Weird, wacky and maybe wonderful? The jury is still out on that one. This has the feel of a cult classic like Rocky Horror or The Room, but it doesn’t quite make it to the same level as those cult institutions. This will, undoubtedly, have some die hard fans though; and will potentially introduce a new generation to Meat Loaf and gain some more.
The storyline is pretty weak, and it wasn’t until I read the programme that the Peter Pan context and parallels fell into place. But oh my goodness, can this cast sing! Absolutely phenomenal vocal talent on stage! The sound balance needs some readjusting though as the band were drowning out the singing for most of the first act. The first act was also generally the weaker of the two with the only real moment of note being the ‘Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad’ duet between Danielle Steers’ Zahara and Wayne Robinson’s Jagwire. Steers really does steal the show at this point with her amazing voice and sassy attitude and you look forward to what she’s going to do when you see her enter.
The ending of the first act was pretty good too, being one moment that the audience are waiting in anticipation for, and Andrew Polec as Strat doesn’t disappoint. Polec reminded me of a mix of Freddie Fox and a young Peter Capaldi, with a bit of one of my friends thrown in for good measure. I’m not sure I liked his acting, which felt quite weak and wooden at times, but then maybe that can be forgiven given his voice.
Christina Bennington’s portrayal of Raven cannot be forgiven though. Her voice is really quite something, but she was portraying Raven as a combination of a shy 2 year old toddler constantly playing with her dress, Bambi and Moaning Mertle who was constantly high! She came across as completely unstable and was, quite frankly, an annoying and dislikable brat. I’m not sure that’s what they were going for!
The second act was definitely better in terms of the sound balance, and I felt that the show only really clicked and came into it’s own with Robinson’s, Giovanni Spano’s and Patrick Sullivan’s trio of ‘Objects in the Rearview Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are’ part way through the second act. It was a beautiful and poignant trio which really showcased their voices. After that point every number was pretty damn impressive and showed off everyone’s voices, especially Rob Fowler’s and Sharon Sexton’s duet of ‘What Part of my Body Hurts the Most’, which was incredible.
I’m not sure that I really understood the live filming aspect in this show, or whether the characters were supposed to know that they were being filmed, but it was an interesting device to see and allowed some intimate moments in the massive cavern that is the Dominion Theatre. I did, however, find myself watching the screens projecting the live feed images, rather than the action on stage, and that did make me feel as though I was missing part of what was happening on stage.
Given the songs and it’s rock n’ roll nature, this is not a show to see if you have a headache or don’t like loud music and bright lights, but one definitely to have a good, if somewhat bemused, time at.