Originally opening in London in 1984, Starlight Express went on to become the second longest-running musical of all time, now 21 years later it steams into the Bristol Hippodrome.

The loose (and I do mean very loose!) story is that of a young boy’s train-set, and the races he has one night between the trains, we have love, loss, fights, races and plenty of locomotion over the two hour extravaganza that is Starlight Express. Let’s not go further into the story, as it really isn’t Shakespeare…it’s barely the Sun…but that really doesn’t matter as Starlight is not about story, it’s about the experience of seeing live theatre that jumps out of the stage and inspires it’s audience.

The show has taken over the Hippodrome, turning it into a futuristic race set as the human trains battle it out on stage, on screen and in the audience. The stage is opened up and includes a revolve, various ramps and bowls, and extends into the audience, so you have the skaters right in front of you. The set constantly changes through the awe-inspiring lighting, particularly in the Starlight Sequence, as stars appear everywhere from no-where, truly awesome. The addition of movie screens adds another layer to the production but it’s the race scenes that come into their own.

As a child I went to see Starlight in London three or four times, I loved the show, it was what theatre should have been, it was exciting, it was invigorating, it was a joy to watch and it made me love the theatre even more. One of the most exhilarating moments were the race scenes, where the cast would zoom around you battling it out, nothing can beat this, yet the newly designed 3D sequences come pretty close. The 3D works brilliantly, and captures a sense of danger, and thrill, which the race scenes hold.

It’s very easy to forget that the cast spend their whole time on roller-skates. The dancing would be great for anyone on two feet, but on skates…well it’s wonderful. The cast make it look effortless and are flawless. It’s a real delight to see the different type of dancing that roller-skates allow. True the skates are a gimmick, and they gel this production together…without them this would be a poor musical, but they never get-in the way, and make this a splendid evening out.

Lloyd Webber’s music contains some charming melodies, predominantly Starlight Express and Crazy, but other than that is your typical Lloyd Webber fare. It does sound exceptionally dated at times, very eighties…but that is part of the charm. They have successfully updated the music and style at times, especially with the addition of the Hip Hoppers, but this is a definite 80s musical….and I for one revel in that nostalgia.

The large cast are all not only tremendous singers and dancers, but remarkable athletes. Performing as you expect professionals to, they bring the show to life with energetic performances. James Gillan plays the lead of Rusty, there is not a bad word to say about him, his beautiful voice helps him command the stage, and despite all the effects and gimmicks, the raw power of him alone singing outdoes all of these things.

This show ran in London for 18 years, and obviously maintained its audience because the large majority of them were tourists and didn’t have to deal with a complicated story. Starlight at times falls flat due to the lack of story and unusual music, but on the whole thoroughly entertains.

I’m delighted to say the sense of child-hood wonder returned when I watched Starlight again, this is a show for the whole family, it will being a whole new generation of youngsters in to the theatre as the delight in this supurb production. Starlight is magical, it’s exciting, it’s fast, it’s furious…it’s simply fantastic. Pure entertainment throughout.

Starlight Facts

STARLIGHT EXPRESS opened on 27 March 1984 and closed at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, London on the 12 January 2002.

After a run of 18 years and 7409 performances STARLIGHT EXPRESS was the second longest-running musical in British Theatre history, behind

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s other smash-hit, CATS.

The London production was seen by over 7 million people

Although only 24 people appear on stage, over 200 are involved in making STARLIGHT EXPRESS happen every night.

New casts attend skate school prior to opening in the show. Skate school runs for 4 weeks prior to 7 weeks of vocal, staging and choreography rehearsals.

There have been 8 productions since 1984 including London, Broadway, a US/Canadian tour, Las Vegas, Japan, Australia/Japan tour, Germany and Mexico.

An estimated 16 million people have seen the show across the globe and the estimated gross box office world-wide is £352 million

When the set was first built, 750 gallons of paint and varnish were used together with 6 miles of timber, two and a half acres of sheet wood and 60 tonnes of steel. There were 1,500 light bulbs on the set, 1,200 lanterns and 6,000 pea lights on the back wall to create the star effect.

During the course of the London production, 20,000 pairs of skate laces, 25,000 skate wheels and 15,000 toe stops were used. The skaters got through 1,200,000 boxes of tissues and 12,000 gallon bottles of water. 2,000 pairs of false lashes, 8,000 tins of base make-up and 2,000 tubs of make-up remover were applied.

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

An army video training film had STARLIGHT EXPRESS as one of the London landmarks for orienteering.

Mel B, of The Spice Girls, trained in the Skate School for STARLIGHT EXPRESS in 1995.

Alan Newman, a postman from Kent, saw the London production 750 times and spent an estimated £21,000. He always sat in the same seat - Stalls L23.

STARLIGHT EXPRESS is the first UK musical to feature polaroid 3D technology.

STARLIGHT EXPRESS was nominated for 7 Tony Awards, winning 1 for ‘Best Costume Designer’.

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