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

Photography by Danny Kaan

TOTAL ECLIPSE

★★★★★

“Raw, tense and full of dark humour”

At one point in Joe Penhall’s scathing drama, “Blue/Orange”, junior psychiatrist Dr Flaherty asks her patient “Are you out of your mind?”. A little later, her senior consultant asks the very same question of her. This subtle yet significant repetition is typical of Penhall’s writing, in which every word of the script counts. Set entirely within the confines of a hospital meeting room, this sharp and gripping drama turns the tables with dizzying frequency. It is fitting that director Lydia Sax has staged it in the round, allowing the audience to view the dramatic perspectives from every angle. Her expert and concise staging brings each shifting viewpoint into sharp focus.

Written at the turn of the millennium, the narrative focuses on the power battles between the senior consultant Dr Smith (Ciaran Corsar) and the trainee doctor Flaherty (Muireann Gallen). Central to their conflict is the question of whether to release Christopher (Andre Bullock), a patient who believes he is the son of dictator Idi Amin. The script is a quarter of a century old now, but it is striking how much it feels as though it could have been written yesterday. Only small details – such as smoking indoors – remind us of the period setting. Its relevance today still rings loud and clear as it explores mental health, racism, and the power struggles within a crumbling NHS. And by switching the role of Dr Flaherty from the original male to a female character, Sax has added further dimensions that touch on sexism and chauvinism too.

The setting is as stark as the outlook. Just two chairs and a table, on which sits a bowl of oranges. The scenes are punctuated by Gabriel Burns’ punchy soundscape, while his lighting frames the action with a claustrophobic clinicalism. The oranges are bathed in a shaft of blue light. There is more than one reality going on here. Is Christopher’s subjective truth any less real than the medical consensus?

Christopher has been diagnosed with ‘borderline personality disorder’. The key is in the first word. In the play, many borderlines are crossed: professional, personal and political. And consequently, our sympathies are dragged, kicking and screaming, in many directions. It becomes possible to see the other sides clearly and agree with everything even while opposing them. Of course, this verbal chicanery relies on outstanding casting, and this is where this production certainly comes up trumps. Andre Bullock portrays Christopher with outstanding authenticity and attention to detail. Simple tics, restless leg jittering lend physicality to an emotional and mood-swinging excavation of his character that is frighteningly genuine. Dr Flaherty is initially sympathetic to him, despite being intent on upping his sectioning from level two to three in order to detain him further. Gallen’s initially bright-eyed portrayal captures the duplicity remarkably well, uncovering even darker sides as she falls deeper and deeper into the traps she, and others, have dug for her. Corsar, as the man in charge, more openly lays his motives on the table. Dr Smith wants Christopher out, mainly to free up a bed in the hospital. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. Corsar’s powerhouse performance waver’s wildly between haughty reasoning and undisguised manipulation.

Christopher is ultimately a victim, not so much of his condition as the failings of the system that is supposed to treat him. The more Flaherty and Smith circle each other, the more Christopher is caught in the web. It is a powerful indictment, representing the cycle of failure that still spins to this day. That Penhall offers no resolve, no way out, is integral to the story. What saves the play from doom and gloom is the inherent humour and satire, of which the cast have an expert grasp. It doesn’t soften the blows. In fact, it gives them a clearer hook. The racism is shocking, but more shocking is how the two professionals use it as weapons against each other. We are brought back to mind to the question “are you out of your mind?”. Ironically, the person that this is least relevant to is the patient.

“Blue/Orange” is utterly compelling. Raw, tense and full of dark humour, it remains topical for many reasons. You come away almost believing that oranges could be blue, such is the power and authority that this cast bring to the stage. Urgent and entertaining – administered in one potent prescription.

Tag Archives: theatre

TOTAL ECLIPSE

★★★

London Coliseum

TOTAL ECLIPSE

London Coliseum

★★★

“This has been a spectacular concert”