Creative Team and Cast Announced for Bat Out Of Hell - The Musical, Opening June 20, 2017 in London's West End

− With music and lyrics from Jim Steinman and directed by Jay Scheib, Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical premieres on June 20, 2017 at the London Coliseum following previews in Manchester –
− Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical features an international ensemble cast and creative team, including Canadian choreographer Emma Portner –

To tweet this release: http://bmpr.ca/2erB9nf

TORONTO and LONDON, Nov. 3, 2016 /CNW/ -  Bell Media and its partners announced today the cast and creative team for Jim Steinman's Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical , the first production from the Bell Media's joint venture with legendary Canadian producer Michael Cohl's Iconic Entertainment Studios (Spamalot; Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark; Rock of Ages: The Musical). Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical makes its world premiere in London's West End at the London Coliseum on June 20, 2017, following previews beginning June 5, 2017. Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical will preview at the Manchester Opera House from February 17 to April 8, 2017.

(Photo :  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161103/435913 )

With book by Jim Steinman and Stuart Beattie, music and lyrics by the legendary and award-winning Jim Steinman, and directed by award-winning theatre and opera director Jay Scheib, the Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical creative team announced today includes choreography by Canadian Emma Portner, with musical arrangements and supervision by Michael Reed, set design by Jon Bausor, costume design by Meentje Nielsen, video design by Finn Ross, lighting design by Patrick Woodroffe, sound design by Gareth Owen, orchestration by Steve Sidwell, casting by David Grindrod Associates, and musical direction by Robert Emery.

"As we continue with our commitment to produce creative content across multiple platforms, we're thrilled with the progress being made to bring Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical to the stage for our first co-venture into live theatrical production," said Randy Lennox, President, Broadcast and Content, Bell Media and Co-Producer. "We are incredibly excited to be working with great production partners, a strong creative team, and talented cast to bring the beloved work of Jim Steinman to devoted fans and new audiences alike."

"We've assembled a team of Emmy®, Grammy®, Oscar®, and especially Tony® and Olivier award nominees and winners for this production, featuring a great young cast led by a sensational new lead, Andrew Polec," said Michael Cohl, Chairman, Iconic Entertainment Studios. "Our set is Blade Runner meets Wagner in a post-apocalyptic world. We have the great songs of Jim Steinman and Meatloaf, and the love story of a lifetime by Jim Steinman. Following in the footsteps of Mama Mia and We Will Rock You, we believe Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical is the next great rock 'n' roll musical to originate out of London."

For the stage musical, Steinman has incorporated iconic songs from the Bat Out Of Hell albums made famous by Meat Loaf, including You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth, Bat Out Of Hell, I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) and Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad, as well as two previously unreleased songs, What Part of My Body Hurts the Most and Not Allowed to Love. Bat Out Of Hell is one of only 11 albums to reach Double Diamond status in Canada.  

Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical is a romantic adventure about rebellious youth and passionate love, set against the backdrop of a post-cataclysmic city adrift from the mainland.  Strat, the forever-young leader of The Lost, has fallen for Raven, daughter of Falco, the tyrannical ruler of Obsidian. 

The cast of Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical announced today is led by newcomer Andrew Polec as Strat and Christina Bennington as Raven, with Rob Fowler as Falco and Sharon Sexton as Sloane. Also starring are Aran MacRae as Tink, Danielle Steers as Zahara, Dom Hartley-Harris as Jagwire, Giovanni Spano as Ledoux, and Patrick Sullivan as Blake.

Completing the ensemble cast are Jemma Alexander, Emily Benjamin, Stuart Boother, Georgia Carling, Natalie Chua, Jonathan Cordin, Amy Di Bartolomeo, Jordan Lee Davies, Olly Dobson, Hannah Ducharme, Phoebe Hart, Rosalind James, Michael Naylor, Eve Norris, Tim Oxbrow, Andrew Patrick-Walker, Benjamin Purkiss, Anthony Selwyn, Courtney Stapleton, and Ruben Van keer.

Ottawa native Emma Portner's performance and choreography appear in Justin Bieber's Life Is Worth Living video as well as on his Purpose World Tour. She collaborated with Matt Luck on the short dance film Dancing In the Dark, which went viral and was screened at film festivals across Europe. In 2012, American Dance Awards named her "Young Choreographer of the Year". 

Jim Steinman's Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical is produced by David Sonenberg, Michael Cohl, Randy Lennox, Tony Smith, and produced in association with Bat Out of Hell Holding Limited.

**Editor's Note** Biographies for the creative team for Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical can be found here. For more information about Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical, visit batoutofhellmusical.com

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Bell Media PR on Twitter
Bell Media on Facebook
@BatTheMusical
@AndrewPolec
@christinabenn
@RealRobFowler
@SharonSextonIRE

About Bell Media

Bell Media creates content and builds brands that entertain, inform, engage, and inspire audiences through the platforms of their choice. Bell Media is Canada's leading content creation company with premier assets in television, radio, out-of-home advertising, and digital media. Bell Media owns 30 local television stations led by CTV, Canada's highest-rated television network; 30 specialty channels, including TSN and RDS, Canada's most-watched specialty channels in English and French; and four pay TV services, including The Movie Network and Super Écran. Bell Media is also Canada's largest radio broadcaster, operating 105 licensed radio stations in 54 markets across the country, as well as managing the iHeartRadio brand and streaming service in Canada. Bell Media owns Astral Out of Home with a network of more than 30,000 advertising faces in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Québec, and Nova Scotia. Bell Media also operates more than 200 websites; delivers TV Everywhere with its CraveTV and GO video streaming services; operates multi-channel network Much Digital Studios; produces live theatrical shows via its partnership with Iconic Entertainment Studios; and owns Dome Productions Inc., a multi-platform production company. Bell Media is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. For more on Bell Media, please visit www.bellmedia.ca.

SOURCE Bell Media

Image with caption: "Leading the Bat Out Of Hell - The Musical cast are newcomer Andrew Polec and Christina Bennington (CNW Group/Bell Media)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20161103_C1771_PHOTO_EN_811270.jpg

Jesse Wanagas, CTV Networks, 416.384.3193 or [email protected]; Laura Heath Potter, CTV Networks, 416.384.4633 or [email protected]