Spider-Man Producer to Present NYC Lab of Jim Steinman's Bat Out of Hell Musical

Bat Out of Hell, the new musical from Meat Loaf hit-maker Jim Steinman, will receive a New York City lab presentation this fall.

According to an Equity casting notice, Spider-Man producer Michael Cohl and Dance of the Vampires producer David Sonenberg are presenting the Nov. 2-24 developmental lab that will be directed by Jay Scheib (NYCO's Powder Her Face).

Steinman first revealed plans for the musical based on the songs from the three-album cycle in 2008. At the time, Steinman characterized it as a Cirque du Soleil-type spectacle that would feature a book by Steinman and playwright Stephen Clarke. The original blog post indicated a late 2008 or early 2009 West End bow.

The new casting notice indicates that Steinman is the sole author of the musical's book, music and lyrics. Steinman also penned lyrics for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Whistle Down the Wind and the score to Dance of the Vampires.

No further plot details or production timeline were indicated. Read the character breakdown here.

Steinman began his career in musical theatre with the musical The Dream Engine, penned while he was attending college at Amherst. Other short-lived musicals include Das Rheingold, More Than You Deserve and Neverland. Three songs from Neverland – "Bat out of Hell," "Heaven Can Wait" and "The Formation of the Pack," retitled "All Revved Up With No Place to Go" – ultimately became the beginnings of the album "Bat Out of Hell." Steinman, well known for his collaboration with Meat Loaf, penned the hits "Total Eclipse of the Heart," "Making Love out of Nothing at All," "I'd Do Anything for Love (but I Won't Do That)" and "It's All Coming Back to Me Now."

