I just saw the STARLIGHT EXPRESS revival | all the changes made to the new West End production

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OHMYGOD HEY!
Tonight marks the first preview performance of a brand new production of STARLIGHT EXPRESS, at the Troubadour Theatre in Wembley Park, London.
This West End Revival of the popular musical, which currently still runs in Bochum, Germany, features a new staging by Luke Sheppard (The Little Big Things, & Juliet) and costume design by Gabriella Slade (Six, The Cher Show) as well as new material including different characters, brand new music and alterations to the plot.
I was lucky enough to find myself at the show's open dress rehearsal prior to the first public performance and I'm sharing everything I learned about the show without giving you specific spoilers about this production's staging elements or the storyline - check it out!
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00:00 | introduction
04:08 | the set design
07:47 | the costumes
09:52 | the production
11:45 | the characters
18:11 | the plot / songs
22:43 | the experience
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#musical #starlightexpress #theatre

[@cannibalisticrequiem]

Still waiting on that "Drunkenly Explaining Starlight Express" video with you dressed up as a train! 😂

[@Nikkishops2022]

NEED this!

[@emergingmuses]

I would legitimately PAY to see this video happen hahahaha

[@ChasingPavenents1995]

As a stage manager, this show, as a concept, STRESSES ME OUT. Can you imagine the reaction when ALW told the team of the original production they’d be on roller skates??

[@leti720]

I just love how in every ALW video we get the AWL merch toys

[@MickeyJoTheatre]

I love that you noticed!

[@emhu2594]

​@@MickeyJoTheatre you should prop up the programs of all the ALW shows you've seen in the bookshelf behind you.

[@Charlotte-ci4is]

NEVER CLICKED SO FAST IN MY LIFE!! I've booked tickets for August, and having had a manic starlight express obsession a few years ago I'm actually so excited. (although nothing will beat the original production, they will never replace you CB😢)

[@Baconlettucetomatoe]

It is absolutely nothing like the original so the comparison can’t even be made. It was truly awful. So so so terribly disappointed. I want to remove it from my memory forever, they have ruined starlight express’ legacy

[@TheFirstDove]

I loved CB at the Apollo!!

[@kittymae335]

I had a manic starlight express obsession a few years ago too and it actually made me start doing roller derby lmao

[@evaa-w5399]

Loved when they changed the British train to Brexit in the German production 😂😂

[@caseywiththehat9018]

Also Electra has always been a more gender-neutral character! I mean, He Whistled at Me (Reprise) hints that Electra is male-presenting without “the apparatus” (insane lyric) and AC/DC was nearly explicitly about bisexuality. It’s nice that they fully committed

[@drewleighscrumptious6072]

This is the comment I came for!

[@sweeney60]

Mickey wearing Mickey? That is so narcissistic, I respect it immensely 😉

[@Lighting_Desk]

Lets hope webber doesn't treat this cast like he did the Cinderella.

[@siobhantaylor1563]

Very much. A huge number of the cast are making their professional debut.

[@PS-DLMA]

He treated Cinderella same he did Patti during Sunset

[@evaa-w5399]

Reva Rice is still playing Mama in Bochum ❤❤, I watched her in London in 1996 as Pearl

[@butterbook]

What happened to Poppa??? DEI strikes again???

[@evaa-w5399]

@@butterbook guess they wanted to make the old ttsin female

[@mee5780]

​@butterbook Saw the show in London last night. It's just beyond me why they've changed both Greaseball and Poppa to a woman. The whole show was thoroughly disappointing.

[@samparsons3845]

And Reva is still as incredible today as she was back then!!

[@drewleighscrumptious6072]

@@mee5780saw this last night 13\06. I think Momma works perfectly, and is in keeping with the new start to the show. My concern with Greaseball was that the voice of the actor was not strong enough. GB is one of ALW’s Elvis types, macho and posturing, the actor we saw didn’t give that kind of energy and she seemed to be struggling.

[@Almaviva1001]

The biggest tip for audiences is YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE AUDITORIUM during the performance as you would have to cross the train tracks (which is never a good idea).

[@biggest_stex_fan]

But wasn't that normal in all the former productions? In Bochum, it's also like that but it isn't a Problem. The first act is 1 hour 10 Minutes and you can wait that long. The second one is 50 minutes. How long is it in London?

[@Almaviva1001]

@@biggest_stex_fan Good point. It was less of an issue in the original London production as most people wouldn't need to cross a track to leave the auditorium. In this new production almost everyone would have to walk some way along a track to get to an exit.

[@biggest_stex_fan]

@Almaviva1001 how long are the two Acts? In Germany, it is 70 Minutes an 55 Minutes approximately

[@josephlim6854]

@@biggest_stex_fanroughly the same. Last night they had to stop the show during first act due to an audience member’s health emergency. We at first thought someone stepped on the track to go to restroom but that wasn’t the case.

[@biggest_stex_fan]

@josephlim6854 oh wow, that happens in Germany "often" but in the first show...

[@grantnjie-cv5ef]

This was the first musical I saw when I was 10 yrs old, and I immediately became a superfan because atmospherically that show was like nothing else I've seen since. I'm based in Spain now, so there is very much a sense of me living vicariously through your updates until I take to my own seats in July. Thanks Mickeyjotheatre

[@BellePullman]

gotta say - the original Lotta Locomotion was a cute, bouncy introduction to these characters with a bit of cheeky double-entendre. Whole Lotta was "I need a big hot powerful engine with all the thrust" - and the German lyrics went as far as "A coach is made to be the prize for the winner". No... no. Replacing that was needed, but the original version was not problematic! The thing about Starlight Express is the way the show has constantly been evolving, there's not the same sense of "Replica" and "Non-Replica" as you see in other shows. Cats, for example, this New York Jellicle Ballroom production is an alternate universe. It's a fascinating take on the show, but there's no suggestion that the Ballroom setting will replace the Junkyard set for the standard. Sunset Boulevard is not, from now on, always going to be black and bloodied and full of cameras. But Starlight, every time changes are made, that becomes the standard. The old material is scrapped and usually gone for good.

[@Charlotte-ci4is]

My point exactly! With just a little adjusting a lotta locomotion would be fine! And it's not like sexual songs don't exist on the West end... Take moulin rouge or grease for example. Sometimes the source material doesn't need to be changed.

[@faith4disney]

I am a lotta locomotion truther 😭 That version has so much potential

[@CassetteVCR]

Slight correction, the caboose character was *originally* named CB (presumably both as a reference to "CB radio" and because it looks like CaBoose), but at some point later on they took away his name and just referred to him generically as "the red caboose" which is still baffling to me. Why is he the only character who's not allowed to have a name.

[@TRAIN110ValleyProductions]

i kinda like red caboose as a name ngl, its fitting in my opinion

[@chuckoneill2023]

Maybe an homage to the children's song? In which case, "Red Caboose" actually is his name.

[@siobhantaylor1563]

He disappeared altogether in the 90s version. Poor CB!

[@sandyrass1]

He was always called CB in London til the character was cut in 1993. The character was always called Caboose in Bochum, Bochum just carried on after London closed in 2002. So people now only tend to know the character by the German name. In the London production he was never just called Caboose…

[@TRAIN110ValleyProductions]

@@sandyrass1 If I recall correctly it was broadway that first started using red caboose/ caboose as a name

[@stephb4758]

Saw the Bochum production last year after enjoying the London production in the 1990s. I've just seen the finale / bows video here on KZbin of the Wembley production and all I can say is... thank goodness for the wonderful German production!

[@chuckoneill2023]

I'm setting plans in place now to get my wife to the UK for this show. We saw the "original" west end run on our honeymoon, in 1987 (yesterday was our anniversary). I place "original" in quotes because I'm aware the show was being tweaked and updated multiple times even during that first run. As a show where the "plot" is secondary -- and really thin -- it seems all sorts of things can come and go, rather easily. Personally, I'm all for a slutty train song.

[@Board_game_goode]

Watched the show last night and it was incredible. Seen the previous show and loved this version just as much.

[@CassetteVCR]

On the edge of my seat to see your full review! Thanks for posting this info!

[@rhodeisland9096]

Stagey Railway enthusiast here for you they’re not trains the correct way to identify them is that they’re locomotives they are only a train when they have the coaches or wagons coupled to them they are a train. So calling them trains you’re effectively describing them as a family. 😅

[@chuckoneill2023]

To be even MORE pedantic (it's my thing), within the rail industry the word "train" is seldom used -- the preferred term is "consist".

[@emac5040]

Thank you for this. This has made my mind up to refund my tickets. I love the original. It holds such precious memories for me with my nan and pop taking me as a kid. This has changed far too much. Such a shame as I thought after all this time gone away, I thought he wouldn’t have changed this one.

[@chuckoneill2023]

If Wembley is West End, then Mercury Theater Chicago is Broadway.

[@MickeyJoTheatre]

😂😂😂

[@7465wgt]

Just saw it! Onlybknew the premise, none of the music before seeing it and i loved it!! A lot of the cast was making their professional debuts and they sounded amazing!

[@Roadtripper5432]

I actually saw the OG run of the show on the West End in 2000 and as a 12 year old kid it was awesome to see the actors skating around you and above you on the upper level. I was obsessed with the songs like "Freight is Great", "UNCOUPLED" and the title song "Starlight Express" I thought the actor playing Flat Top was cute and I loved the character of Poppa, he was like an old retired train with the essence of BB King, and the different countries represented by the trains was fun to an American kid just learning world geography. I was shocked to hear the new changes. Big Hopper is gone?! I loved that character and his part in the story. And is Greaseball not an Elvis type anymore, now that the character is presented as female? I have huge nostalgia for that production and that album.

[@Simulacra719]

Me too! Dustin and Flat Top were awesome! It’s so sad they got rid of them 😭

[@artsybin8185]

I saw it in ‘85, and am hugely nostalgic for that show too! Xx

[@Simulacra719]

@@artsybin8185 oooh I’m proper jealous! I I didn’t get to see it until 1993 and sad that I never got to see the OG version live 😭

[@ianpurnell4752]

The costumes are absolutely horrible. It's like they are from a very cheaply made pre-school children's show. I hope they aren't a reflection of the show itself. I was looking forward to it so much as it's my favourite show of all time, but it's starting to seem like they made too many changes for the worse and too many silly decisions.

[@JulianaRumple]

i hate to be a hater, but from what i saw on insta already, the costumes, the new stuff, i hate it so much. i almost cried when i saw that Dinah´s costume looks like a pizza box from Back to the Future ( love the movies btw)

[@drewleighscrumptious6072]

Don’t go and see it then

[@CarlJackson-ck4ym]

I would recommend going to see the show 🛼

[@jennaogrady9410]

I've just got back, and it was incredible.

[@robwarner9371]

Dinah and the other two coaches are just bit-parts now, and their costumes (Dinah literally looks like Raggedy Anne!) make them look unimportant and haphazard. There’s no hint at all of romance between Dinah and Greaseball in act 1. There’s no “it’s GB, it’s GB, it’s GB the diesel. Choose me, GB, race with me.” to which Dinah says “Back off girls, (s)he’s mine”. That was sung as GB raced around the auditorium track in London/Bochum. Now, GB just rolls slowly onto the stage and starts singing. Well, yelling. In act 2, when he pairs up with Pearl and rolls past Dinah, there’s no apparent reason at all why Dinah should be so upset. That’s a theme throughout with these changes. A new person takes over a song, and the lyrics are changed accordingly, but they did nothing to make it clear in the earlier stages of the show that the new character was going to take on that aspect of the old character. Slick oil suddenly becomes a baddie just before the first Final Race. Hydra suddenly becomes Rusty’s buddy just after “I am the starlight”. They rewrote the individual songs, but didn’t even consider the exposition the audience needed before those songs to explain *why* Dinah was suddenly sobbing on the floor or Slick Oil was happily taking a bung to ruin the first Final Race (or, indeed, why they ruined the race for everyone just to stop Rusty winning. CB putting on the brakes to slow Rusty down MADE SENSE. Slick Oil spraying, ahem, oil over the track ruined the race for everyone.). So, so disappointing!

[@messinadress]

As someone who paid a frankly ridiculous amount of money for the kids to sit in "first class carriages" because it was going to move and be this unique experience, i am really annoyed to find out they now dont move. I would actually prefer to sit a bit farther back and get a better overall view. I'll have to wait until we go to decide if it was worth it or not.

[@gadgetboy1980]

I completely agree. I have also booked the 1st Class Carriage for my family at great expense. With so little information prior to booking it was impossible to know what you were getting, only the assumption that by paying a premium price you get a premium view. I guess I'll know in 3 weeks time....

[@simonhall5718]

I went on Saturday on opening night paid 150 pounds for my ticket for the carriages. It said it was supposed to move all the seats apparently like Germany I’m so annoyed because you can’t see any of the skating and apparently when the show opens. The tickets are 180 pounds, and I didn’t enjoy the show

[@simonhall5718]

I can confirm that the seats did not move. I’ve just emailed to say that it’s a rip off and they’ve confirmed that the seats do not move at all and asked me if I want to see the show again.

[@rondscha1203]

Come to Germany. The seats down there spin 360. Also amazing production

[@brianmorris865]

The song starlight express, verses are from the USA/ Japan / Australia tour

[@exveefan]

I'm ok with the character changes and update to song and lyrics. But I'm sadly not sure I'm onboard with the costumes. Looking at them... they feel more like "space ships", than a child's toy train collection. Which I can somewhat understand can work for "Starlight Express" if it were more of a space themed production. But since the lyrics still references trains, they kind of need some more railway elements. Again, that's just my own point of view.

[@KC-zn4uz]

Can’t wait to see this show - looking forward to your full review ❤

[@abbymiller2403]

Crazy and Pumping Iron and Starlight Sequence is my fave songs from Starlight Express! 🚂💫🛼🎶🎵

[@djscott76]

Booked a trip to London this summer just so my kids could see Starlight Express! In fact, we are seeing it twice… once was the beginning of the trip and the night before we fly home. Can’t wait!!

[@joeevans5770]

More context THE PEOPLE DEMAMD MORE CONTEXT MICKEY

[@MickeyJoTheatre]

Never enooooough, never never

[@ducatiman1309]

I loved the original show - and am now unsure about the new show - sorry

[@DsB779]

Can't believe you haven't seen the show in Bochum, on the level you review things. It was only on for 35 years and it's the ultimate benchmark. They upgraded the technical settings throughout. I am going next Friday to see it London. It was my first musical ever in the early 1990ies. Have just seen the new look and first London videos on tiktok and been shocked. It's giving high school production with a bigger budget. Been excited for a new cast for a new generation but the magic of Bochum that kept it rolling for decades seems to be different very toned down . Will give it a fair chance and watch it but been expecting a lot more from a first look.

[@UlfPFK]

Oh, also: in Bochum they always high-five everyone in all the first rows (there are several "first rows") during the mega mix. Or at least all the kids (including my nephews - even though they've grown up between the last 2 times I went to see it with them😭)!

[@TRAIN110ValleyProductions]

very excited for this production, i heard the megamix on youtube and im already hyped.

[@johanneanderson658]

Having been an original cast (1988) member of the Bochum show (and yes you really should go see it, although it’s not the show it was & will never be again….. but it’s still a worthwhile visit) anyhoo I loved your commentary & found myself giggling a number of times. I’m in New Zealand now so seeing this production is probably not possible for me but you never know! Looking forward to your review! Cheers “Ashley” (1989) aka Jo Simpson

[@Knopfauge76]

You were my favourite Ashley! Greetings from Germany! 🥰

[@joannagreenleaf721]

Hi Jo, cool to see your response here - I remenergie your name (and voice) as well, from the original Bochum recording. Hope you're doing well 😊😊

[@hannahbrett8015]

Going to be seeing it in August with a friend. When I saw it was happening I screamed so loud my friend thought i was in trouble. Starlight Express is the first musical I saw. It was during the 2012 tour and I saw it at New Wimbledon Theater and my love of musicals started from there. Now after many years I can finally see it again.

[@beltingtokra]

This looks epic ❤ i got to go on the stage for an open day when the UK tour was in town in the 2000s and this is a million times better 🎉

[@CB394]

I saw it in London on Sunday... absolutely totally and utterly amazing.

[@simonhall5718]

I emailed the Theatre because first class carriages tickets are rip off for 150 pounds that were post to move,the email. I’ve just received from the Theatre saying the seats do not move now.

[@Simulacra719]

That was false advertising and they really should issue partial refunds to people with those tickets. It’s disgraceful!

[@simonhall5718]

@@Simulacra719 I think it’s disgusting behavior and when the show opens, those tickets are going to be 180 pounds the seats that don’t move

[@Simulacra719]

@@simonhall5718 people should demand en masse an explanation and ask for partial refunds. I know people who’ve tried already haven’t been successful so far, but if enough people do it, you never know. And I’d be soooo disappointed if I’d paid £180 per ticket for this hot mess!

[@Floop1977]

I was there too! I looked for you, I knew you'd be there. SO MUCH TO DISCUSS. What drama!

[@thomasscallan1718]

The set/auditorium looks pretty similar to the Bochum production. Good idea to have Control on stage

[@chuckoneill2023]

I dunno. I kinda think the disembodied voice sets it up as the fantasy inside the child's imagination. As when (in the Toy Story movies) Andy is playing with his toys, and we sometimes see the scene as Andy imagines it.

[@colossosaida]

@thomasscallan1718 The set doesn't look like the one in Bochum at all. The whole idea of a train station with the different tracks in the background is gone. At least what I can see from videos and pictures - no moving parts or bridges. I think the set is a huge downgrade in comparison with the original london, broadway or bochum set.

[@Simulacra719]

@@colossosaidafor the money people are paying for tickets, it’s a travesty that the whole thing looks so cheap 😖

[@psrpippy]

I thought it looks nothing like the Bochum stage. My husband is an original starlight express Production member from the 80’s. We’re seeing it next week and I’m sure he’ll be really disappointed with all the changes.

[@Simulacra719]

@@psrpippy I thought the Bochum staging really retained the essence of the Apollo Victoria set but just gave them more room to do stuff. Even the minimal touring set had more character than this bland, skate park-look 😖

[@lisa-lisa-lisa]

I saw this on broadway and remember it as a camp fun night. id love to see it again.

[@Weirdscience.MP4-ov2je]

I LOVE how Control gets more and more of a character as new adaptations come out

[@josephlim6854]

Had a great time last night with other starlight fans. Cast is amazing!!! Kudos to all who made their professional debut last night!

[@susanpolastaples9688]

Love the cap. Such memorable colours.

[@evaa-w5399]

Someone has already uploaded the mega mix from the new Starlight Express and it got me all teary eyed.

[@evaa-w5399]

Happy teary eyes though, I'm getting emotional about everything nowadays

[@PS-is9tm]

I dont want to be to negative but i really dont love some of the visual decisions in this one. The Stage looks more like a narrow skatepark - and not in a good way. Whatever this is doesnt resemble train tracks at all. And those costumes. Futuristic is one way to put it. Someone else said they look like Starlight on Wish and i am inclined to agree. The look like off the shelf and not unique at all. God damn im so disappointed by the visuals i hope they got the music and dancing right.

[@Simulacra719]

It’s even worse than I imagined…they’ve completely destroyed it 😭 kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4GxiZWeh61pldEsi=IIZnFEzsxnwl4t22

[@Gee-xb7rt]

I lump it in with Cats, what it has going for it is the staging, and if that is weak its an even harder pass. It doesn't have any song that stands on its own, like Memory, the song Starlight Express is a great piece for a tenor to show off, but its never used, I think the lyrics are kind of weak "are you real yes or no" especially ick.

[@chuckoneill2023]

I saw the original production, back in 1987. The set was bizarre and wonderful and impressive --- and, it looked nothing like train tracks. The new set looks very over-the-top, which is definitely what is called for, whether it looks "realistic" or not. I'll reserve judgment on the costumes until I've seen more of them. We went to see a new tour of Cats last year, and it was a definite disappointment. All the songs were there, and the costumes. But, compared to the high concept original staging, it was really bare bones. And, Cats is nothing without the visual razzle-dazzle. I think quite a few ALW shows are like that.

[@chuckoneill2023]

@@Gee-xb7rt I agree. We saw a US revival Cats tour, it was kinda boring without the over-the-top staging.

[@JenniferMejia-ir3fp]

thanks for this! i'm seeing this in july coming from the us and i can't wait! its my favorite musical and i've been following the bochum production and this production for the past few years. it seems as if they're taking the current bochum show changes and updating them a bit more. very very interesting indeed

[@Baconlettucetomatoe]

You’re in for disappointment because it’s not even anything like the Bochum show. They have scrapped basically everything that resembles starlight express. It was a HUGE disappointment. I’ve seen the original, the new, Bochum and the first tour and I wouldn’t call what I saw tonight starlight express. So sad… I was so excited for tonight

[@georgia.newman]

I’m 18 and have tickets to go in October. Never seen the show and I cannot wait to see it for the first time!

[@TRAIN110ValleyProductions]

im not going to the production since i dont live in london and such, though im very excited for this production, ive listened to other productions and i feel like this one has production

[@Simulacra719]

It’s dreadful, don’t bother… kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4GxiZWeh61pldEsi=IIZnFEzsxnwl4t22

[@Oviya.]

You bringing up Newsies so much just made my day❤

[@bojo07]

the only reference point for Starlight Express i have is the Family Guy bit where Peter stared in it

[@Simulacra719]

And that bit from Family Guy is better than this entire show!

[@sanchopancho4865]

I better watch it here in germany again before they bring this changes to us

[@artsybin8185]

Original Rocky lyrics - ‘Yeah your head is full of rocks’ ‘They aint rocks theyre aggregates and aggregates are really great!’ 🤣 Got to love the ever changing lyrics - am easily confused 😂 xx

[@l.12345]

The fact that Electra is referred to as they/them makes SO much sense! I always felt like this was hinted at during the Bochum production all along, but the German language doesn't have a respectful gender neutral pronoun that doesn't objectify people. We only have "Es" ("it") and I think that's extremely disrespectful to use for a person. However, I always felt like Electra never really fit into the cis-gender category, and I also think it's obvious they were never intended to be "straight". So, this change in addressing them is a no-brainer to me and almost overdue.

[@ryebread9299]

I’m literally at dinner in Disney world and I can’t wait a second longer I clicked so fast.

[@johnnynotty]

I saw it in the 90’s and I was with my family in the close standing circle where the cast give you high fives when they skate past. It was a magical experience for me and my sister at 12/14 years old. I’m 44 now and can’t wait to see how it’s changed

[@siobhantaylor1563]

I so loved the standing circle. My flatmate and I would go every week as the tickets were released just before the perfomance and so cheap

[@CulturePhilter]

Went on a school trip to see it in the late 1990s when I was about 11/12. Was only my second west end show. Loved that production may go see this.

[@samparsons3845]

Currently in STEX DE!! Come to Bochum and I’ll arrange a ticket! 🎉

[@robwarner9371]

I’m booked up for a Thursday Skate Warm-Up and evening performance in Bochum in August. I had to see a proper production after this seeing this London reworking. Can’t wait!

[@geebee2262]

Can't believe they cut "Gravel's got the right to travel" 😭😭😭😭

[@fairamir1]

I have to admit Starlight has always has a special place in my collection. Just fun to listen to.

[@paulah5342]

Last saw Starlight in 1992. Was always a favorite! Hoping to see it next year on a trip to London 😊

[@gartenmensch1895]

I, as a StEx Bochum Enjoyer... am scared by these Costumes... they look like Superhero Costumes but from the Lava Girl and Shark Boy Movies... also the desicion to give Everyone a Backpack where they "Connect" to each other is ... a choice...

[@poppyameiIa]

i did not realise how seriously people took this show until tonight! i completely understand having preferences or attachments to previous iterations of a show but some of the criticisms i’ve seen seem to stem from the fact that it’s a revival at all. gabriella slade in particular can do no wrong in my eyes. anyway, i’m going into it with an open mind… love the lesbian trains!!

[@iaindw1]

Greaseball being female does not work.

[@lennies_mindful_life]

I've got tickets for later in month, I saw in West end in 00, looking forward to seeing it again,

[@BKDAYZ]

Starlight was my very first Broadway audition! I had no idea what to expect, and also had no idea that I was auditioning for the biggest, casting agency at the time, Johnson and Liff. (Cats, Les Miz, Saigon etc) I think my naïveté helped me get pretty far. though I was cut after 3 call backs. 😢

[@andrewhowells8328]

I was at the first preview but had never seen Starlight. I was in the platform seats which are between the ‘Trivial Pursuits Wedge seats’ and the back block. These also had track behind and up through the centre. They were excellent seats. There was a short stop when a man collapsed in the audience and had to be taken out (he was fine, I asked afterwards). Once you are seated and the show has started then it would be very difficult to get out as all the exits use part of the track. I did not see anyone leave during the show. You are also told that if you leave you will not be allowed back until the interval. Two people were moved into the seats next to me as they had been in the seats at the side overlooking the track and said the view was not good. They had a photo and this looked the case although from where I sat they looked pretty good. I have got tickets for the wedges but having been you will miss a lot behind you. Nothing to do with the story but some nice touches. And yes, they were high fiving people in the front rows and aisle seats, not just at the back but everywhere. Arlene Phillips was in the row in front and the producer and director made speeches before the start. The audience was amazing and it was very enjoyable. That’s enough before I give anything away, lol.

[@claudehaynes6419]

I saw this years ago in Vegas. It is a ridiculous and hysterical entertainment. Fun that it is getting another production.

[@londongirl2768]

I saw newsies from the very back row and the view was actually very good, especially for a show that’s so much of a spectacle

[@CarlJackson-ck4ym]

I was at the 2nd Preview on Sunday, I had an open mind with the changes to this production having seen Starlight countless times at the Apollo. I thoroughly enjoyed it - yes the staging is smaller but the set, effects add something new, in fact I was blown away with the sound and light production. Starlight has always been a progressive show over the years, the re-telling of this classic feels fresh and up to date for a new generation and for fans - it was great to see so many singing along, it certainly has a special place for many and I’m glad it’s back.

[@Simulacra719]

They should’ve marketed it as a retelling then rather than teasing that it was ‘coming back’. Thoroughly deceitful marketing considering the sheer volume of changes. There’s being progressive and refreshing things for a revival, but this was taking the proverbial.

[@browneyes142a]

I am so excited! I paid for tickets right by the track

[@KeenLoverOfLife]

So we paid for specific premium seats under the illusion that they move and now that’s not a thing then? False advertising much!?!

[@Simulacra719]

The whole show was falsely advertised. It’s disgusting 😡

[@LiamCoxSuperstar]

Can't wait to go see this on the matinee performance on 14th September

[@phantomias7230]

Carrie is the Luggage Car in Bochum and Belle is the Bar Car as of the 2018 Version.

[@flavionussbaum9653]

I saw youtube clip from the finale and i'm confused. I saw the Bochum Version 2 times, and here everything looks slow and small sized. is it just me? But those tracks doesnt look big and i can tell you in Bochum they have a huge speed. also i didnt see the spectacular hyperhydraulic bridge in the middle which is just epic in the Bochum Arena😮

[@robwarner9371]

Yup. It’s much slower, no bridge. The track around the back of the auditorium has very sharp, unbanked 90-degree turns, so it wouldn’t be possible to travel with any speed. The fastest people go is when then go down the quarter-pipe (not even a bowl) at the back of the stage and head off down the central track to the back of the auditorium, but then they have to do a quick Double Derby stop before the end. The fastest characters are the scooter-riding Marshalls - and they are absolutely fantastic. They are the only ones who do any real stunts/somersaults and you’ll be watching them during the races rather than the engines.

[@coletteredgrave]

Feels like the dreaded "Health & Safety" has limited not only the speed but the dancing as well. Really slow... And I mean One Rock & Roll... They didn't even move!

[@robwarner9371]

@@coletteredgravethe choreography is really, really disappointing. Mostly standing in one place, stepping side to side or rolling slowly, but with loads of manic arm movements. Pearl only manages a single, half-hearted arabesque during the whole of “Make up my heart”. In some songs, the cast stand completely still, but the STAGE starts revolving 🙄.

[@coletteredgrave]

@@robwarner9371 I directed the first UK amateur production with 30 kids all under 15 and they even manged to move more, skate faster and I was even sad they have lost the trains "ticking over" when not centre stage. My uncle was box office manager at Apollo Vic for 12 years, I saw the original show 20+ times. I wanted to audition when I left college but the London show ended same year😭... Its got a very strong place in my heart. Of course it must change and adapt to the current railways / demographics / audience, but how has it lost its way that much. Only Hydra skated anywhere close to what has been expected before... Hopefully they will gain confidence and move more...

[@robwarner9371]

@@coletteredgrave indeed! I’m hoping the choreography will become more complex as they gain more confidence, but what they *should* have done is given them longer in skate school. I’m a tad fed up when people say “it’s their first professional production, give them a chance” while ignoring the fact that this is *a professional production*. I came away with the feeling of “they did the bare minimum”. Hydra was in the Bochum production, which explains the way he feels at home on wheels - and some of his trick skating is awesome. Lack of confidence on skates is glaringly obvious. I’ll bet directing the student production was awesome fun - and I’m guessing the youngsters really rose to the challenge with gusto! Do you have any footage of that on KZbin?

[@jennyhacking1289]

Starlight Express was the first musical I saw at the theatre when I was 10, I am glad its back, and intend to take my 11 year old to see it. I will say when you likened the new costumes to Six, I always felt that the Queens' costumes were akin to those from the original starlight production.

[@apricebcd]

I hope there is some way of getting the full lyrics. I'm here in Australia and doubt I'll ever see this version.

[@SchwarzSchatten123]

Going on Sunday, I’m very excited 🤩 I‘ve been a huge fan of the Bochum show since I was a child so of course I want to fly out to London to see this new iteration 🛼 do they have enamel pins as merch? I‘ve started collecting musical pins and would love to add more.

[@LadyDragonbane]

I'll wait for more info, photos, etc, to come out before deciding whether to see this version or not, but as of now I think I'll stick with the Bochum production.

[@Baconlettucetomatoe]

Good decision because it was the biggest disappointment ever. I hated it

[@Simulacra719]

Someone uploaded the Megamix from tonight and it’s safe to say I’m glad I put my tickets up for sale as we are DEFINITELY not going… kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4GxiZWeh61pldEsi=IIZnFEzsxnwl4t22

[@coletteredgrave]

It was really disappointing!

[@TerryEastham]

I was front row trackside last night asnd the view was amazing. Agree with pretty much everything MJ has said here. The only partial negative will only affect people who saw the origianl. No bridge, and the races felt slower than beofre. However, that's minor. The races themseoves were very exciting and the whole show was pretty dammed awesome.

[@stevej8037]

I was a little concerned trackside seats wouldn't be good with them not technically being trackside. I am booked for FF

[@TerryEastham]

@@stevej8037 I was FF. Great view.

[@stevej8037]

@@TerryEastham what number? As I know some are more towards the side where it looks like you'd just be looking at the back of heads.

[@TerryEastham]

@@stevej8037 I was 44

[@stevej8037]

@@TerryEastham we are 42 & 43.

[@disneylandtoday]

I'm going to admit right now that I'm terrified when you said practically everything's changed... because I saw the original cast and LOVED it, I love the music, I grew up on that... and the fact that they already revived it once (if I remember correctly) like they were toy trains belonging to a boy.... I was not a fan of that idea. But I shall continue to watch your review on the edge of my seat.

[@Simulacra719]

Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING has changed from what you remember. And the little boy/girl is now running around on stage 😖. They’ve changed the lyrics to most of the songs they kept from the OG production, but lots of songs cut out and only a handful of recognisable characters are left sadly.

[@disneylandtoday]

@@Simulacra719 That's a shame. I'll have to keep on listening to the original soundtrack I know and love... because those songs were amazing. The way I look at the original, was if the technology could talk, these were generations of creations in competition with one another. The Steam Engine was being "replaced" with Electricity, and in a literal race to see who could still cut it in a rapidly changing industry, Rusty had to find the power within himself and BELIEVE in his ability to overpower the encroaching age of electricity.

[@finalfightguy]

It was CB first (think CB radio), later becoming Red Caboose.

[@robertgraziano]

I saw the orifginal on Broadway when it first opened. Quite a spectacle! Yes I'm old 78.

[@onemanfran]

I'm going to see it on my birthday in July, but I will say I have liked each new revival less and less. The original soundtrack is iconic and I feel like the fun keeps getting taken out.

[@lizlilliman3644]

One i would love to see, my husband before he met me, his exs dad worked tech for starlight on the westend and he got to see and stand on the stage. He had no interest in musicals back then, he is learning now lol.

[@pitham5528]

Some of the new costumes look like reject Joja Siwa costumes imo.

[@geebee2262]

We saw the show yesterday and WOW! A word used a lot by preview reviewers is "immersion" and that's how i felt, even though i wasn't sat in the stage. I loved the original and the 90's update but this felt so much more. We were impressed by how everything just worked, the planning and timing is excellent! We laughed very loudly at the tissue gag!! It's still fresh at the moment but i think i like this more than Back to the Future, that says a lot! We loved it and want to go back soon, might sit in the stage next time! 😁👍🚂

[@Simulacra719]

Are you the same person who goes by the handle ‘ceebee’ over on TheatreBoard?

[@geebee2262]

@@Simulacra719 No, that's not me.

[@m1ssw1z61]

I definitely need to look it up, because to this day I have no idea WHY they removed one of the most plot-integral and fun characters of the entire show (C.B.) thus, derailing a good chunk of the storyline from 1992 onwards. Or maybe im just partial to the late Michael Staniforth's performance on the original 1982 soundtrack...

[@MissGelly]

He was wonderful and in his 40s at the time! This new version they are all so young and look so small 🫤 I think that’s why people are saying it looks so amateurish.

[@drewleighscrumptious6072]

I think I read somewhere at the time that it was felt the character was glorifying train crashes, and this was insensitive. I loved Wide Smile and There’s Me, CB’s relationship with Dinah was so innocent and pure, despite him being a bit of a rascal!

[@fp30e]

Hello again Mickey Joe, There is a KZbin video review of this show, and also the comments were all very negative. There is another YT video showing the theatre. For me, just based on the videos I have seen, the theatre lacks atmosphere (unlike the Apollo Victoria Theatre). Being a new theatre it looks to clinical. And to build a theatre around the show is one huge risk, as I can't see it lasting (based on the comments from people who know the show very well). I hope it does well.

[@sianbennett-rodgers]

I saw the London production a lot as we would always take the youth theatre kids. It was a great starter musical that was just nuts enough to engage the boys. My mum adored the show and had Starlight Express played at her funeral. I’m gutted they’ve changed the freight trains cos I had a soft spot for them. Curious if Uncoupled or One Rock and Roll too Many made the cut.

[@MickeyJoTheatre]

Both of those songs are still in!

[@Baconlettucetomatoe]

@@MickeyJoTheatre but all of the songs have been altered they are nothing like the original. Yes they have the same titles but the lyrics have been changed in every. Single. Song! To match the new characters and storyline

[@Simulacra719]

@@BaconlettucetomatoeI think they have a cheek to market this as a comeback when it’s completely different. And it looks TERRIBLE. The cast can’t even sing in tune! 😖

[@Baconlettucetomatoe]

@@Simulacra719 absolutely!! I understand now why they didn’t release a single photo or video of the new production (costumes or the stage) only rehearsals because they knew if they did nobody would buy tickets. I actually find it so depressing, starlight express was such an amazing show back in the day.

[@Simulacra719]

@@Baconlettucetomatoe they had to rely on the nostalgia of long-time fans to finance it, hence not revealing the true details as they know they wouldn’t have sold as many tickets. I’m disgusted they did that when they knew they weren’t going to produce anything that resembled the show we all knew and loved. We’re not going (I’m not spending money paying for travel and a hotel), so unless I can sell my tickets, I’m out of pocket to the tune of nearly £300. I’m beyond furious tbh…

[@Weirdscience.MP4-ov2je]

STARLIGHT EXPRESS MY BELOVED

[@marcosohl1]

I am from Germany, Bochum, and I am shocked. What's that? Starlight Express? No. Definitly not. Andrew L. Webber killed the Starlight Express in a theatre...live and in front of everybody. Shame on you, Mr. Webber! I'm seriously so incredibly sorry that after so many years of waiting for a comeback, you're seeing such an absolutely bad and embarrassing production in London. England doesn't deserve that. Germany feels for you. 🥀🪦🔚 🎼🚂🎶

[@kevinyates33]

The costumes look so much like Six but with knee pads!!! ZZZzzzzz!

[@user-cy7qm7go9f]

My bf is one of the producers and as an American I'm a literal curious to see it as this show isn't a big deal over here.

[@robwarner9371]

Saw the show on Thursday 13 June. Took a friend who’d never seen it before, but has recently taken up roller skating, and they absolutely loved it. I’ve been a fan of the show for 40 years and have seen most versions. I enjoyed the evening - it is certainly a highly entertaining show - but the incessant dumbing-down reached a new peak with this production.

[@artsybin8185]

CB/The Red Caboose - called CB after the CB radio, as he is communications xx

[@rogerstevens4818]

Will be there in June rock on

[@MarcusMartn]

This musical looks cool to watch I wonder if will come back to broadway

[@Jo-zh9dw]

I hope we get a video of you dress up as a train talking about the plot of starlight express

[@gordonmcknight8877]

Is the title song back to the El Debarge melody that starts "when the night is darkest open up your mind" or is it a whole new verse melody? What about Fur Immer from the updated Bochum version?

[@ladyjennyanytime5195]

yes its that version of the title songs and yes I Do/Fur immer is in it as well. Both have slightly tweaked lyrics though from previous incarnations.