Post by FinalGwen on Feb 25, 2017 21:37:04 GMT -5
So after 40 years since Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf had the idea that putting the songs from Jim's 'Neverland' musical out as a rock album might drum up some publicity, the musical has finally made it out of development hell, debuting last week at the Manchester Opera House. I went to see it on Monday, and since there's a slight crossover between fans of Meat's style of rock and fans of wrestling (heck, Hogan's first original theme was a Steinman composition), why not make a post about it here and see if anyone else is interested/going? I've been evangelising about it on Twitter, and have already convinced about five people from my work to go and see it. 
For those wondering, it's not quite the usual jukebox musical, as many of the biggest hits were taken straight from Neverland, a dystopian take on the Peter Pan formula with the eternally young tribe of "The Lost" fighting against the despotic ruler of what was once Manhattan. But when their leader (known as 'Baal' in the original but now called 'Strat') falls in love with the ruler's daughter Raven, new relationships are formed and lost, and chaos ensues. While not every number was originally meant for the play (there's a couple from Steinman's aborted Batman musical, for example), everything is worked really well into the narrative. The only one that's seemingly just there for the sake of it is Dead Ringer For Love, and it breaks up a few of the more serious pieces, so I can't complain.
Thus far, reviews seem really positive and tickets for the London run are selling fast, which is hopefully a good sign for its longevity. I've got to say, even as someone going in expecting to love it, it was a hell of a show. The cast are magnetic on stage, and I was kind of in awe of their stamina, given that Steinman songs are energetic to say the least, and usually not short. There's about 22 songs in total, and given that the lead (Andrew Polec) suffers from exercise-induced asthma, it's a hell of a feat. Probably the best top-to-bottom cast I've seen on stage.
Sets are incredible, too. They've really tried to make something huge, on the scale of a Phantom or Les Mis, with a large angular tower forming the main set piece. Some scenes take place in Raven's room on the second floor of the tower, and you can see the actors moving around inside, but they're also recorded live and projected onto different parts of the stage so you can see the action up close. There's all the vehicular mayhem you might expect, but to a degree that you'd be amazed that they can actually pull off on stage.
After the Manchester run they're going to London from June-July, then there's also rumblings of a Toronto run. Anyone else planning on going?
For those wondering, it's not quite the usual jukebox musical, as many of the biggest hits were taken straight from Neverland, a dystopian take on the Peter Pan formula with the eternally young tribe of "The Lost" fighting against the despotic ruler of what was once Manhattan. But when their leader (known as 'Baal' in the original but now called 'Strat') falls in love with the ruler's daughter Raven, new relationships are formed and lost, and chaos ensues. While not every number was originally meant for the play (there's a couple from Steinman's aborted Batman musical, for example), everything is worked really well into the narrative. The only one that's seemingly just there for the sake of it is Dead Ringer For Love, and it breaks up a few of the more serious pieces, so I can't complain.
Thus far, reviews seem really positive and tickets for the London run are selling fast, which is hopefully a good sign for its longevity. I've got to say, even as someone going in expecting to love it, it was a hell of a show. The cast are magnetic on stage, and I was kind of in awe of their stamina, given that Steinman songs are energetic to say the least, and usually not short. There's about 22 songs in total, and given that the lead (Andrew Polec) suffers from exercise-induced asthma, it's a hell of a feat.
Probably the best top-to-bottom cast I've seen on stage.Sets are incredible, too. They've really tried to make something huge, on the scale of a Phantom or Les Mis, with a large angular tower forming the main set piece. Some scenes take place in Raven's room on the second floor of the tower, and you can see the actors moving around inside, but they're also recorded live and projected onto different parts of the stage so you can see the action up close. There's all the vehicular mayhem you might expect, but to a degree that you'd be amazed that they can actually pull off on stage.
After the Manchester run they're going to London from June-July, then there's also rumblings of a Toronto run. Anyone else planning on going?
