Starlight Express first opened on 27th March 1984 and had since become the second longest running musical in the West End after Cats, and so many of its fans are mourning the shows demise at the Apollo Victoria Theatre.

Whether you like it or not there is no denying that a show that runs for eighteen years has to be something special and Starlight Express is that. It has some breathtaking skating routines and terrific songs, a truly great action packed spectacle and now it has gone I feel the West End has lost some of its diversity and maybe a little of its energy.

The last night was an emotional one for everyone - audience, performers and backstage staff alike. This is probably why the show was not at its best and there were some lacklustre performances, particularly poor was Trevor Michael George as ‘Poppa’, who was straining on the high notes, either he was overcome with emotion or he had a bad throat? However, nothing was wrong with Mark McGee as ‘Rusty’. He has an incredibly powerful voice and boy does he blast it out!

However, the performance did not matter too much as everyone was just enjoying the moment of being part of something special. I must admit to feeling emotional myself, even though I’m not a great fan of this musical, which shows by the fact I’ve only seen the show four times, many others in the audience have seen it tens of times, some hundreds. You could spot the real fans as many of them were wearing their various Starlight Express costumes, giving the place a party atmosphere.

Andrew Lloyd Webber took to the stage as the final curtain fell on his musical along with Trevor Nunn (Director), Arlene Philips (Choreographer), Richard Stilgoe (Lyricist), John Napier (Designer) and David Hersey (Lighting). After a standing ovation from the audience, Lloyd Webber said that Starlight Express would continue, in the near future, with a national tour and said: “I promise it's never going to go away at all for any length of time. We will find a way of doing it again."

Lloyd Webber wrote the show for his two children who are now in their 20s. They were both at the final performance. He said the objective of the musical was to attract young children to the theatre and in this Starlight excelled.

The show ended at the Apollo Victoria in London after 7,406 performances and had attracted more than eight million people and taken in excess of £140 million at the box office.

I felt privileged to witness the last night of this great musical and feel the West End will miss this show, but of course not for long and that is the strength of the theatre capital of the world.

(Darren Dalglish)

Some other Statistics as of 12th Jan 02....

27,600 pairs of skate laces, 27,000 skate wheels, 23,000 toe stops and 5,500 false eyelashes have been used since the show opened.

The original London production cost £2.25m to put on, used 750 gallons of paint and varnish, six miles of timber, two and a half acres of sheet wood and 60 tonnes of steel.

Among the most dedicated fans are the Pearson family, who allegedly watched the show every week for the last five years, and Sally Bliault, from Jersey, and Keryna Thorne-Booth who has seen over 800 performances.

An estimated 16.5 million people have watched the show in the UK, United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Germany and Mexico.

More than £140m has been taken at the London box office, with a further £310m earned worldwide.

24 people have appeared on stage every night, with more than 200 involved in putting the show on.

The top speed recorded by a skater was 40 mph during a rehearsal.

In November 1992, every aspect of the production was re-worked. The show was re-directed, re-choreographed, re-lit and the set was refurbished.

Review by Darren Dalglish
4th Oct 97

Starlight Express has music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. The show is directed by Trevor Nunn and produced by The Really Useful Theatre Company.

Starlight Express first opened on 27th March 1984 and has since become the second longest running musical in the West End after Cats. Since November 1992 every aspect of the production has been re-worked. The show has been re-directed, re-choreographed, re-lit and the set has been thoroughly refurbished and five new songs have been added.

This show is a fun and exciting extravaganza with some great songs and an incredible set. It also has some breathtaking skating routines that are full of energy. Starlight Express is firmly aimed at a younger audience, but it is a show that all the family can enjoy. As soon as you enter the theatre you are mesmerised by the wonderful set design by the talented John Napier. All around the auditorium are skate tracks twisting around the seating area on both levels. The whole place has a buzz about it before the show even starts, and when the show does start it is action all the way.

The story concerns a racing competition between steam, diesel and electric trains. The trains are played by men and their carriages played by women, and all of them are on roller-skates. Which type of train will win? The old-fashioned steam train or maybe one of the modern trains? It is wonderful escapism and a must for train spotters!!

There are around 40 cast members who all work very hard to keep the show moving with such delicate timing. I could not fault any of the performers, as all were superb. James Gillan as 'Rusty' has a great voice that reaches out and touches you. How he can sing like that and skate I do not know? Also outstanding were Spencer Stafford as 'Electra' and Nigel Casy, who really did look the part as ' Greaseball'.

What makes Starlight Express such a great evening's entertainment is its originality and great energy. It will not appeal to everyone's taste and there are a lot of tacky scenes, but it sure is a breathtaking evening's entertainment. Everyone should see this show at least once!

( Darren Dalglish)

Review by Gary Mack / GMack24524@aol.com
1st March 1999

I last saw 'Starlight Express" on the London stage about 9 years ago, but on an unexpected visit to London last Monday, 1st March with my family. We decided to take advantage of our visit and take in a show. Our two sons aged 13/15 had not seen the show before and this was really the reason for making this choice of show. We had not made a booking for tickets which meant relying on either, the theatre box office/Half Price Ticket Booth or other agents.

I was in Victoria and made an enquiry as to availability, I was advised and surprised to be informed that there were tickets at all prices. Having had previous experience with the show, I was hoping for tickets in the (paddock area), this was not available. However we were offered seats at £21.00 in the front stalls to the left of the stage from the audience's view.

As the time came for curtain up (or should I say Skates on)  I had reservations at seeing the new "Starlight Express" mainly due to me seeing the original production four times. I was also very much aware of cast changes, on my previous visits I had seen the role of Poppa played by Lon Satton, who I understand had played the role in London on numerous occasion's.

Well, my congratulations to the current cast of the new "Starlight Express" they put as much energy into their performances as when I last visited the show  9 years ago, and laid my fears to rest soon after the opening of the show. I do feel however that the start of the original production seeing what seems to be a train coming towards the audience, was by far better than the new "Starlight Express" opening. The songs old and new seem as powerful as ever in particular the new songs. I would very much recommend this show, as a good family day or eveing out at the theatre....

(Gary Mack)

Next review by Jason L Belne / jbelne@zip.sbi.com
23rd Sept 96

As you walk into the auditorium, you know it you are not about to experience a conventional night at the theatre. John Napier's adventurous set sprawls around the entire theatre, you have to walk across a level crossing to get into the stalls, you are surrounded by model trains in the walls whizzing about, the railway track winds its way around the entire theatre, through the stalls , around the back of the stalls, around the dress circle, and all this is joined up by an enormous iron railway bridge suspended in the centre of the stage. It is impressive to say the least, and that is before the lights, hydraulics, lasers and fibre optics go into operation.

Starlight Express takes place in the imagination of a young boy playing with his train sets. The locomotives, box cars and freight trucks are played the men, the carriages by the women, all of whom are on roller-skates. They glide around the set with ease, sometimes at great speeds. The story is centred around the races taking place between the trains, and the battle between old fashioned steam engines and their modern diesel and electric counterparts. The trains also have a fairly eventful lovelife!

It was great to see Ray Shell (who created the role of Rusty in the original production) back as Poppa, the Blues singing steam engine. He has a great voice and was well suited to the part. Anne Jane Casey as Pearl had a nice voice but seemed to have a little breathing difficulty when singing and skating simultaneously. Claudia Bradley as Dinah, the dining car was excellent and got the most out of a great comedy part. I was surprised to learn that she was an understudy! The weak link seemed to be Chris Lennon as Electra. He is given an enormous build up prior to his entrance, but it was unfortunately wasted. As well as being fairly weak in character, there was also the problem of his costume which seemed to have been missed when the production was updated. Instead of a state of the art piece of electronic equipment, he looked more like a cheap import from Taiwan!

Andrew Lloyd Webber's music, and Richard Stilgoe's lyrics are simple, although effective. Arlene Phillips' choreography beautifully emulates the motion of trains, and is the key to the high level of energy you feel coming across the footlights.

This is a revamped version of the original 1984 productions with five new songs, and a "Starlight Megamix"at the end. It is the second longest running musical in British theatre history (Cats is the first) and it is easy to see why. This is a feel-goodmusical, exceptionally visual, with catchy tunes and a fun plot. If you have children, this is a show they will definitely enjoy. If you are a big kid at heart (like me), you will too!
( Jason L Belne )