BroadwayHD has joined forces with Stagescreen to film the current U.K. touring production of Bat Out of Hell—The Musical, which features the late Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf’s greatest hits.
BroadwayHD has also acquired exclusive U.S. broadcast rights for the filmed stage production. The musical will be preserved July 24 at the Wycombe Swan Theatre; details about the fall world streaming premiere will be announced at a later date.
The current cast features Glenn Adamson as Strat, Katie Tonkinson as Raven, Rob Fowler as Falco, and Sharon Sexton as Sloane with Georgia Bradshaw as Zahara, Ryan Carter as Jagwire, Carla Bertran as Tink, Luke Street as Ledoux and Carly Burns as Valkyrie plus Leo Abad, Peter Camilleri, Joshua Dever, Reece Duncan, Georgia Holland, Georgia Iudica-Davies, Natalie Pilkington, Harriet Richardson-Cockerline, Sophie-Rose Emery, Catherine Saunders, Ethan Tanner, Craig Watson, James Wilkinson-Jones, and Beth Woodcock.
Bat Out of Hell—The Musical has a book, music, and lyrics by Steinman and tells the story of rebellious youth and passion as Strat, the immortal leader of The Lost, has fallen in love with Raven, the beautiful daughter of the tyrannical ruler Falco. This reimagined production features an eight-piece rock band on stage and sprawling multi-level platforms.
“When we first saw Bat Out of Hell in New York City, we knew immediately that it was perfect for BroadwayHD. It’s been a labor of love since then to make it happen, and we could not be more excited to partner with Stagescreen who have become industry leaders in this area,” said BroadwayHD Founders and Co-Presidents Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley, who also serve as executive producers on the film, in a statement.
The production also has direction by Jay Scheib, musical supervision and additional arrangements by Michael Reed, additional choreography by Xena Gusthart, set and costume design by Jon Bausor, original wig designs by Linda McKnight, video design by Finn Ross, lighting design by Patrick Woodroffe, sound design by Gareth Owen, orchestrations by Steve Sidwell, original casting by David Grindrod, U.K. tour casting by Anne Vosser, and general management by Julian Stoneman and Jack Maple for MPSI Ltd.
Originally presented at the Manchester Opera House in 2017, the show opened at the West End’s London Coliseum later that year. It subsequently played Toronto before returning to London’s West End, where it broke box-office records at the Dominion. An international tour followed across the U.K., Ireland, Germany, and Australia. The musical made its American premiere in summer 2019 at New York City Center. The current U.K. tour kicked off in January and will run through September.
Bat Out of Hell became one of the best-selling albums in 1977, selling over 50 million copies worldwide; 16 years later, Steinman scored again with Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell, which contained the hit "I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)."
The tour is produced by Michael Cohl, Tony Smith, and David Sonenberg with executive producer Julian Stoneman.
