Starlight Express

Synopsis

The theatre is completely transformed as Rusty (the shy steam engine) races against Greaseball (the flashy diesel locomotive) to win the love of the most beautiful carriage in town, Pearl. Fuses state of the art technology, electrifying songs and music,dazzling sets and costumes. Two hours of speed, spectacle, excitement and energy!

Our Review:

15 May 2012

Fans of Andrew Lloyd Webber often have difficulty defending Starlight Express, his roller-skating juggernaut which ran for 18 years. But, for many people in their 20s and 30s, Starlight was an entry visa to live theatre, coaxed by the spectacle and pop music which was then so rare in popular theatre (but which is now hard to avoid).

Although vastly down-sized from those maximilist days, this new touring production gives a sense of why it was such a landmark and why Trevor Nunn’s original thought of putting it on skates remains one of the great eurekas.

The limitations of the original show remain. The plot (boy train meets girl train, traditional diesel beats flashy electricity) runs in a strange space-time continuum, getting slower as the skating gets faster. The sound still insists on making it as hard as possible to hear Richard Stilgoe’s under-rated lyrics. The music is a festival of drum machines, synth-harmonicas and echoed vocals a...

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Latest User Review

Kirby - 10 July 2012:

I had seen the original starlight express in the 90's and remembered how enjoyable it was, so thought I would go back to see the new version. I have to say I did not enjoy the production at all, the spectacular show that I had seen years ago has now been turned into a cheesy musical! The majority of the original songs have been taken out and the songs that are in it are repeated throughout the performance. It was such a disappointment as I had spent £80 on tickets and at the end felt it was a waste of money. If you have seen the original and loved it please do not go and see the new version as it will be such a let down!...

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