On 3rd May 2026, the music of legendary songwriter Jim Steinman filled the London Coliseum for Total Eclipse: Symphonic Steinman, a one-night gala celebrating some of his greatest hits.
Bringing together the Orchestra of English National Opera, a live rock band and a line-up of guest vocalists, the concert featured Steinman classics including Bat Out of Hell, Total Eclipse of the Heart, Holding Out for a Hero and It’s All Coming Back to Me Now.
Tasked with bringing the music to life visually was Lighting Designer Jack Weir, whose design was powered by technology from MA Lighting, Astera and MDG.
Lighting a legendary back catalogue
For Weir, Steinman’s unmistakably theatrical catalogue offered plenty of opportunities to create a lighting design that worked closely with the music.
“It’s a great back catalogue of music to apply some complex and beat matched effects to.”
At the heart of the control setup was an MA Lighting grandMA3 full-size, alongside a grandMA3 onPC command wing XT as backup.
When asked about his favourite grandMA3 features, Weir highlighted the flexibility the platform gave the team when programming such a musically driven show:
“The ability to run multiple sequences simultaneously and assign multiple actions in one beat of music.”
The result was a lighting design closely connected to the rhythm and scale of the performance – something also picked up in reviews of the concert, with Weir’s lighting described as “impressive and rhythmic”.
Astera PixelBricks take to the stage
Adding another layer to the design were 22 Astera PixelBricks, positioned along the very front edge of the London Coliseum stage.
While the fixtures were already available to the production from Kinky Boots, Weir highlighted two characteristics of Astera products that proved particularly valuable:
“The reliability of the wireless signal and battery life.”
Their wireless and battery-powered operation provided a practical solution for positioning fixtures right across the stage edge without additional cabling.
Creating consistency with MDG
Atmosphere throughout the performance came courtesy of MDG ATMe haze generators.
Rather than using haze for individual moments, Weir maintained a constant level throughout the concert to ensure the beams remained consistent across the show.
Comparing the ATMe with other haze generators, one thing in particular stood out:
“It gives a brilliant density of haze that seems to sit for much longer.”
Want to find out more about MA Lighting, Astera or MDG? Get in touch with the Ambersphere team to arrange a demo or to find out more information.
Credits:
Lighting Designer: Jack Weir