Andrew Polec, the actor who originated the role of Strat in Jim Steinman's Bat Out of Hell: The Musical, is bringing a theatrical Saturday afternoon to downtown Annapolis this weekend, fronting a show called Bat Out of Helloween with members of Meat Loaf's own Neverland Express band. Doors open at noon on Saturday at Rams Head On Stage, with the performance starting at 1 p.m., and tickets remain available through the venue's website.
Polec is no stranger to the material. He won the Joe Allen Best West End Debut Award at the inaugural Stage Debut Awards for his turn as Strat, beating out nominees that included John Boyega and Amber Riley, according to The Stage. It was the only category decided by public vote that year, a detail that underscores just how much London audiences embraced his performance before he ever set foot on an American stage.
The show leans on what Polec calls the non-negotiables: a run of songs that essentially have to be in any Meat Loaf tribute, as reported by Eye On Annapolis. Bat Out of Hell, Paradise by the Dashboard Light, Two Out of Three Ain't Bad, and I'd Do Anything for Love all make the list, and Polec described performing them as almost legally required. The Annapolis report also notes that Polec calls the show a communal live experience, one where, in his words, the scale depends on how big everyone's heart can get.
Rocky Horror Material Joins the Setlist
Bat Out of Helloween doesn't stop at Meat Loaf's solo catalog. The show also folds in Rocky Horror material, a pairing that makes sense given Meat Loaf's own history with that franchise. He played both Eddie and Dr. Scott in the 1974 Los Angeles stage production at the Roxy Theatre before landing the film role of Eddie in 1975, according to the Rocky Horror Picture Show Official Fan Site. Director Jim Sharman ultimately cast British actor Jonathan Adams as Dr. Scott in the movie, leaving Meat Loaf to deliver Eddie's signature number, Hot Patootie – Bless My Soul.
The band backing Polec isn't a cover act assembled for the occasion. The touring show is led by Paul Crook, Meat Loaf's longtime guitarist and musical director, alongside other members of the Neverland Express, described as Meat Loaf's official band, whose musicians performed with him on stages around the world, per Celebrating Meat Loaf. The band is fully endorsed by Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman. Per the Annapolis outlet's reporting, Polec said that personal connection is what keeps Meat Loaf's performances and Steinman's songs alive onstage.
A Cycling Accident That Changed a Career
Polec's path to fronting a Meat Loaf tribute band started nowhere near a stage. A bicycle accident ended his contact-sports activities, according to Broadway World. His father played him Paradise by the Dashboard Light during his recovery, redirecting his energy from athletics toward singing, a shift the Annapolis reporting also confirms.
Jim Steinman's Bat Out of Hell: The Musical won the Evening Standard Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical, as noted by BroadwayHD, before launching a North American tour in 2018. The production, directed by Jay Scheib, reimagined Steinman's rock catalog into a post-apocalyptic story set in the fictional city of Obsidian. A New York City Center production featured Polec as Strat.
A Family Tie to Mid-Atlantic Broadcasting
Polec's roots give the Annapolis booking an extra regional thread. He's the son of Don Polec, the longtime Philadelphia television journalist who reported feature and comedy segments for 6ABC Action News from 1982 until 2009, a run that made him widely recognized across the Delaware Valley for his Don Polec's World human-interest pieces, per the Inquirer's coverage. It places the younger Polec's rock-and-roll theatrics within a few hours' drive of the same audience that grew up watching his father's segments.
Steinman's 1974 futuristic Peter Pan rock musical Neverland preceded the Bat Out of Hell album, and the Peter Pan story inspired some of its songs.
The Annapolis Show's Setting
The show brings Meat Loaf's catalog to Rams Head On Stage in Annapolis.
Rams Head On Stage is owned and operated by Rams Head Presents, part of the Rams Head Group, which traces back to a 30-seat historic tavern in downtown Annapolis founded in 1989 by Bill Muehlhauser and now run by his son, Kyle Muehlhauser. The company has since grown into a multi-venue restaurant and entertainment operation with locations in Crownsville, Stevensville, and Glen Burnie, Maryland, as well as Key West, Florida. Rams Head On Stage alone hosts more than 400 live performances a year and has been recognized by Pollstar as a top small venue.
