There’s a light at the end of the tunnel…
Musical Theatre Review -
Starlight Express @ Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre
18th July, 2024.

Given the challenge this show has with staging it’s not a show that is performed very often. So we had to take the opportunity (whilst visiting in London from Melbourne, Australia) to see the new just opened revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s STARLIGHT EXPRESS at the specially designed Starlight Auditorium at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre.

You are welcomed into the train world from the moment you walk in the gate with tunnels, signs, sound effects before you even reach the main theatre. As you head into the fluro tunnels you enter into the main auditorium which certainly stops you in your tracks for a minute as you enter & take it all in. With plenty of FOH to help you find your seat and explain the safety rules a few times as more people take their seats.

An incredible cast of 40 whizz around a purpose built stage with no bad seat in the house in my opinion. Seating around 1000 it still feel very intimate with cast skating around and between different seating sections. Similar to shows like moulin rouge tables - the “first class” front seating section has quite a bit of action happening behind them and are more limited if needing to leave their seats during the show. Ushers are great in helping with these patrons. We sat in the locomotive section (halfway) with a great full view of the whole auditorium.

With updating revival shows now we seeing more accurate representation of our society compared from when many shows first written and how theatre was cast decades ago. This latest version of Starlight Express among other things has provided some character changes in sexual orientation and gender identification.

Updated costumes in some parts looked a bit too similar with lead roles/trains especially having big upgrades whilst still attempting to keep the trains individual identifying qualities. However people who love the original costuming, staging and music might not be as big fans of the changes. But those such as myself who never seen a live version, or those not too familiar i thought many of the designs were clever and well represented of the type of train.

I enjoyed the production for what it was. I didn’t go in with many expectations other than decent production quality (ie: lighting, sound smooth show run etc) of a top west end show.
Like many ALW shows the story isn’t the strongest & this is no different…. A young child’s imagination of their trains competing for “best in race” with a love story and the female train Pearl torn between two trains for different reasons. It’s not complicated. It just an easy fun show and something different to the usual theatre staged shows.

Singing generally was on point considering they often are skating, moving, or just keeping their balance; so I can only imagine singing technique & breath work has to be a big focus for performers. Leads all had their strengths, however personally felt Rusty (who we figured out later was a swing) needed a bit more power and work in his transitions to create a more dynamic vocal presentation. However given the difficulty and challenge of performance to sing with skate/movement and the show was only two weeks into official shows I expect shows and performances will continue to improve as cast get more confidence & production muscle memory develops.
The show has been criticised from some for too simple choreography. I agree the dance/movement might been more on the simpler side however it’s cleanly performed & I take the combo of skating & movement together into consideration along with performer safety.

This is a great intro for young kids to experience theatre. The audience was full of multiple generations which was lovely to see, esp grandparents and grandchildren. The story is simple though I still recommend giving your child a quick summary.

It will capture the hearts & attention of both younger and older generations with so many “oh wow” and “so cool” expressions heard throughout.
Visually it’s very enjoyable with use of clever modern costume effects, lightening and set design.
Audiences are encouraged to participate, and (no spoilers) with presentation of races using modern technology in a fun interactive way is highly engaging. However sometimes there was so much going on and with such a large stage it was hard to know where to watch even with a full stage view.

Finishing with a fun megamix (the current new style of finale for many MT productions) you will walk out feeling upbeat, highly appreciative of the effort and skill of the performers and a smile on your face as you find yourself humming away all the way home (prob on a train!)


​⁠@StarlightExpressMusical
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