With ten vocalists, the Orchestra of English National Opera (ENO), and a live rock band, Total Eclipse blasted into the London Coliseum last night in a symphonic celebration of the music of Jim Steinman.
Curiously, Steinman is not given a bio or timeline in the programme, so let’s get up to speed. He was an American composer and record producer, born in 1947. Known for his work with Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler, he died in 2021.
Total Eclipse covers his work with both artists, as well as some songs associated with Air Supply and Pandora’s Box, plus a couple of numbers composed for film, and even the unproduced Batman The Musical.
We are treated to 17 tracks throughout the night, definitely skewed towards material included in the various iterations of the stage musical Bat Out of Hell, a musical that has developed a devoted cult following.
The cast here includes alumni from that show, notably Glenn Adamson and Danielle Steers. Producer of Total Eclipse, Tyce Green, worked for several years with Steinman, and his solo album Hero is represented here.
Adamson takes us back to 1981 and Steinman’s only studio album, Bad for Good, with the title track: a brave opener of lesser appeal than the big hitters that mainly appear in act two.
But these performers have energy, skill and style, and the range of songs is well arranged – mainly by tonight’s conductor, Jack Bennett – and chosen.
Highlights include Green and Natalie May Paris with “Good Girls Go To Heaven”, Steers with the sultry “Catwoman’s Song”, Red’s pulsing and vivacious “Holding Out For a Hero” and any contribution by the fantastic Zoe Birkett (remember Streets of Fire, film-lovers?).
The poignant and passionate “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” may be closely associated with Celine Dion, but Green and Christina Bianco rock it up here, while Karine Hannah finds her inner Bonnie Tyler, closing the show with “Total Eclipse of the Heart”.
Robbie Waugh and Grant Zavitkovsky complete the vocalist line-up, with their solo pieces coming across well and adding contrast to the more showy performances of Adamson and Green.
Like the best rock concert, Total Eclipse is driven along by the power of the band – pianist Rob Barron, bass Phil Donnelly, keyboards Andrew Jones, drums Doug Harper, guitars Tim Rose and Rob Updegraff, and tenor sax Damon Oliver.
Teaming an orchestra with amplified instruments is always a risk, and a couple of times the flutes and brass were a little overpowered by drums and guitar, but the combination fitted the theme – a cheeky little solo for Barron also worked well.
Finally, Capital Voices provided a six-person backing from the best in the business, and Jack Weir‘s lighting design transformed a sprawling Coliseum into an atmospheric arena.
If I were to change one thing, it would be to have someone introducing each artist – it happened haphazardly with a bit of guesswork needed; the set list in the programme also missed out ‘who sang what’.
If you are a fan of Steinman, Meat Loaf, or rock music in general, you would have a good time at Total Eclipse. Whether bopping in your seats or holding your phone torch aloft to offer a sea of lights, this was a definite audience pleaser.
I’m giving it 4 stars.
Total Eclipse played for one night only on 3 May. For more details see the show’s Instagram – for more on Steinman, check out this website.