Playing on BroadwayHD
Watching the streaming broadcast of Bat Out of Hell The Musical feels a bit like riding a phantom bike that needs to brake now and then. Jim Steinman’s work is as bombastic as expected, even though the story is essentially a dystopian remix of Streets of Fire. That connection is no accident, since Steinman also penned the anthems for that rock and roll fable.
While the songs from Meat Loaf’s landmark 1977 album remain thunderous and mythical, this filmed stage production shows how difficult it is to build a consistent narrative around music originally written as stand-alone set pieces.