Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Singer Travis Cloer captivates in ‘Bat Out of Hell’ and readies his annual holiday show

Travis Cloer

Courtesy

Travis Cloer

Las Vegas audiences may still recall hearing Travis Cloer’s voice soaring through the music of the hit musical “Jersey Boys,” but these days those powerhouse pipes are getting a different workout.

Cloer is one of the stars of “Bat Out of Hell,” now playing at Paris Las Vegas, a rip-roaring rock musical featuring the greatest hits of composer Jim Steinman and operatic rock singer Meat Loaf. It opened in October at the Paris Theater, the first musical production show of its kind to take a stab on the Strip in years, and the veteran entertainer says audiences are loving it so far.

“The numbers are very consistent and I know the producers are happy with that, and we’re happy with that as a cast because seeing the response these people are giving us, standing up, singing along, and having a great time rocking out, it’s nuts,” Cloer said. “People are even coming in costumes. It’s cool to see all these meatloaf fans come out and support the show and hear this music live onstage again.”

The show goes beyond Meat Loaf tunes like “Paradise by the Dashboard Light,” “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” and “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That),” including other Steinman-penned songs like Celine Dion’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now,” Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and Air Supply’s “Making Love Out of Nothing At All.”

They’re all big anthems, which is where Cloer comes in. He has portrayed Frankie Valli in “Jersey Boys” in Las Vegas and on Broadway, taking on the role for more performances than anyone else in history.

“People who come to see this expecting anything close to what I did in ‘Jersey Boys’ are kind of going to get hit over the head with a hammer,” Cloer joked. “The music style is completely different, and I’m playing the bad guy, actually the mean older guy who gets to beat up on all the young kids. It’s a ton of fun. And it’s fun to be able to stretch those creative wings and to grow this way, digging down deep and finding something different in myself.”

Playing his wife in “Bat Out of Hell” is another Vegas stage veteran, Anne Martinez, also one of the strongest singers across the local landscape. Rounding out the other main character cast is Canadian singer Travis Cormier and Las Vegas native Alize Cruz, both making their debut in a major Strip production.

“The cast is out of this world from top to bottom,” Cloer said. “I love Anne and I love being onstage together, and I’ve always been a big fan of hers. To be able to share time with her on these iconic songs is a treat every night.

“And Travis is this young spirit but he has this weight and gravity and soul that Meat Loaf had in his voice. Alize is this beautiful young songbird who belts out these high notes and then brings you into these intimate moments.”

If you are a fan of truly talented singers as well as rock music, this is definitely the Vegas must-see show of the moment. It returns from its holiday break on December 13 at Paris Theater and plays at 7 p.m. nightly except Mondays.

Cloer will be onstage in Las Vegas before that as he’s bringing back his annual holiday show “Christmas at My Place” to the Italian American Club on East Sahara Avenue on December 11. It’s a dinner show and tickets are available at iacvegas.com.

It’s his ninth year singing holiday favorites in Las Vegas, and his special guests this time will include his “Bat” buddy Martinez, Caitlyn Ary from the Moonshiners, and Niki Scalera.

“I call my show ‘Christmas at My Place’ because that’s the name of the holiday record I did a while ago with Keith Thompson, and basically it’s me inviting everyone to my place for a big party with me and the band,” Cloer said. “I’ve got the horn section coming this year so that’s going to be swinging, and I like to keep a great mix of classics mixed in with modern hits as well.”

From Christmas favorites to classic rock, Cloer has you covered.