell is a must-see for any Meat Loaf fan with references abound for those in the know. I would also suggest that there are nods to several musicals for the musical geeks and the sheer energy that bursts from the entire production will be enough to satisfy anyone else.
If you want loud, you’ve got it. If you want gloriously garish, no problem. If you want subtle, maybe not, but two out of three ain’t bad.
It feels like this raucous musical has been around for much longer but it only premiered in Manchester in 2017. Get yourselves along to the Sunderland Empire this week before it is long ago and far away.
Bat Out of Hell – The Musical will rock on Sunderland Empire’s stage from Monday 18 – Saturday 23 August 2025. Tickets available online now at ATGTickets.com/Sunderland *
*A £3.95 transaction fee applies to online bookings.