Moncton-born singer hits Las Vegas like a Bat Out of Hell

Moncton's Travis Cormier was doing a tour with his band in Montreal and like a bat out of hell, he was moving to Las Vegas to star in a rock musical.

"They asked me to just belt out a bunch of Meat Loaf songs on a Zoom call in my living room at home in Montreal, so I did that. And then the next thing you know, like a couple days later, I'm moving to Vegas and doing this really awesome, big musical," said Cormier. 

The musical is called Bat Out of Hell: The Musical and is based on the Meat Loaf Bat Out of Hell trilogy of albums. It premiered in Las Vegas on Oct. 7. 

Motorcycles and explosions are only some of the elements that make the musical, along with iconic ballads from Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf. 

Cormier plays the leading role of Strat, a young leader of a rebellious gang. During the show, he falls in love with Raven, the daughter of a "tyrannical ruler."

"I've been here a couple of weeks and I still pinch myself. I'm like, 'am I really doing this?' I'm living in Vegas now doing this show. It's just incredible," he said. 

He said when he found out he got the role, it was exciting but also "crazy" because he had to move with only a few days' notice. But Cormier said when opportunities like that show up, he has to take them. 

The show was a little outside his comfort zone since he hadn't done much acting in the past, said Cormier. But the songs were familiar to him since he's been singing that type of a music for a while. 

Going with the flow

He said the experience is serving as a learning and growing opportunity.

Cormier said it doesn't even feel like he's playing a character when he takes to the stage as Strat. He's a big rock fan already, loving artists like Kiss and Motley Crue, and he calls the show "larger than life."

On opening night, Cormier said he wanted to cry tears of happiness when he looked around at everyone involved. He said the way everyone worked together to put on the show was "magical."

Cormier plans to be in the show for a year at this point, but he says he's just going to go with the flow. 

"If you would have asked me two months ago where I would be, I definitely wouldn't have guessed here. So I just trust the process. I trust, you know, life will guide me wherever I have to be," said Cormier. "But right now, I think I'm in the right place, and I'm just super happy to be here."