BatBoy - The Musical: In Concert - London Palladium

Here now. The sound is atrocious. More soon.

It's a real shame because there are some really funny lines but basically every single one is getting drowned out by music or the mics aren't going on in time. It's relying on some very basic gags to win over the crowd. Sorry to say but this standard really doesn't belong in the West End.

How odd that they went with the Broadway version and not the London one.

The Production of Bat Boy at the Shaftesbury began somewhere much smaller, I want to say West Yorkshire Playhouse. It was never meant to transfer and the cast were shocked that it was transferring, and even more surprised when they picked the Shaftesbury. That set sat in the middle of the huge Shaftesbury Stage with so much space around it. I saw it twice and both times it was empty. The only thing I've seen with less audience members was Tess of The Durbervilles.

The Shaftesbury stage isn’t huge at all.

I don’t remember it looking small there- just remember the show being dreadful.

Here’s my longer review-

Very mixed feelings about Bat Boy tonight. It’s one of my favourite shows of all time so it was great to see it on stage again, but the sound at the palladium was absolutely f***ing awful. The sound person bringing in the mics far too late, the vocals getting drowned out.

But I feel it will suffer the same way the original London run did, people think it’s trying to be serious when it’s supposed to be absolutely bonkers. People were for sure laughing along with it, but there was a lot of laughing at it. I thought Jordan Luke Gage actually did a great job, but I can’t help but compare his characterisation to Deven May, a lot of the quirky bat boy mannerisms weren’t there that makes the character, but props to Jordan for not directly copying Deven. Victoria Hamilton-Barritt was incredible and completely understood the assignment.

But why the hell did they use the broadway score over the London one??! The songs added in London are SO much better, also cutting Children, Children is absolutely criminal. I had lots of issues with this but I was just so so happy to see it on stage again. If it was revived it would need a hell of a lot of changes.

Glad this only cost me £15.

The sound was poor, the "set"/digital screen were amateurish and the whole thing just seemed rushed and not well put together at all.

JLC, Jodie Steele, Trevor Dion Nicholas and Tosh Wanogho-Maud's performances were the only ones I truly enjoyed

This was so poor.

They really are. I know stagedoor is on another thread but the Jordan fangirls are next level. Had 2 (two) Bonnie and Clyde performances borderline ruined by them. In fact the second one I had to move from front stalls to somewhere safer at the interval.

It’s a real shame as I think Jordan has a stunning pitch perfect and pure musical theatre voice but increasingly he’s known for the fan girl circus.

This is an utterly bonkers show ripe for a London revival - in the right hands. The book is crazy but also funny and deliciously camp in its enactment.

Nobody understood the assignment quite as well as Victoria Hamilton-Barritt. Hilarious. Jordan Luke Gage hit all the right notes (literally) as Edgar, complete with his wonderful BBC accent.

Meanwhile, Trevor Dion Nicholas really grew into the piece and, by the end, was getting most laughs as the villainous veterinarian. And Jodie Steele was excellent as Shelley. The cast gelled together well.

It’s just… it is *so* bonkers. It needs ironing out because Larry O’Keefe’s score is impressive, if more experimental than what he went on to produce with Legally Blonde and Heathers.

It’s a weird thing to say about a show that’s been around decades but it has potential. I’d like to see it revived in a more intimate setting than the barn that is the Palladium. Hopefully a smaller space would resolve some of the sound issues that also plagued Death Note in the same venue earlier this year.

Three stars.

Firstly, I am really glad you enjoyed your evening. I enjoyed the show at the time with Emma Williams way back when, and found it a charming, off-beat couple of hours of escapism.

However, I really must say that the highlighted part above really sums up why I won’t pay for these anymore, short of a bargain/comp. Poor sound/under-rehearsal is such a consistent problem, and at ostensibly a £100+ experience for some, I think it’s a real piss-take at this stage.

I know as well as anyone the difficulties in staging these productions, the extremely limited time in the venue, a handful of rehearsals (the first full
run a few hours before the house opens) and you’re on - this is the reality of things. I also understand this is commercial for-profit theatre. But I simply can’t support the practice.

I don’t want to have an evening where 9 times out 10 (my personal anecdotal experience), pick-up cues for mics are missed, the band is out of time with the singers/one another, the actors are on-book/flub lines consistently, or even fail to be on stage on time. This shouldn’t be “expected”, it’s just very poor standards. And it’s absolutely the norm.

The irritating thing is if they booked just one extra day for tech, the quality and fluidity of the performance would rise exponentially. But they don’t (money) or can’t (venue is booked), so we get the afternoon dress/evening you’re on fiascos like this and Evita.