ONE ROCKIN’ MUSICAL LEGACY

“Bat Out of Hell – The Musical” sets up shop in the Entertainment Capital of the World

By Heather Turk

Even though he misplaced his passport and missed the final round of auditions in New York, Canadian singing sensation Travis Cormier was destined to play the starring role of Strat in the Las Vegas resident production of “Bat Out of Hell – The Musical.”

“I did a couple of auditions on a Zoom call from my home in Montreal, where I sang and performed in my living room in front of the creative team, and shortly after I was on a flight to Vegas to join the ‘Bat Out of Hell’ family,” Cormier recalled. “I have always been a big Meat Loaf fan, ever since I found my parents’ CD collection when I was a kid. To have the opportunity to sing those songs and to honor the legacy of Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman is such a huge privilege for me.”

Performing at Paris Las Vegas Tuesday through Sunday at 7 p.m. with an additional 9:30 p.m. performance on select dates, “Bat Out of Hell – The Musical” brings the legendary anthems

Continued on page 42 “The music is incredible, and the storyline draws you in and takes you on a journey”

of the late Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf to life as it tells the story of two star-crossed lovers (Strat and Raven) from opposite sides of the tracks caught in a city teetering on the brink of disaster. Throughout the 90-minute production, audiences will not only hear such timeless hits from Steinman and Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell albums as “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)” and “Paradise by the Dashboard Light,” but also two previously unreleased songs: “What Part of My Body Hurts the Most” and “Not Allowed to Love.”

“There are so many elements in the show that make this musical so great and special,” Cormier stated. “Everyone in the cast has an extraordinary talent, the band is amazing, there are incredible dance numbers and I think the story will resonate with people. Aside from the great music, there’s also a lot going on visually with special effects and pyro. It’s exciting from beginning to end!” While Cormier said that performing in the rock musical has inspired him to write some new songs, the one-time runnerup on the Canadian version of “The Voice” feels blessed just to be able to keep Steinman and Meat Loaf’s musical legacy alive and help new generations discover their work. “I think Jim Steinman’s poetic lyrics and melodies and Meat Loaf’s voice were a match made in heaven,” Cormier concluded. “The music they created is so moving that you can’t help but feel strong emotions when you listen to those songs. I think that everyone who has experienced love or loss can relate to the music. They left a legacy — songs that will live on forever.” batoutofhellvegas.com

Cormier loves performing the musical’s namesake song because he gets to “let loose” and express the “crazy rock ‘n’ roll side” of him