Having seen quite a few musicals over the years, and having seen Bat Out of Hell on preview in Manchester (UK) and also in Birmingham (UK) on tour, I reckon I'm in a decent position to give you my thoughts.
I'm not a huge fan of Meatloaf. I mean, I enjoy the music of Meatloaf and Jim Steinman but I didn't grow up on his music, I don't own the albums, etc.
I do love (most) musicals, most music of all genres, and especially anything live, and showcasing incredible talent. If it's bright and loud then even better.
I was touring some of the USA on Honeymoon and in Vegas by chance for the opening night of Bat out of Hell at Paris Theatre. With it being my favourite musical and one my wife thoroughly enjoys we figured we'd give the Vegas version a go!
I'd like to say that for an opening night performance, it was very strong effort, but I can't, as that would be unfair. It was a strong effort from the whole cast and crew for any night, let alone opening night. There were a couple of minor teething issues with sound likely not noticeable to anyone who's not also a sound engineer.
As per the UK version, the production is fantastic. I don't want to say too much about it in order not to ruin any surprises but it's action packed, and the methods of story telling I've not seen in any other productions.
In terms of cast, they're a fantastic ensemble. Travis Cormier (Strat) and Alize Cruz (Raven) have a great chemistry and can really do the hits justice. Travis Cloer (Falco) and Anne Martinez (Sloane) are up there too. I'm a massive fan of Rob and Sharon in character as Falco and Sloane on the UK tour, and so that pair had a lot to live up to. For me, no one apart from Rob and Sharon are going to be as good in those roles as the (to me) original pair, but I'm very biased.
Something perhaps contributing to that is the fact that the US production is shorter, in that it's missing some scenes from the UK production. I'm not sure the rationale behind this, whether it's just the expected length of a Vegas show or that it's not practical to have an interval, and so the original would be too long for the cast, but one of my favourite scenes from a comedy and character development perspective is with this pair around the couch reflecting on their relationship and where they are now. These two deserve the airtime in my opinion. They put on a great show and I just wish I could have seen some more of Travis and Anne.
Mecca Hicks (Zahara) and Je'Shaun Jackson (Jagwire) were the standout team for me. Everything about their performance was incredible and their vocals were absolutely immaculate. I feel like I need to go for cocktails with these 2.
Having Jay Schieb and his colleagues (who I think included Gareth Owen) around the FOH desks and able to see their excitement before the performance made opening night particularly special.
In all, a fantastic production which lived up to my expectations and I would recommend to anyone. There's something in it for everyone; if you're a fan of musicals or Meatloaf (or both) then you're missing out, and even if you're not 'into musicals' or a massive fan of Meatloaf, I'm positive you'll have a good time.
It's a fantastic way to introduce others to musical theatre, too.