TOTAL ECLIPSE
London Coliseum
★★★
“This has been a spectacular concert”
Most people, when they hear the name of the late composer and lyricist Jim Steinman, immediately picture the motorcycle bursting out of a graveyard, watched over by the looming figure of a giant bat perched on a tombstone. The iconic imagery of the album cover has become almost as famous as the songs themselves on Meat Loaf’s “Bat Out of Hell” album released back in 1977. Early presses prominently credit Steinman with the phrase ‘Songs by Jim Steinman’ appearing under the main title, highlighting his role as the composer, lyricist and creator of the concept. His output, however, extends far beyond the debate of what ‘that’ thing was he wouldn’t do for love (despite claiming to do anything). Other acts and artists he composed for include Barbara Streisand, Céline Dion, Barry Manilow, Yvonne Elliman, Sisters of Mercy, Air Supply and Bonnie Tyler… among others; including himself as a solo artist. According to Steinman, he turned down Andrew Lloyd Webber’s invitation to write the lyrics for ‘Phantom of the Opera’. Still – we have ‘Whistle Down the Wind’ instead, so all is not lost.
Five years (give or take a month) after he passed away, a tribute to Steinman bursts onto the stage of the London Coliseum in much the same way as Meatloaf’s motorbike, with bombast, demonic grandiloquence and fiery energy. Dubbed a ‘symphonic celebration’, it features the ENO Orchestra and an impressive line-up of West End names. It is an event that, despite being an extravaganza for the devoted, overplays its purpose if not its significance.
“Total Eclipse” is a one night only concert, with no indication of where it might be heading next, as though pre-empting Steinman’s song ‘All Revved Up with No Place to Go’ (which doesn’t make the set list by the way). With over forty musicians in the orchestra, a sextet of backing singers, a six-piece rock band and ten lead performers, the sound is suitably anthemic and surprisingly clear given what would have been a fringe-scale tech time for the show. We only really hear Rob Barron’s piano playing in the quieter moments, and occasionally the singers are swamped, but who wouldn’t be with this backing? Still, Harry Graetorex’s sound design is a masterful juggling act with the balance.
Complete with an overture and entr’acte, the set has pretensions to follow some sort of narrative, but it cannot escape the shackles of being a showcase for the singers. All of them rise to the occasion, with a quality and range of emotion and tone that highlights the material. Unfortunately, absolutely nothing exists between the musical numbers, and Christopher D. Clegg directs the evening like a roll call of auditionees. We almost expect the cry of ‘next’ in the brief gaps in the music.
Glenn Adamson opens with ‘Bad for Good’, his swagger still clinging onto him following his West End and global performance of Strat in the musical ‘Bat out of Hell’. Solos and duets follow suit. Tyce Green and Natalie May Paris belt out ‘Good Girls Go to Heaven’. Karine Hannah performs ‘Safe Sex’ (a song from Steinman’s concept album, ‘Original Sin’) with a velvet voice that soars through every crescendo of the power ballad. Zoe Birkett has charisma and energy every time she steps onto the stage (particularly during ‘Dead Ringer for Love’ where she out-Chers Cher in sheer bravado). Danielle Steers gives a gorgeous Bond-themed rendition of ‘Catwoman’s Song’ from Steinman’s ill-fated ‘Batman: The Musical’. There is no particular highlight – each performance reaches the rafters as much as the next – although the stage time is a touch unbalanced. Singer ‘Red’ appears just the once for a classy ‘Holding Out for a Hero’ that closes the first act.
The second act pulses along in the same vein, albeit with more crowd pleasers and more recognisable numbers. ‘Bat Out of Hell’, ‘Paradise by the Dashboard Light’ and ‘I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)’ could all fill a stadium. Jack Weir’s impressive and rhythmic lighting has the same aspirations, although the stunning guitar solos, when they ring out, remain in the half shadows of the pit. Rob Barron, at the piano, fares better, especially during his solo medley for the wittily title ‘Pray Lewd’ – one of the softer, more nuanced, moments of the show.
Of course, the finale (a built-in, pre-arranged encore) is ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ (the clue is in the title), during which the full cast return one by one to the stage. This has been a spectacular concert. But we’re left a bit shortchanged by its blatant self-celebration, and we’re wondering where Jim Steinman fits into it all. He barely gets a mention. There’s no reference, context or attempt at a narrative. The overpriced, ad-filled, souvenir programme sheds no further light. Likewise, “Total Eclipse” is a glossy catalogue of a show.
Nevertheless, it is a very finely crafted tribute to the music, if not the man. We come away, reminded of the wealth of Steinman’s output that spanned contemporary rock, dance, pop, musical theatre and film. The accomplished performances have wedged the tunes firmly in our ears and our heads – but maybe not quite our hearts. But, hey, ‘Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad’.
TOTAL ECLIPSE
London Coliseum
Reviewed on 3rd May 2026
by Jonathan Evans
