Andrew Lloyd Webber and Richard Stilgoe’s
Starlight Express
is incredibly 34 years old this year.
It holds a special place in my heart, as it as the very first West End show that I saw with its original
cast. And what a cast they were: Jeff Shankley,
Jeffrey Daniel, Frances
Ruffelle, Stephanie Lawrence,
Ray Shell and the amazing
Lon Satton. The flimsy story of a steam engine
who beats all the odds to win a race against
his technically superior rivals has confounded arts critics but has been equally adored
by the paying
public. Its pop / rock
score shaking auditoriums
around the world as the cast on roller skates
zoom around the theatre whilst
singing and dancing,
a mighty feat of interactive
creativity. The original
production was staged
in the converted
Apollo Victoria Theatre in London, where on two levels the actors would be within
touching distance as they whizzed
past. Nothing quite like it has been seen before
or since on that scale in the UK. It ran for an astounding
7,409 performances between
1984 and 2002.
Anybody who saw it would have the size and ambition etched
into their memory,
not to mention
those infernally catchy
Lloyd Webber melodies.
I was lucky in also being able to see the even larger scale Broadway production
at the Gershwin
Theatre, which managed
a reasonable but less impressive
709 performances from 1987 – 1989. And despite a series of scaled down tours using screens to convey the races,
the epic staging
of Starlight has become
a rarity. Due to the immense
cost of converting
venues mostly. However,
the German city of Bochum
has, since 1988, been presenting
the show in its original
glory. The theatre
was especially built to house the production
incorporating the multi level tracks which allow the cast to tell the fairytale in
360 degree splendour.
Now in its 30th year,
it was time to put on my skates and head to the Starlight Express
Theatre to witness what has become a phenomenon in German entertainment. Luckily I had fellow Starlight enthusiast
Phillip Beamon with me so we could nerd out together debating the various changes since we last travelled the railroad. Naturally the show is performed in the German language but to
anyone familiar with the score, this is
of no importance. The show is easily
followed in any language.
Carriages with attitude: Carrie (Vernokia Hammer) Dinah (Rose Ouellette) Pearl (Georgina Hagen) Belle (Rochelle Sherona)
I would think that
Starlight could lay claim to being the Andrew Lloyd Webber show with the most
changes over its three decades. Songs
have come, gone and sometimes returned with baffling regularity. Lloyd Webber originally devised the show to
appeal to his children after a day out on the Valley Railroad, and he has sought to keep it as relevant as
possible to a youthful audience since then. Detailing the various song and
subtle storyline changes over the years would take far more time than I have
available, hardcore fans of the show
debate each change as it happens. Some
loyal to the former version, others embracing new melodic ideas. The creative core of Lord Lloyd Webber, choreographer Arelene Phillips and set and
costume genius John Napier all revisited the show for its 30th
anniversary year and once again rung the changes. Many major upgrades to the sound and lighting
systems were implemented to achieve what Lloyd Webber now calls “the definitive
version” (until he messes with it again obviously).
Electra (Sjoerd van der Meer)
So let’s take a look at
how the show is shaping up in its 30th year in Bochum. As the lights dim and the overture
starts, a magical wave of light sweeps
the auditorium as we hear for the first time the Starlight Express theme. The
voice of a child is heard playing with his toy trains but is then silenced by
his mother who wants him to go to sleep.
But the fantasy is just starting, and into the theatre roll the
international train factions. Turnov
(Russia), Rhurgold (Germany), Expresso
(Italian), Manga (Japan), Coco (France) and the British entry Brexit. But they are only the warm up for the arrival
of the Union Pacific representing the United States – Greaseball. To the driving rock beat of Rolling Stock this alpha male engine cranks up the decibels: “I’m just the
fastest thing you’ll ever see, that
streak of lightning you just missed was me...”
Richard Woodford gives Greaseball the cocky arrogance of the diesel train,
this is a leather Elvis on wheels and Woodford pitches his performance
perfectly as the villain of the piece and with great vocal aplomb.
Its not long before the young steam engine Rusty is whizzing about, telling us all he’s Crazy as he weaves in and
out of the international rail arrivals. His youthful exuberance is captured by
Chorley’s own Daniel Ellison, all winning smile and sweet nature. The larger engines of course mock him for his
old fashioned steam power, (Call
Me Rusty / Nennt mit Rusty). The girls are all looking to hook up with one
of the powerful locomotives as we meet Pearl the observation car, Dinah the dining car, Carrie the luggage van
and Belle, the bar car. They are looking
to be pulled, but definitely not pushed around.
They instruct Pearl in the art of looking after yourself. And here we have a brand new song for the 30th
anniversary of the show in Bochum, I Got Me / Ich bin ich. It’s clear these girls won’t be messed
with, they can do anything their male
counterparts can. Rusty has developed a
crush on Pearl, and she tells him of her dream engine where He’ll Whistle At Me / Pfeife mir zu. Its
now the turn of the heavy duty mob. Freight / Fracht celebrates all the rail
stock who travel with no human passengers.
Rocky I, II and III, Flat-top the
brick truck, Dustin the big hopper and
Caboose. It is one of the most infectious songs of the
evening as the rolling stock extol the virtues 'travellin' with gravel in'. But the
jolly nature of events is about to be cut short. The auditorium has a power failure, and
suddenly through a laser beam arrives Killerwatt, an armaments truck. He heralds the most spectacular entrance of
the show as the huge steel railway bridge springs to life, twisting and
turning, pulsating with light... and from within emerges a superstar challenger -
Electra. Sjoerd van der Meer bristles
with gender fluidity as his opposing currents AC/DC light him up like a Christmas tree. This is Prince on wheels. And he wants everyone to know he is the
future of rail travel. However, Greaseball is still around and gets everyone
rocking again as he demonstrates his diesel infused Pumping
Iron. Naturally Electra and
Greaseball are immediately at loggerheads as race time nears. Despite her love of Rusty, Pearl is torn in her affections Make Up My Heart / Hilf’ Mir verstehen
and eventually opts to race with the flashy Electra. Georgina Hagen as Pearl has a lovely, clear
voice and finds the conflict with Pearl easily, and as such we remain on her
side even though we know she should choose Rusty to race with. The first semi-final race is a fast and
furious affair as the engines race around the theatre auditorium on many levels
– zooming to the upper level and over hydraulic ramps which suddenly
appear. This is as immersive as theatre
gets, literally just a few feet in front
of you as the actors portraying the engines zoom past as incredible speed. Pretty soon is it clear that both Greaseball
and Electra are through to the final race.
As we wait for the second semi-final we get all bluesy with the arrival
of Mama. An older steam train, once a
champion of her day, Mama’s Blues sees the veteran racer in
mellow mood. And this is where we get
Starlight Express royalty – Reva Rice was the original Pearl on Broadway and
has played the role around the world, including the 1993 London cast
recording. And here she is again, this
time as Mama. Her soulful voice easily
conjuring up Mama’s lifetime experience.
Mama decides she will race one
last time and against the odds wins a place in the final although the effort of
racing wipes her out. Rusty desperately
wants to race but is declared a Laughing
Stock / Bummellok by the others, he prays to the mythical Starlight Express for help.
John Napier's amazing set
As Act 2 gets underway, all the engines perform a Rap (this seems to have returned to the original version following many re-writes). When Greaseball chooses Pearl as his racing
partner, Dinah is cruelly rejected. It is the perfect opportunity for a country
ballad – U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D. /
A.B.G.E.H.A.N.G.T is a spoof of the old Tammy Wynette divorce hit and is
given much humour by Rose Ouellette in a finely tuned performance throughout
the show. The final race approaches and Rusty
is racing for Mama, but paired with Caboose who is secretly sabotaging events
to ensure that Greaseball wins. Sure
enough skulduggery on the track forces the race to be abandoned and with a
re-race looming Rusty calls on the Starlight Express once again. The Starlight
Sequence is the emotional highpoint of the show as Mama appears in a beam
of light to inform him that the power of the starlight is within him, and with some stunning ethereal lighting
effects to boost the message home, Rusty
is empowered for one more attempt paired with Dustin the big hopper. The Final is the most fast and furious of all
the races, and initially it looks as
though Rusty and Dustin are behind, with
Greaseball and Electra distracted by trying to outwit one another, as in all the best morality tales Rusty manges to shunt past the finish line first. It’s a case of One Rock ‘n’ Roll Too Many / Ein Rock ‘n’ Roll zu viel for
Greaseball, Electra and Caboose.
Meanwhile Rusty sets off to find Pearl who has long since abandoned her alligeance with the fancier engines but fears she has lost Rusty in the process. Here we get the latest love duet for the
show. On various recordings it is Only He
(Has The Power To Move Me) or Next Time We Fall In Love. But the latest addition is now I Do or Fur Immer in the German production.
Written by Lloyd Webber’s son Alistair and lyricist Nick Cole, it’s a
nice piece of Euro-pop. The show ends
with an optimistic message from Mama via a fine piece of uplifting gospel Light At The End Of The Tunnel / Licht am Enda des tunnels
The light at the end of the tunnel
It’s fair to say that
despite the superb performances of Woodford, Hagen, Ellison, Rice, Ouellette
and van der Meer in the leads this is an ensemble show of the highest order. Everyone
of the 28 strong cast play vital roles in establishing the world of the
trains, it is a thrilling team to
watch. Lets not forget the band either, an
eight piece band tear through one of Lloyd Webber’s most infectious scores
with zeal. The other major star of the
show is the set itself, having seen John
Napier’s designs in action in London and New York, I think this is my favourite
setting of them all. It is just enormous enough to convey the wonder of the rail yards but retain an intimacy
for the audience. Goodness knows how the
performers manage to get up to such speeds on the tracks wearing the beautifully
sculpted helmets that Napier has designed for them.
In many ways this show
is impossible to describe to anyone who has not seen it. You have to be there, and you have to see it more than once as so
much is happening in all parts of the theatre. Arelene Phillips dance and movement in the show manage somehow to convince us that we are watching the personalities and movement of trains. Its uncanny.
34 years ago I was lucky enough to see the show during its early days,
now with several different productions under my belt, I have found the show in
better shape than ever. Andrew Lloyd
Webber and Richard Stilgoe have created a fantasy for adults and children alike, and on this evidence there is no stopping
these engines. I expect to find it in
Bochum in another 30 years (FCUK...I’ll be in my 80s by then) If you have not seen Starlight Express before
then you need to. It was totally unique in
1984 and it is just as unique in 2018.
Although rumours of a re-staging in London abound, you will be hard
pushed to find a better night out in the West End or Broadway than is currently
playing nightly in Bochum. Bravo to all involved. You have stolen the hearts of two Brit Starlighters. We shall return!
