The award winning hit musical featuring Jim Steinman and
Meat Loaf’s greatest hits
I’ll be honest. I don’t
know much about Meat Loaf’s music. I did
learn a little about the man himself. I
know he was an extremely caring person and was a very passionate person and
musician and that he also had a temper.
I won’t go as far to say he was another Ginger Baker, but certainly a
temper. I also know he played Knebworth
in 1985 with a broken leg. Damn!
Of his music, I know Paradise by the Dashboard Light and, I
think, that’s it. I know about the big
controversy with Ellen Foley having recorded the song but not being in the
video so people naturally thought Carla DeVito was the singer, or whatever
really happened. But that’s it. That’s
rock and roll folks.
So when I was invited to see this new musical I thought, “I
would love to see what it is all about and support some of my friends in the
band.” Of course, I would. Let me just tell you, I am absolutely glad I
did and you should check this show out if you are here in Las Vegas as a
resident or visitor. I can honestly say I
enjoyed it way more than I thought I would.
Located near the check-in desk at the Paris hotel on the
Strip, the theater is beautiful. I can’t
imagine there is a bad seat in the house.
The sound was crystal clear and very well mixed (My audio engineer’s
brain noticed that all through the show).
The lighting was a huge highlight as well – very well done combination of
colors against the gentle fog. Lighting is often a job that seems taken for granted
in reviews but this was so well done, I had to mention it.
The music is well paced and, at times, relentless rock and
roll mixed with some more gentle pieces, as you would expect to bring the
emotion out when enjoying a musical. I
can say the musicians are top notch and not just because I am fortunate enough
to know some of them but because they are all truly talented and play very well
together.
The choreography is so well done and there is a lot for
these talented dancers to remember. All
beautiful executed with a fairly large cast.
This is where I get a little lost.
I see on the web that every character has a name but you never get that
in the show. That being said, each and
every member of this cast is important and gave 100% of their hearts to the
performance.
I don’t know how you would define it in theater terms but
what I would consider to be the four main leads were absolutely
outstanding. Travis Cormer as Strat and
Alize Cruz as Raven gave incredibly emotional and energetic performances. There were times I just wanted to run on
stage and hug them and let them know it will all be okay. Then there is Travis Cloer as Falco and Anne
Martinez as Sloane who took on the challenge of acting out Paradise by the
Dashboard Light, which was one of the most powerful scenes of the show.
Additionally, Mecca Hicks as Zahara, Je’Shaun Jackson as
Jagwire, Freddy Leakoula Pomee as Tink and Mikayla Agrella as Valkrye also
brought powerful performances and were the glue that kept it all together. As I said, everyone on the stage deserves to
be there and were all integral parts of the show, featured or not.
This is a show not to be missed and I hope you get the
chance to experience what I did tonight. I consider my time to be extremely valuable
and I will say this was time well spent.
Check it out!
https://www.caesars.com/paris-las-vegas/shows/bat-out-of-hell
