Starlight Express
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Introduction
Starlight Express is a sung-through rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) and Richard Stilgoe (lyrics), with later revisions by Don Black and David Yazbek.
Conceived in the late 1970s by Lloyd Webber as a fairytale for his then young children, Starlight Express is loosely based on the American fable, The Little Engine That Could and through its initial production in London’s West End, became one of the Mega Musicals of the 1980s.
Productions
London
The initial production opened at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, London on March 27 1984, directed by Trevor Nunn with choreography by Arlene Phillips and design by John Napier. The theatre was heavily rebuilt to include a race track that extends into the stalls and around the front of the dress circle on which the characters 'race'. In November 1992, the London production was re-launched featuring heavy revisions to material, partly influenced by the subsequent productions described below. Christened The New Starlight Express, the production closed on January 12 2002, having played 7406 performances.
Broadway, New York
On 15 March 1987, a second production opened at the Gershwin Theatre, New York, featuring revisions to the show’s plot and musical numbers including the addition of the new songs, Engine of Love and Make Up My Heart. It lasted 761 performances.
Bochum, Germany
In May 1988, a third production opened at a specially built venue, the Starlighthalle, in Bochum, Germany. As of April 2006 it is still playing and on 5 April played to its 11,111,111th visitor.
Japan/Australia Tour
In 1987, a large scale production, in-the-round toured arenas in Japan and Australia.
1st North American Tour
In 1990, a downscaled production toured in the US and Canada.
Las Vegas
On 14 September 1993, a production opened at the Las Vegas Hilton, which played until 30 November 1997 before being replaced by Star Trek: The Experience. The show was shortened to 90 minutes in length with no interval, with much of the material cut to shorten the show.
Starlight on Ice
A completely re-designed production played in the United States in 1997. The soundtrack was entirely pre-recorded, the performers onstage being mostly non-singers who mimed along whilst performing a set heavy on choreography.
Mexico City
From December 1997 to February 1998, a Spanish-language production played at the Teatro Polanco in Mexico City. A cast recording was made but owing to complications with the rights, never officially released.
2nd US Tour
Following the closure of the London production, Lloyd Webber announced a new production to open in Biloxi in 2003. Entitled Starlight Express: The Third Dimension, the touring production was a downscaled and shortened version of the show, with further revisions to the material by the American lyricist David Yazbeck including a new song, A Whole Lotta Locomotion, in place of A Lotta Locomotion and a more updated Rap. Owing to the restrictions of touring theatres, the production commissioned digital video company Inition to produce high definition race footage in 3D to replace the live racing.
UK Tour
In late 2004, a non-equity tour based largely on the 2nd US Tour opened in Sunderland. As of April 2006 it is still touring.
Amateur Productions
The first amateur production was mounted in April 2006 by Fairfield High School in Fairfield, Ohio. The show wasn't previously licensed to non-professional groups, but one of the directors, Jay Muldoon, wrote to Andrew Lloyd Webber and received the rights to do the first amateur performance. This performance was taped for use by future amateur theatres.
Plot
Image:StExRollingStock.jpg Although the material has been heavily altered since the original production, the overarching plot remains the same: in a child’s dream, a racing tournament between trains is won by Rusty, a young steam train, against more modern engines (including the reigning champion, the Union Pacific, Greaseball and a new competitor, an electric engine, Electra) along with the heart of an observation car, Pearl.
