Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Space Theatre Stage. 18 Jun 2016
The hook for me to see this fascinating show was that I was in the middle of high school all hormones a'leaping when Bat Out Of Hell was released in 1977. There was no better way to get revved up for a night on the turps with the boys in downtown Toronto than a few doobies, a number of brewskis, and a nostril-flaring good long listen to Meat Loaf waxing lyrically on motorcycles and mayhem. Even the album cover sets the heart aflutter. I'm listening to it now as I write, decades later, and I'm re-palpitating. However, I wasn't that interested then in the fine print - "Songs by Jim Steinman." (Two years of "seeing paradise by the dashboard light" were followed by the break-up with the only girl I went out with in high school. I returned to the album to boozily lament with Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad, but that's another story.)
In a return to the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Toby Francis opened excitingly with the eponymous song from the album, accompanied by musical director and arranger Andrew Worboys banging away at the piano. There was nobody else on stage at this point and the wall of sound of recorded percussion and God-knows-what-else nearly masked the fact that Toby might have forgotten to turn on the wireless on his Fender Stratocaster. No matter, it wasn't needed much in that song and was noticeable soon enough.
Toby introduced himself as Jim Steinman and the narrative of the show was Jim writing and trying to get his work-in-progress rock musical, Neverland - based on Peter Pan - off the ground a few years after Bat Out Of Hell. Toby, aided sometimes by vivacious vamp diva Josie Lane, belted out some songs from the stillborn musical with frightening energy. Josie performed very passionately, to say the least. Along the way we are introduced to famous Steinman songs, like A Total Eclipse Of The Heart (Bonnie Tyler's biggest career hit), and Making Love Out Of Nothing At All (first released by Air Supply in 1983). Toby paints a portrait of a misunderstood musical genius, embittered by disputes and discouraging remarks. Toby's own genius must be recognised in realising that Steinman is a great story to tell, and sampling his oeuvre in an hour-long narrative is a remarkable feat. A perusal on Wikipedia of Steinman's six decades of musicology spun my head, it is so rich in projects and musical relationships. Not only that, Steinman's work is pop-Wagner, and Toby and Andrew, with Josie, raise voices to the occasion and put on quite a show.
They bookended with the pop duet You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night) from Bat Out Of Hell to highly appreciative customer approval - mostly everybody knew the words when invited to sing along. Bravo!
PS Newsflash - Toby Francis has been cast to play Charlie in the Australian premiere season of the Broadway and West End hit, Kinky Boots, at Melbourne's Her Majesty's Theatre in October 2016.
David Grybowski
When: 18 to 19 June
Where: Space Theatre
Bookings: adelaidecabaretfestival.com.au
