Details revealed for Starlight Express revival in London

Further details have been confirmed for the London return of Starlight Express.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical is about a child’s train set that comes to life and competes to become the fastest engine in the world. It opened at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in 1984, and closed in 2002. It has been running in Bochum, Germany for over 30 years, and has been seen by more than 20 million people.

The musical has music by Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. The actors famously perform on rollerskates, and the original choreography was by Arlene Phillips.

Luke Sheppard (The Little Big Things) directs, while Tim Hatley (Back to the Future) will be designing the sets, with Gabriella Slade (Six) on costume design and Phillips part of the creative team, alongside video designer Andrzej Goulding (Life of Pi), lighting designer Howard Hudson (& Juliet) and sound designer Gareth Owen (MJ the Musical) with new orchestrations and musical supervision by Matthew Brind. It has new choreography by Ashley Nottingham (Pacific Overtures).

The production, running at a bespoke venue at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, is set to feature a cast of 40, expected to “whizz around and above” the audience. Spectators are able to sit either around and inside the “racing track”, or behind the performance space on a more conventional rake.

Performances begin on 8 June 2024, with priority tickets now available ahead of a general on-sale on 9 November.

There will be shows from Wednesdays to Sundays, with matinees on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays most weeks. There are additional matinees on Wednesdays on 26 June, and from 24 July until the end of August 2024.

The production is currently booking until 13 October 2024, with prices from £29.50 to £150. Seats inside the “racing track”, billed as “First Class Carriage” seats, will move during the show.

Sunday performances take place at 1pm and 5.30pm, with other shows at 2.30pm and 7.30pm.

Captioned, BSL-interpreted and audio-described performances will take place throughout this initial booking period on 6 and 9 October.

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