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REVIEW | Bat Out of Hell - The Musical, Peacock Theatre - London
- Harry Brogan
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
AD | Ticket gifted in exchange of an honest review
TW/CW: Features strong language, mature sexual themes, loud music, haze effects, theatrical smoke, strobe lighting, pyrotechnics – including flames and CO2 jet, confetti.
Bat Out of Hell at the Peacock Theatre is less your typical West End musical and more a full-throttle rock opera, built around the legendary songs of Meat Loaf and written by Jim Steinman. If you’re going in for plot, subtlety, or stillness—you’re in the wrong place. But if you want to be thrown headfirst into a wall of sound and spectacle, this is your show.
Glenn Adamson (Strat) and Katie Tonkinson (Raven) return from the UK tour and deliver vocally powerful performances—especially in “I’d Do Anything for Love” and the title number, which practically shook the walls and I could feel the bass pounding through my chest. Although Tonkinson and Adamson are the leads, every single one of the cast gave top performances vocally and could play any character in this show. Stand out for me was Sharon Sexton, as Ravens mum Sloane, with her vocal range and hilarious character played with star quality.
I was lucky enough to experience the incredible band when the cast and musicians met for the sitzprobe prior to going on tour, so I knew it would be top class but experiencing them play live on the theatre stage was more like a world famous rock band, giving the show that huge gig-like energy.
Visually, it’s mayhem in the best sense. Flames, confetti cannons, motorbikes, live video projections, and strobes come together in a hyper-stylised, high-octane world. There’s something happening in every corner of the stage—and on the screens. Jay Scheib’s direction leans into the chaos, using live camera feeds and cinematic closeups that are broadcast in real time, which adds a layer of surreal theatre-meets-music-video intensity.
The plot? Somewhere between Peter Pan, The Lost Boys, and Romeo and Juliet, it follows Strat and his gang of genetically frozen teenagers, The Lost, who rebel against Raven’s conservative parents—particularly her power-hungry father Falco (played by Rob Fowler). It has potential and some genuinely poetic moments, but the emotional beats don’t always land. The acting felt uneven in parts, and some of the dialogue scenes (delivered through handheld mics) lacked nuance and personally made it feel like I was watching a brilliant concert rather than a show. Still, that concert element is where Bat Out of Hell excels. The vocals, the music, the sheer commitment to excess—it’s a spectacle that doesn’t apologise for being over the top. And in the end, that’s what most of the audience were there for.
Bat Out of Hell is a thrilling, high-voltage night with powerhouse vocals and stunning visuals. it’s a wild, unforgettable ride.
★★★★.5
Bat out of Hell runs at the Peacock Theatre in London until 7th of June.
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