Cast members of Meat Loaf-inspired musical to pay tribute to rocker during show
Following the singer and actor’s death aged 74, Friday’s show at the New Wimbledon Theatre will be performed in his memory.
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The cast members of a musical based on Meat Loaf’s Bat Out Of Hell album have said performing the rocker’s songs will be “incredibly moving”.
Bat Out of Hell: The Musical, a loose retelling of Peter Pan set in post-apocalyptic Manhattan features many of his most notable songs and is on a UK tour.
Following Meat Loaf’s death aged 74, Friday’s show at the New Wimbledon Theatre will be performed in his memory, with cast members expected to pay tribute to him.
Sharon Sexton, who plays the character Sloane, told the PA news agency: “I think the music will never be the same again.
“I think there’s gonna be a lot of emotion in the building this evening, Meat had a massive fan base in the UK and we are so honoured that we get to now continue his legacy and that we get to sing these incredible songs.
“When you’re a performer you might get one song in a show or maybe two songs in a show where you go ‘oh yeah, that’s the one that is the pinnacle, that is the anthem’ but every single song (in the musical) is an anthem.
“And so I think as soon as the music chords starts tonight, it’s going to be incredibly moving.”
Sexton said the rocker had been “warm, open and supportive” of the cast members when he met them, adding she feels “shocked and very sad” following his death.
Rob Fowler, who plays the character Falco, said: “I’m sure there will be in some way shape or form a tribute to Meat Loaf tonight during the show, whether it’s all the fans who have met through this show and through his music raising their torches.
“Every song in the show tonight will be in honour of Meat Loaf.
“I feel that the music has joined so many misfits in the world to make them feel a little bit more special and it’s joined so many people and made them their own family, their own Meat Loaf family.
“I feel that tonight will be more special for the fact that the words are just going to mean so much more knowing what’s happened, the sad passing of Meat.”
He said the production’s creative team is having discussions on how best to pay tribute to the rocker.
A statement from the production said: “The company of Jim Steinman’s Bat Out Of Hell The Musical here in the UK is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of their great friend and producer, Meat Loaf.
“He was with us when the show first launched in London at the Coliseum and in Manchester at the Opera House back in 2016 and then came to the show at the Dominion Theatre in London on July 25 2018.”
It added: “The beat is yours forever.”
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