photo: Eric RichmondBuckle up; the race is truly back on! Read more …
Bill Kenwright presents one of the best loved and longest running musicals in theatrical history, as the sensational Starlight Express explodes back onto the stage with a new production for 2012, destined to take the UK by electrifying storm.
Light years ahead of the rest, this futuristic tale about love and hope in the face of adversity promises to take you on the ride of a lifetime – with two hours of speed, spectacle, energy and turbo charged excitement, combined with an electrifying sound track, dazzling sets and costumes, extraordinary roller-choreography and some Andrew Lloyd Webber's most memorable musical hits.
The show ends to a megamix (an idea it nicked from Joseph 20 years ago but which is now common currency), reminding us that the days of a show finishing and the cast bowing and leaving are long gone. But Starlight always was a dazzler, making up in lights and sound what it lacks in subtlety and storytelling. There’s no sign of this particular train being decommissioned for a while yet.
The show was always more an exercise in theatrical spectacle rather than content, too, but by reducing the scale, Phillips also uncovers some of the charm that has always been lurking below it, as old technology - in this case, a steam train - triumphs over its more modern electricity and diesel rivals.
There’s still enough steam left in Webber’s 18-year-old musical to keep it puffing along for some time to come.
This is not another night at a roller-disco with your Xanadu cassettes, passengers. Steam has the power in this show. Just try for a more environmentally friendly hero next time.
Starlight Express isn’t high art but it’s certainly artful; what it does, it does superbly. As an Eighties creation – I swear I heard a Moog – it’s a bit of a period piece, but it’s bringing a spot of sunshine to this wettest of summers.
The staging simply cannot compare to the original production though, where a large racetrack was built around the audience. Sometimes technology and 3D specs can't replace the thrill of live action – a message akin to the show's own plot.
This was the first time I had seen it and can’t quite appreciate why this rather outdated 80s rock musical maintains its perennial fan base.
Former cast members get skates on for new Starlight tour
Musical on roller skates Starlight Express returns for UK tour
Choreographer Arlene Phillips recounts the origins of the Starlight Express
Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh from Tuesday July 3, 2012, until Saturday July 14, 2012. More info: www.edinburghplayhouse.org.uk
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