I can believe it, Considering Andrew Lloyd Webber named his company “The Really Useful Group,” and the fact that he was a fan of the books (as am I) It’s bound for someone to decide “I must make Thomas the Tank Engine… The Musical.” The guy made a musical about T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, and it was meant to he a song and dance music video-opera that essentially retold the poems off the book. It was a stroke of Luck that The Rev W. Awdry met Britt Alcroftt who made a scaled up tv show recreating his books. Otherwise this would be Thomas the Tank Engine vs Starlight Express.
And believe it or not....a Cinderella cartoon he was doing music for, he couldn't stop thinking about what train personalities her and the step sisters would have. Amazing! What a time to be alive!
Storytime: I was in a school production of "Starlight Express" at my special school in 2002 (I played Control in tandem with a girl from the year above) Our music teacher knew Richard Stigoe (because disability arts is a VERY small world) and he came to our public performance of the show and gave a speech before curtain up. He said: "This is the version of Starlight Express I've been waiting to see for 20 years." It turned out that, when ALW suggested the idea of the show to him, Stilgoe said: "Fantastic idea, let's do it with people in wheelchairs!" ALW looked at him like he'd taken leave of his senses and said: "No. We'll do it with people on roller-skates."
I saw the original cast production in London and the original on Broadway and there was no comparison. Whether you bought it or not, the original in London, politically incorrect as it was, was a truly spiritual experience, with top of the line vocals. Overly pro-religion, anti-drug, anti-smoking and possibly anti- gay messaging was replaced with just sort of nothingness on Broadway.Nothing. The original was overly long, and has been revamped many times. I think it's biggest success was in Germany, where audiences fell in love with whatever their version was
True story: my dad was the lighting technician on this show on west end for years, and my mum was a massive fan. They met over this show. It holds such a special place in my heart
Making a slight assumption but it's pretty wild to think you're alive because of Starlight Express. You should write Andrew Lloyd Webber a letter, thanking him while referring to him as your second daddy.
The absolute dedication of the cast members is a feat of it's own. No matter what you think of the show, you cannot argue that the sheer force of effort of the team is unfuckingbelievable!
"at the end of the day when they would take their skates off, they would find bloody socks!" Ballet dancers: ahhhhhh, finally more people to join the club
The thing about Starlight is that in terms of success, it failed to bring in the critical success on Broadway that other works of Webber’s creation would manage to do. I might be wrong, but on WitW’s video for Beetlejuice, he makes the comment of Broadway playing it safe when it comes to certain shows because theater usually drew older crowds. Starlight appeals to both kids and adults, but where the West End was able to pull off just under two decades of success and draw families in despite critical kickback, Broadway’s production was apparently doomed from the start; technical issues were especially bad with the set and track’s bridge (something that broke down multiple times, especially before closing) being made far more different than the London set. It didn’t help that Starlight never got to test the waters in its original form. London managed both excitement and intimacy while having characters with depth, but intimacy and depth got toned down for excitement for American audiences. Cats in aerobic wear was one thing, but trains on skates was something else. Starlight on Broadway was essentially viewed as a spectacle, not as a musical, and it suffered for it.
@@CallMeRedon "Viewed as a spectacle not a musical" - I think you're absolutely right. I can (and frequently do) go on at unnecessary length about why I think the original London plot is so interesting and subversive, while later revisions have sometimes forgotten to consider things like character and plot!
I cannot fathom the amount of cocaine Webber was taking to not just think of this, but to spend 3 years working on it and never hesitate. What a mad lad.
That Robert Torti guy was just PAINFULLY familiar and after a google I’m blown away to discover he’s the guy who played the dad of Zack and Cody on Suite Life.
I'm obsessed with the concept of this musical - the sheer balls to go "okay, hear me out; what if we put a roller derby team on a broadway stage and made them sing ballads about being trains?!?" 👁👄👁 where does this shit even come from? God, the recesses of his mind 💀
Ahem. Starlight Express is art and no one appreciates it unless you are from Germany. THIS MUSICAL IS ART AND DESERVES MORE LOVE! So thank you for making this already.
I fell in love with it in London in the late 90s. Saw the Bochum show shortly after London closed... and I hated it so much I cried. I've come around to that version a lot more now, especially after what's happened to it in recent years!
The line "trains have wheels... rollerskates have wheels... put the actors on rollerskates!" intercut with a clip of Joey was editing and comedic mastery.
Starlight Express is a mindf**k of a musical. You probably had to be on drugs to comprehend what you were watching. The fact that Lloyd-Webber originally intended the songs to be for a musical animated version of Thomas The Tank Engine makes soooo much sense
I moved to the Ruhrgebiet in Germany a year ago and billboards for Starlight are absolutely Everywhere. I’m finally seeing it tomorrow and I’m super hyped!
Mel Torme from the Big Band era was able to do the same thing and learned how to do cyclical breathing that allowed him to hold a pitch for 10 minutes.
27:11: (falls off bridge, injures self). The show must go on (gets back on stage). (Tears out knee at curtain call): The show must go on. (Goes into reconstructive surgery, out 2 months and then goes right back to the show once cleared): The. Show. MUST. GO. ON. Don't question the toughness of theater performers.
@@theeccentric7263 Fair point. Far too many people in the creative or performing arts refuse medical treatment in order to “keep their creative spark” or “the show must go on”. It’s unhealthy and not something to be encouraged.
How to adapt Starlight Express into a movie: 1. Make 'em Transformers. Really. The biggest hurdle is the whole "They're supposed to be trains, but look like action figures" thing. Since they're toys in-universe, what toy can be both an action figure and a train? As hard to believe as the actors are supposed to be trains, it's hard to believe actual trains could do half the stuff they do in the show. They can race as trains (removing the need for the stylized helmets), and sing as humanoids. 2. Embrace the '80s. Old synths just work better for this show. 3. Give the audience a break between songs, if at all possible. 4. Also, embrace the power of video editing and special effects to avoid injury. It also goes back to the whole "Make 'em Transformers" thing. Of course, I say this out of love for the show's soundtrack. You got to give them points for their dedication in having to actually perform the play. It probably just wasn't made for the stage. The screen, maybe, but not the stage as we know it. Also, all those train puns, and you couldn't use the term "train-wreck" once? Okay.
I was thinking more along the lines of having the robotic humanoids and trains be different entities,with the humanoids being the trains pilots and mechanics, mentally connecting to them through the helmets to pilot them better (think like vr helmets mixed with the pilots in Pacific rim).
I think the reason that the show was a success in Germany and England was that it was a connection to trains, in these countries trains are still a major part of their everyday public transportation. In the US by the eighties, rail public transportation has been gutted to nothing and throughout the eighties, rail right aways were abandoned and only the freight rails were left, and long-distance trains are what was left replaced by busses and airlines. The majority of US citizens under 30 at that time never even rode a train, outside of an amusement park or a train museum. England and Germany has never stopped using rail, Las Vegas success it is about spectacle, which Vegas is famous for.
Add that to the fact that they never seem to bother with clarifying that they're toy trains, not real(for a given value of "real") trains, and I reckon you're onto something there.
I mean essentially Starlight Express is just Cats with trains: A group of anthropomorphic cats/trains come out and introduce them selves until the end, where the underdog (Grizzabella/Rusty) go to the Heavyside Layer/ Wins the race
there was a tumblr post a few years ago that stuck with me about how that comparison falls short: Cats has too little plot. Starlight Express has too much. Also one important difference is that Grizabella is old while Rusty is young, making it easier for children - the original intended audience - to identify with him. Interestingly the og London production did have a character that was essentially a Grizabella replacement called Belle the Sleeping Car (geddit?). It did make sense to cut her, not only because of the Cats comparisons, but on the other hand it's kind of a shame to lose her solo which was among the few sombre moments in the show. Her name (but not her character or costume) was eventually recycled for the replacement for Ashley once the smoking car was dropped for no longer being relevant nor seen as appropriate children's entertainment.
2manynegativewaves I think the shows are different everywhere. There’s a big difference between the broadway production, west end and the one in Germany. The story in Germany seems to have more heart than the broadway production but it also has different songs. They are changing the show every year a little bit with new songs, cause the son of Webber is working there as a composer, they are changing the costumes, they modify the stage with rotating seats, they got ramps for the stuntmen with inline skates, they got drones, the got something like a modern chandelier with toy trains that are for control before the show starts. But there’s also enough place for the characters rusty, pearl, Diner, red cabost, papa/Mama to develop their characters. This version is changing constantly and that’s making it’s success, which sows the weakness of the ground material, but in Bochum it’s forming it to a strength. They funny thing is, the cast is international but sometimes with heavy accents, cause Andrew Lloyd Webber himself is picking the cast members xd so up this day u got plenty of children that are singing starlight express songs without real german words, like me when I was a child haha 😂
There's a man over there with a look of surprise As much as to say "Well now, how about that?" Do I actually see with my own very eyes... A man who's not heard of the Starlight Express?
Honestly, I don't think that a recording could do justice to the spectacular that is this show, they never do but this one in particular that is really all about the show. I got to see it in that mentioned German theater when I was younger and it was quiet the experience, I don't think a camera could catch that. Especially because the set is so complex, like you have stuff going on on stage but sometimes at the exact same time there were two people racing around on the outter way doing flips right in front of where I sat. I don't remember a lot of it tho.
There's a couple bootlegs out there on youtube that look like they were recorded on old vhs tapes. Imagine a bootleg recorded from someone in a nosebleed seat and its on VHS so its all grainy and gross. You can find a few promotional clips from the german show and I think I have found the occasional close up of a song or two that someone in the audience filmed. Still....would be amazing to have this filmed with a multi-camera set up so you can see close ups of stunts and performers
19:08 can you imagine back in 1987 audiences are greeted with a behemoth staging like this. not even current musicals can afford to replicate this kind of spectacle.
Remember everyone; this is may be the world's most expensive Thomas the Tank Engine fanfiction. Edit: Holy crap this has to be one of the best discussions on a show I've seen. I've bern laughing at all the jokes and ideas for 'film adaptions' including the "Transformers versions". This show is a gift that keeps giving. 😂 I LOVE IT.
I used to work backstage at Starlight London in about 85/86 it was incredible, the sweat that used to pour off the casts heads after Rolling Stock and Ray Shell just did not stop.Lots of stars came and it was a wonderful experience
@@OptimusPrime298 It was a strange job but I had just left school and took a job taking the whole company up and down in an old spooky Victorian lift backstage but I used to throw lift parties, lot of fun but long hours without a break.Tom Jobe terrified me
@@WaitintheWings ruclips.net/video/XBKh9Yz2EQ8/видео.html In case you do want to see what it look like, animator James Farr pulled off an impressive animation.
my dance teacher was in the German cast of starlight express and lost half of his finger in an accident doing this show, doesn't phase him but we were all shocked when he told the story
Knowing how dramatic and over-the-top some performing arts teachers are, he probably considered it a badge of honor. “I sacrificed part of my finger for my AAAAAHHHHHRRRRRTTT!”
Starlight Express was one of the first musicals I‘ve ever seen (that was professionally produced) in Bochum, where the special built theatre for it stands. It‘s so good and cool, when you see the "trains" rush in front of you and you can feel with it... and I‘m not even starting with the costumes, because they are out of this world... I look forward to see it again, in sometime...
Anytime this show gets brought up, the back of my brain is filled sith Peter Griffin, skating around in circles, repeatedly saying "Starlight Express." Truly. A legacy.
I'm honestly surprised this hasn't had a revival on West End or Broadway. 1980's nostalgia has been really popular for the past 5 years and Starlight Express is so 80's it hurts.
It's so sad to me how so many people write this musical off as just being a dumb train musical when it's actually very compelling and sweet. All of the characters are so unique and have individual arcs of their own -- with Greaseball learning to be less of a jerk, Electra rightfully being knocked down a peg, Red Caboose getting a taste of his own medicine, Pearl finding true love, Dinah learning to stand on her own, and Rusty overcoming all odds. It's such a fun, wholesome, happy play -- I wish more people would give it a chance because it really does have so much heart.
I was fortunate to see the first version with the original London cast. I was UNfortunate to see several other versions. That's not just nostalgia talking, the original really was the best, although the German version I saw in 1990 was a close second. Fun fact: When the divine Stephanie Lawrence left the cast, her showstopping power ballad "Only He" was cut because they couldn't find anyone else who was capable of singing it two minutes after an exhausting race sequence.
OMG - thanks to this vid all being filler background sound & focused on the roller stunts, Icompletely forgot that the SE cast also had to SING!! 😳 That's just mind-boggling. When you think of how often mega-star singers lipsync public performances due to the demands of just dancing, let alone skating...!
I did seven years in the German production and it was the greatest experience of my career.... I saw the London production as a teenager and within the first minute knew I had to do this show. It was equally the hardest and most thrilling and rewarding show I've ever done. It is still a massive hit in Germany and has just had its 32nd birthday. It may not have stayed long on Broadway but it was and still is a worldwide success with many Guinness world records to its name... Long live this incredible show!! Love to all the Starlight family xxx
I desperately want to see Starlight Express, it's so bad and it's wonderful. I appreciate how it fell so hard in the states but thrived in Bochum Germany, they built a theater adapted for it and i'm absolutely here for it
During the intro, I jokingly called the musical a cross between Thomas the Tank Engine and Rollerball. I did not anticipate the actual creator of Thomas the Tank Engine being involved in the foundation of this project.
Honestly it likely "failed" because ALW himself didn't have his heart in it at all. This looks like a real life case of a composers simple songs getting turned into an over-produced mess by greedy exces. As cliché as that trope is, this is the real example of it
For Broadway this was definitely the case. They changed the lead character of Rusty to be this happy go lucky train, where as in London he was bullied by others at the start and his character was angry and determined and frustrated because he wanted to race and the audience was sympathetic to him and was rooting for him from that point in. On Broadway there was no reason to really get behind Rusty from the start, also cutting Pearl out of the Locomation number didn't make sense either as you had no introduction to who or what she was. There were many musical differences as well as changes to the characters compared to London. The main thing about it was it was never meant to go to Broadway AT ALL. It was supposed to tour Arenas accross the US like it eventually did in Japan and Australia that same year. But the [producer pulled out of doing it it and so to make some much needed money for The Really useful Groups investors , the board voted that STEX should go to Broadway, it was virtually against Andrews wishes though. It never quite worked as it should have done on Broadway as the co-producers interfered and wanted the changes to the show, not necessarily what Andrew wanted to do. He talks about it in more detail in his autobiography; UNMASKED. Definitely worth a read as it's very gossipy and quite funny in parts. He's actually very honest and open , even so far as not shying away from being self critical. I think with the shows set not encompassing the theatre like London and the changes to the score and plot, it didn't work as well there. Though the 1st German version of the show as well as the Japanese/Australian Arena tours that opened that year and the following were based on that version musically . And as others have mentioned they were both successful productions. The Arena tour went back again to Japan and Australia in 1990/91 and the German production is still running 34 years later after opening, though it's gone through a lot of changes over the years.
Failed? 😂😂 it ran for 17 years in London, has run for almost 40 years in Germany, had 2 USA tours, 2 UK tours, an Asian tour and has just been revived at a theatre in London for its third iteration. Failed 😂😂😂😂
I saw Starlight Express at my local theatre. It didn't have the huge round space for racing circuits or massive special effects but I still remember loving it. We had a few stunt ramps and half pipes on stage at times to keep the spectacle up along with the "normal" skating choreography, but for the race scenes, I remember having to wear 3D glasses as a projection was played in the theatre. Interesting to see how different versions of the show do their staging.
I saw this at the Las Vegas Hilton back in the 90s. I really enjoyed it, plus we sat in the section where we got to root for Rusty. One of Greaseball's lackys was shouting at me, who's gonna win?? I kept shouting Rusty! And he was pointing at me with narrowed eyes lmao. He remembered where I was sitting and came back and pointed at me after the race. Good times.
Thank you so much for this! Starlight Express was the first big musical I saw, I don't remember a whole lot about it other than the track that looped out into the audience, but when Rusty found the spotlight and belted "Starlight Express", 13-year-old me FELT THINGS.
Considering I was obsessed with the original Thomas series as a child, Starlight Express is like uncovering a piece of history completley lost to time. I think seeing his original Thomas vision would be very interesting to see, considering it was sort of the ground work of what would eventually become the aformentioned musical. The designs of the trains in the musical were especially amusing. You did a fantastic job of explaining the history of this rather interesting Broadway piece! Also, "An engine of many colors", was actually produced as an offical epsiode of the series in one one of the newer seasons, albeit with a completley different plot.
Cool thing is, it was a HUGE success in Japan. I mean huge. Possibly because most shows there revolve around spectacle. The ‘87 tour was so successful they came back in 1990 rebuilding stadiums as race tracks. Unsurprisingly, it worked alright in Vegas in the 90s as well as the 1989-1990 US/Canada tour. Touring may have actually been a good format for this show, since audiences usually are expected to see it once, not to mention smaller stages/budgets.
Drinking game: Whenever there's a train pun, you take a shot. Also, I'm pretty sure that the whole idea of Andrew Lloyd Webber wanting to kill people was his way of getting revenge on the person who let Starlight Express touch Broadway.
I watched it in 1995 in London and 1997 in Bochum. It was heartwarming and beautyfully executed. Just because it didn't went on forever on New York's Broadway doesn't mean anything is wrong with it.
Me, hearing about Xanadu: oh roller skates and 80s vibes, love it, so cute! Me, hearing about THIS: oh god... oh no... it’s too powerful, it must be s t o p p e d
Back during the original run I had a boyfriend, William Frey, in the ensemble (RIP - Bill died around 1988 or so....). Bill was beautiful and just nuts, strong and daring enough to be a part of it : I remember him telling me of the terror cast members felt heading top speed toward a tunnel, where the doors were kept closed, opening at the last possible moment - whipping up to high speed on the track, and heading to what looked to be a closed wall - and then having it open. I never saw the show.
I saw Starlight Express in London in 1997. I had a standing ticket and got to the theater early so I could get a good spot. I stood right in front of the railing near the track and had the cast go zooming past me up close the entire time. I had been fascinated by the costumes and makeup ever since seeing ads for the Broadway show back in the '80s so finally being able to see them up close was like a dream come true. The only thing I didn't like was "Control", as it was obvious it was an adult trying to sound like a child with a bad American accent.
Ayyyyyy, it’s train sex innuendos the musical. I played Nintendo/Hashimoto before and roller skating down skatepark-like ramps is the most terrifying thing I’ve done in front of a live audience, and also the most painful rehearsal process ever.
LadyDragonbane Nothing professional, I did Starlight at my high school. We had a budget to do the show justice though. I loved “derailing” and jumping off a ramp to backstage where I presumably died.
You lucky so-and-so! I would have killed to have my high school put on this show. I wanted to be Dinah so bad. Too bad me and wheels on my feet go together like oil and water.
I think your assertion that people would rather experience these thrills than see them is spot on. As soon as you described the set, I didn't think about how cool the show would be to watch. I immediately thought "I wanna play on that."
Starlight Express really has a certain cult status in Germany. I remember seeing it when I was a kid and I still remember the show to this day. It was just a fantastic spectacle, though I have certainly seen better musicals since then. The one part I very vividly remember was that during one of the races, after a part where they go down from the bridge, one of the trains, I think it was the electric one, took one of the safety barriers and whacked another in the face with it. He went down and I think it was planned, but holy f**k.
I was in a production of this in the early 90s. I played CB, the Red Caboose. It is one of my favorite roles I have ever played and one of the best times of my life.
When I was a kid my sister somehow had the soundtrack of this musical. I listened to it so many times that I just love it. I've seen a few grainy clips of it online, but I would have loved to see it live. When I talk with other theater nerds they never know what Starlight Express is, so I'm happy this is here. It just had so much imagination and 80's flair.
I'm the same. My sister brought back the new starlight express record from her school trip to London, and I used to listen to it to fall asleep every night - kinda cute if you think about the premise of the story. (Mind you, my sis is 7 years older than me). She had to translate every song and tell me what the musical was about. Since it's the only version I've ever known, you could say I have my very own starlight express production going on rent-free in my head since 1997. It actually made me kinda fearful to look up how Starlight express was actually supposed to be like :P
Jane's character on 30 Rock has a flashback to a show she was in, wearing skates & crazy, metallic costumes. Liz Lemon interrupts her & asks, "What show was that?" I always thought it was funny because the costumes & skates were so random but I get it now lol.
26:23 this strikes me because I had actually found out about this musical because a HIGH SCHOOL at teen theater convention I attended put on a workshop about how they themselves did this musical. They seemed really enthusiastic about it at the time but now hearing about how dangerous the broadway version is I can’t imagine the stress they must have been facing behind the scenes.
I’m definitely writing this as I’m enjoying the introduction to this video lol, but your content is always so enthralling to watch. It’s fun getting to watch such a creative spin on video essays about the theater world/musicals and that’s no different with this video as well. Keep up the great work and Rock On!!
Alex Carson You’re so sweet! I’m honestly always self conscious about not diving directly into the musical, but I makes me feel better knowing you like it! :) Thanks again!
Saw this on Broadway back in 1988. I was 7, and it blew my mind. I was obsessed and would reenact it in our basement; flailing around a course made of cushions while listening to the LP my parents got for me at the show. 😂
Thank you so much for doing this video! Like how Les Miserables and Cats got me into musicals, Starlight Express is the reasons why I want to be in musicals and it was the show that got me into roller skating. I wasn't around for the Broadway production, but I saw the Vegas production and listen to the Pop Album version like no tomorrow since I was a child. I still want to audition for the German production to this day. I know this show doesn't have the same rep that Phantom or Evita has but this musical does hold a special place in my heart and always will be. And the Broadway production does play a important part for Starlight's history thank you for putting this production into light again with this video.
I was a young preteen when Starlight came out, and I'll admit it. I LOVED the show. Obviously I loved Greaseball. The music was current for the late 80s, roller skating was my entire life, and it was just glorious.
Little known fact. WHen Jeff Shankley was leaving and they were auditioning for Greaseball, someone who shall remain nameless, thought the muscles were real and spent weeks in the gym building up fpr the audion. Trevor N was so impressed with his dedication, nameless got a callback.
Yeah... Only the 9th longest running West End musical of all time and still running elsewhere in the world to this day. It was the show that introduced me to musicals and still love it today. Used to go down to London every few months and get standing racetrack tickets! :)
Oh boy, oh boy- it's now 12 am and I can't stop watching these. They are seriously engaging- it's so fun watching such a creative spin on the traditional video essay - and with theater and musicals! I'm missing live performance during quarantine so much and this just makes it a little bit better. Thank you!!
I can't remember how old I was but this was the first musical I ever saw live in London. I was just a kid so it was perfect for me, I bought a cd of the soundtrack and wore it out! Hearing 'This is Control, This is Control' still fills me with that unequivocal joy of musical theatre
It may not have been that much of a success on Broadway but it was a huge hit in London and the Bochum, Germany production is still running to packed houses every night (with the exception of during the pandemic). My partner used to work on Starlight London in the late 80’s while one of his friends who was appearing in the London production moved to play the same character in the Bochum show. She stayed there for over 31 years and left in 2018. The show is amazing and deserves so much more credit. I love it to this day.
Starlight Express is awsome. You have to experience it live in Bochum to realy get it. The songs are great, but the spectacle is even better. It's a show unlike any other.
Anthropomorphic *toy* trains. It's the same concept as The Nutcracker, or Toy Story. Incidentally, watch Captain Eo, and you'll see John Napier recycled the designs for Greaseball's Gang to use as the Whip Warriors.
This is hands down one of my favourite musicals of all time! I was introduced to it through a tape my nan kept of Andrew Lloyd Webber songs and my brother's scout group performed the musicals songs in their gang show. I finally saw it years in Edinburgh Playhouse and it blew me away, it had lighting effects and even 3D (When they did the racing scenes, it really helped it feel more real!). The story though was certainly not what I was expecting - I thought it was gonna be like Whistle down the wind where some kids believe in this urban legend of a special train that only appears at night that they try to convince theirs kids that's is real but only those who haven't lost the ability to believe in magic and mystery can see it. Seriously, that's what I thought it was about before I saw the actual musical years later! 😜
I had the fortune of seeing Starlight Express in London in the 80s, and I thought it was fantastic! The projector screens that appeared showing different parts of the race, and the last line in the song Uncoupled were standout memories.
I know I'm pretty late here but I got a visit to Startlight Express as a birthday gift for my 10th (?) birthday. It was so overwhelming I almost forgot everything but I know I loved it. We also had the Starlight Express CD. And yeah, I'm German.
I hold a special place in my heart for this musical. I had just moved to New York city, and it was my first audition. I was 18. A very confident singer and conveniently enough a really good roller skater, so I thought I would go. Auditions were at the nightclub Roxy now known as Webster Hall. We were all numbers, not names. Got pretty far in the callbacks, but eventually got the cut. When I saw the show on its feet at the Gershwin, I was blown away by all the performances, but the stand out for me was Greg Mowry, whos vocal, was craaaazy good. especially in the number starlight express. I heard that was his last show and he left the business after that.
Why hasn't there ever been an official recorded version of this like there was for Cats?! And why the hell do they keep drastically changing the show in ways that make it _worse_ than its original Broadway version?!
There is an cast recording"The Oreginal London Cast Recording for Starlight Express" Also when you hear Papas wonderful Gospel song you will know what the Starlight Express means..
I worked on the original London one and absolutely hated every change they made. Apart from 'my shoes are too tight' to 'my pants are too tight', and the slipped-in disgusted aside, 'Carriages!' The songs got too anodyne and wimpy and some of them seemed to leave the plot of the show totally.
Having seen three different iterations of Starlight (original London, New Starlight London and a touring production) it still amazes me that they never used stunt skater doubles for the races. Before seeing the show the first time, I assumed that was what they did, but massive credit to the performers to be able to do all of that and act and sing. Obviously there is a cost to doubling up the performers, which I’m sure was considered too high, but for me the most exciting performance was where they were actually skating around the arena/audience.
They did! Both in the original London , New London and the Japan/Australian tours in 87 and 1990/91. Ray Shell who played Rusty in the OLC said he wasn't a very strong skater so he had a double for the race. Same for Lon Satton who played Poppa eventually. John Partridge in the New London version had the same issue as he was a late casting for the show, he couldn't skate properly , but could do enough to do the choreo in the show but not skate the London set(which was in itself very dangerous and tricky compared to Germany where it's very flat compared to the london set) The Japan/Australian arena tour had full on stunt doubles for that production as the races and the tricks and stunts were spectacular and the set for that was HUGE! There was no way that a regular cast member could do what they needed to do in those races and risk major injury that would take them out of the show.. There was something like 68/70 cast members in that version compared to the usual 28-30 in London and Germany(Not counting understudies and swings)
@@ladyjennyanytime5195 Didn'T John Partridge actually get into an accident? Something related to another technical malfunction? Or did I read that incorrectly?
@@skullslace2426 Yes he was involved in an accident that took him out of the show for a short period of time. From I can remember he tore a ligament in his ankle after a piece of hydraulic track failed to go into place during one of the races and he had to be carted off stage in front of the audience. , There was a big hoo-ha in the papers with Andrew Lloyd Webber claiming sabotage by a disgruntled member of staff as there had been a spate of incidents backstage including some sort of flood through a burst pipe, which we've heard since through cast members who were in the show at that time.
@@skullslace2426 You're more than welcome luvvy. :-) If you want to know more about STEX or look at pix from the various productions onstage and off I heartily recommend the starlight express WIKI Fan page. Its a font of knowledge or join the starlight Trainwrecks group on Facebook. :-)
Starlight Express was the first show I ever saw that, ignited my love for musical theater. Being from Germany, it was just something a family would do, take their kid to see Starlight Express. And I loved it! I have seen the show five times since, lastly in February with Reva Rice. They have changed a lot over the years with new songs, costumes and the story but it is still an amazing show and it will always hold a place in my heart ✨
Amazing video, thank you for this. I do love this show, saw it when I was younger in London. Quick story. I was telling a friend about the first time I ever saw a musical live - it was Cats when I was 5. I told him, when the cats came out through the audience with the light up glasses in the beginning one of the performers had stuck his face in my face and I started wailing. After the show the performer came out to apologize. It was the beginning of a life long love for musical theater. My friend was like, yeah, when I was a kid I saw a production of Starlight Express, and I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the act, and as I was walking into the men’s room a skater came out and rolled over my feet and just kept going. Needless to say, he did not grow up with a lifelong love for musical theater.
I love Starlight. I am from a town just 1 hour drive away from Bochum in Germany. I have seen it 3 times. My best friend had seen it 22 times. It was my first ever show to see an I still love all the songs. They bring in something new every 2 years or so to keep it fresh and interesting. A few years ago the company that brings all the shows on stage ( "Stella" or now "Stage") wanted to close Starlight, but by the cast and crew refusing to get paid for 2 weeks they managed to find a new company to let them stay on stage in the Theater that was only build for that show. Everyone who knows Starlight Express and want to visit germany should go and watch the show.
Fun fact for me- Starlight Express was the very first musical I saw on Broadway! It will always, despite its flaws, have that special place in my heart. And I saw it with my mom who has since passed.
It's funny that the Gershwin Theatre and the Apollo Victoria Theatre: housed both Starlight Express, then when that show closed, they now both Currently house Wicked. Kinda symbollic really. Two Spectacle shows playing in the venue.
Starlight Express was the first thing you saw when you stepped outside of Victoria for basically my entire life, until Wicked replaced it. It said Welcome to London. It was a massive success. That it was a bad fit for Broadway is unsurprising. Richard Stilgoe's ode to trainspotting and anagrams is quintessentially British. And it gave the world Danny John-Jules. Respect due.
Earlier in this year, after Cats(2019) came out, I went through somewhat of an obsession with Starlight Express. It's... so much. Thanks for covering it, very interesting story!
MY GODDESS THOSE COSTUMES 🤩 Seriously, those costumes, and that music, deserve a better show. You could make a mood board out of any image from this show.
This was made by the same guy who made Phantom of the Opera and Jesus Christ Superstar. Let that sink in. Well he also made By Jeeves and Love Never Dies. Soooo.
I can’t believe they made a whole musical based on ALW’s Thomas the tank engine fanfiction
Considering there are people who based their entire online persona around fan fiction. I'd think it'd be an easy sell -_-
to be fair, love never dies is basically a fanfic of his other show
Me reading this comment at the beginning: haha funny joke
4 minutes later: they weren't kidding
I can believe it, Considering Andrew Lloyd Webber named his company “The Really Useful Group,” and the fact that he was a fan of the books (as am I) It’s bound for someone to decide “I must make Thomas the Tank Engine… The Musical.”
The guy made a musical about T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, and it was meant to he a song and dance music video-opera that essentially retold the poems off the book.
It was a stroke of Luck that The Rev W. Awdry met Britt Alcroftt who made a scaled up tv show recreating his books.
Otherwise this would be Thomas the Tank Engine vs Starlight Express.
And believe it or not....a Cinderella cartoon he was doing music for, he couldn't stop thinking about what train personalities her and the step sisters would have. Amazing! What a time to be alive!
I want to see a live action adaptation of Starlight Express, using human faces on CG trains, to just to watch the world burn.
Please no I still have ptsd from the cats movie.
So a shitty version of Thomas
yup
@@firesonic23 I think the new Thomas episodes are 3-d animation already
@@jonathanwarrdddedcxddeecec4787 Nope not anymore, it's switching to 2d
Storytime: I was in a school production of "Starlight Express" at my special school in 2002 (I played Control in tandem with a girl from the year above) Our music teacher knew Richard Stigoe (because disability arts is a VERY small world) and he came to our public performance of the show and gave a speech before curtain up. He said: "This is the version of Starlight Express I've been waiting to see for 20 years." It turned out that, when ALW suggested the idea of the show to him, Stilgoe said: "Fantastic idea, let's do it with people in wheelchairs!" ALW looked at him like he'd taken leave of his senses and said: "No. We'll do it with people on roller-skates."
I saw the original cast production in London and the original on Broadway and there was no comparison. Whether you bought it or not, the original in London, politically incorrect as it was, was a truly spiritual experience, with top of the line vocals. Overly pro-religion, anti-drug, anti-smoking and possibly anti- gay messaging was replaced with just sort of nothingness on Broadway.Nothing. The original was overly long, and has been revamped many times. I think it's biggest success was in Germany, where audiences fell in love with whatever their version was
@@peterkiviat9969Cool story but completely unrelated to the comment you replied to 😂
@@peterkiviat9969 I heard the las vegas version was well received.
@@littlesongbird1 so did I., though I believe it was, like many B'way musicals in Vegas, seriously shortened and tightened up .
What were the anti-gay parts?
True story: my dad was the lighting technician on this show on west end for years, and my mum was a massive fan. They met over this show. It holds such a special place in my heart
Making a slight assumption but it's pretty wild to think you're alive because of Starlight Express.
You should write Andrew Lloyd Webber a letter, thanking him while referring to him as your second daddy.
The absolute dedication of the cast members is a feat of it's own. No matter what you think of the show, you cannot argue that the sheer force of effort of the team is unfuckingbelievable!
It kind of makes watching the show worthwhile; because the cast put their bodies on the line for our entertainment.
The blood stained socks from bursting blisters really made me cringe. That must’ve really hurt
Totally unrelated, but I love your hair!
*its own 😅
@@jonathanwarrdddedcxddeecec4787sowas ist normal in einem solchen Business😅
"at the end of the day when they would take their skates off, they would find bloody socks!"
Ballet dancers: ahhhhhh, finally more people to join the club
The actors were dancers😶
@@Charlotte-ci4is You’ve never seen the feet of ballet dancers after a day in pointe shoes.
Some of the cats dancers got sore feet too I have a friend who was in the touring production of cats and she got painful feet
@@anneshields2010 "Sore" is in no way the same as "bleeding feet from blisters".
My ballet teacher used to make us walk on pointe in a circle for ages and ages. I had a couple of pairs of shoes that had bloodstains around the box.
It's so weird that some people view this musical as a flop when it literally hasn't stopped being performed professionally since 1984!
MsDaphne13 Very true!
@@WaitintheWings I also meant to say, great video. I enjoy your work and the amount of research you put into it :)
The Broadway production only lasted 18 months, which by Starlight Express standards, is a flop.
The thing about Starlight is that in terms of success, it failed to bring in the critical success on Broadway that other works of Webber’s creation would manage to do. I might be wrong, but on WitW’s video for Beetlejuice, he makes the comment of Broadway playing it safe when it comes to certain shows because theater usually drew older crowds. Starlight appeals to both kids and adults, but where the West End was able to pull off just under two decades of success and draw families in despite critical kickback, Broadway’s production was apparently doomed from the start; technical issues were especially bad with the set and track’s bridge (something that broke down multiple times, especially before closing) being made far more different than the London set. It didn’t help that Starlight never got to test the waters in its original form. London managed both excitement and intimacy while having characters with depth, but intimacy and depth got toned down for excitement for American audiences. Cats in aerobic wear was one thing, but trains on skates was something else. Starlight on Broadway was essentially viewed as a spectacle, not as a musical, and it suffered for it.
@@CallMeRedon "Viewed as a spectacle not a musical" - I think you're absolutely right.
I can (and frequently do) go on at unnecessary length about why I think the original London plot is so interesting and subversive, while later revisions have sometimes forgotten to consider things like character and plot!
Fun fact, I have been in 5 productions of STARLIGHT EXPRESS and I have never been injured in the show. I would do another production in a minute!
Don't jinx it.
Wow. That is so great. Bet you have a lot of great stories! Happy New year. Never saw it but would love to!
Brave brave man
I saw this show in Hartford CT about 15 years ago, and I really want to see it again!!! I can't find it anywhere.
And we act as if there aren't acrobatics shows that aren't orders of magnitude more dangerous than starlight express -_-
Andrew Lloyd Webber: makes one of the most dangerous shows in musical theatre history. Julie Taymor: ‘hold my drink.’
PRICELESS! LMAO!
*One of*, not *the*.
🤣
😂😂😂😂
Just wanted the Spiderman turn of the dark video earlier today and thought the same thing lol
I cannot fathom the amount of cocaine Webber was taking to not just think of this, but to spend 3 years working on it and never hesitate. What a mad lad.
So this is why Pablo Escobar became so wealthy...
He's oddly determined, even with his most recent Cinderella
He makes bad musicals and masterpieces. That’s why I have so much respect for him as an artist. He just creates and sometimes he finds gold.
this musical was seriously f-ed up.
@@charlottesoliven9239 To be fair, a lot of what he does is taking stories that already exist and kinda plagarizing music lol
The idea to put the choreographed accidents in the show to cover for any real accidents that would inevitably occur was genius.
That Robert Torti guy was just PAINFULLY familiar and after a google I’m blown away to discover he’s the guy who played the dad of Zack and Cody on Suite Life.
16:08 even has clips from the show and I was still shocked when I Google him
He was also the Pharoah in Joseph! You can see him for a moment at 33:37.
I can't believe there's a freaking Starlight express reference in Suite Life on Deck
And he was Freddy Fredrickson in "That Thing You Do" singing "Mr Downtown" :)
I literally came to the comments looking for someone else talking about it after the clip from the show came up, I am Shooketh 😲😂
Somewhere out there, there's an alternate universe where a Starlight Express cartoon movie with merch as successful as the Cars franchise.
I would watch it lol
Steven Spielberg was going to make an animated film version of
Starlight..and also one for"🐱"Cat's"too
@@michaelhollander5411 I think Cats would have worked better animated IMO.
Cats at least wouldn’t have been traumatising in animation
@@mrcritical6751 Depends on who animated it? :D
“Starlight Express is the perfect gift for the kid who has everything except parents.”
STOP! STOP! HE’S ALREADY DEAD!
Quoi?
@@nicholastosoni707 (Simpsons meme)
I literally jumped out of my chair and was like “DAMN!”
The sheer savagery is breathtaking.
I'm obsessed with the concept of this musical - the sheer balls to go "okay, hear me out; what if we put a roller derby team on a broadway stage and made them sing ballads about being trains?!?" 👁👄👁 where does this shit even come from? God, the recesses of his mind 💀
Hit or flop, the sheer balls it took to even try this, not to mention the ride or die attitude of the performers, is worth admiring.
Ahem. Starlight Express is art and no one appreciates it unless you are from Germany. THIS MUSICAL IS ART AND DESERVES MORE LOVE! So thank you for making this already.
when I moved to Germany, I was so confused when I learned that Starlight Express was such a big thing here 😂😂
Briana Michelle Meyer The Bochum version is nuts lol it’s a completely different starlight
Wait in the Wings a few of my friends from Germany have told me about the production!
It‘s a true national treasure here and that’s amazing.
I fell in love with it in London in the late 90s. Saw the Bochum show shortly after London closed... and I hated it so much I cried. I've come around to that version a lot more now, especially after what's happened to it in recent years!
The line "trains have wheels... rollerskates have wheels... put the actors on rollerskates!" intercut with a clip of Joey was editing and comedic mastery.
Starlight Express is a mindf**k of a musical. You probably had to be on drugs to comprehend what you were watching. The fact that Lloyd-Webber originally intended the songs to be for a musical animated version of Thomas The Tank Engine makes soooo much sense
I moved to the Ruhrgebiet in Germany a year ago and billboards for Starlight are absolutely Everywhere. I’m finally seeing it tomorrow and I’m super hyped!
WitW: “He could sing three notes at a time.”
Me: “WTF, no he can’t?”
*singer becomes train*
Me: ”…well I’ll be damned!”
Mel Torme from the Big Band era was able to do the same thing and learned how to do cyclical breathing that allowed him to hold a pitch for 10 minutes.
I really love that the jock found out he loved theater more, lol. It's literally the plot of High School Musical.
27:11: (falls off bridge, injures self). The show must go on (gets back on stage).
(Tears out knee at curtain call): The show must go on.
(Goes into reconstructive surgery, out 2 months and then goes right back to the show once cleared): The. Show. MUST. GO. ON.
Don't question the toughness of theater performers.
Exactly, recently the actress playing K Howard in “SIX” had something going on with a rib and still performed
Back in my day we used to say "even death is just a bad excuse not to go on stage"
"Toughness" or glorified self-harm?
@@theeccentric7263
Fair point. Far too many people in the creative or performing arts refuse medical treatment in order to “keep their creative spark” or “the show must go on”. It’s unhealthy and not something to be encouraged.
How to adapt Starlight Express into a movie:
1. Make 'em Transformers. Really. The biggest hurdle is the whole "They're supposed to be trains, but look like action figures" thing. Since they're toys in-universe, what toy can be both an action figure and a train? As hard to believe as the actors are supposed to be trains, it's hard to believe actual trains could do half the stuff they do in the show. They can race as trains (removing the need for the stylized helmets), and sing as humanoids.
2. Embrace the '80s. Old synths just work better for this show.
3. Give the audience a break between songs, if at all possible.
4. Also, embrace the power of video editing and special effects to avoid injury. It also goes back to the whole "Make 'em Transformers" thing.
Of course, I say this out of love for the show's soundtrack. You got to give them points for their dedication in having to actually perform the play. It probably just wasn't made for the stage. The screen, maybe, but not the stage as we know it.
Also, all those train puns, and you couldn't use the term "train-wreck" once? Okay.
See this? I agree with this.
Or you could go the Thomas the Tank Engine musical route XD
@@paleopotato736 Thomas the Tank Engine/Transformers On Ice, anyone?
I was thinking more along the lines of having the robotic humanoids and trains be different entities,with the humanoids being the trains pilots and mechanics, mentally connecting to them through the helmets to pilot them better (think like vr helmets mixed with the pilots in Pacific rim).
@@penguinsrbirds2 SE has already been done on ice...
I think the reason that the show was a success in Germany and England was that it was a connection to trains, in these countries trains are still a major part of their everyday public transportation. In the US by the eighties, rail public transportation has been gutted to nothing and throughout the eighties, rail right aways were abandoned and only the freight rails were left, and long-distance trains are what was left replaced by busses and airlines.
The majority of US citizens under 30 at that time never even rode a train, outside of an amusement park or a train museum.
England and Germany has never stopped using rail, Las Vegas success it is about spectacle, which Vegas is famous for.
Add that to the fact that they never seem to bother with clarifying that they're toy trains, not real(for a given value of "real") trains, and I reckon you're onto something there.
I mean essentially Starlight Express is just Cats with trains: A group of anthropomorphic cats/trains come out and introduce them selves until the end, where the underdog (Grizzabella/Rusty) go to the Heavyside Layer/ Wins the race
there was a tumblr post a few years ago that stuck with me about how that comparison falls short:
Cats has too little plot.
Starlight Express has too much.
Also one important difference is that Grizabella is old while Rusty is young, making it easier for children - the original intended audience - to identify with him.
Interestingly the og London production did have a character that was essentially a Grizabella replacement called Belle the Sleeping Car (geddit?). It did make sense to cut her, not only because of the Cats comparisons, but on the other hand it's kind of a shame to lose her solo which was among the few sombre moments in the show.
Her name (but not her character or costume) was eventually recycled for the replacement for Ashley once the smoking car was dropped for no longer being relevant nor seen as appropriate children's entertainment.
right down to both shows having a character named electra. LOL.
@@kodiibearvNow that I think about it him and Rum Tum Tugger have the same energy
what tf do you mean what went wrong this is glorious
Spencer Valdez Lol you got me there
28:00 Is there nothing actors won’t do for a Tony?
It looked neat in the commercials! I thought it was about roller skaters when I was a kid.
RIGHT!!!
2manynegativewaves I think the shows are different everywhere. There’s a big difference between the broadway production, west end and the one in Germany. The story in Germany seems to have more heart than the broadway production but it also has different songs. They are changing the show every year a little bit with new songs, cause the son of Webber is working there as a composer, they are changing the costumes, they modify the stage with rotating seats, they got ramps for the stuntmen with inline skates, they got drones, the got something like a modern chandelier with toy trains that are for control before the show starts. But there’s also enough place for the characters rusty, pearl, Diner, red cabost, papa/Mama to develop their characters.
This version is changing constantly and that’s making it’s success, which sows the weakness of the ground material, but in Bochum it’s forming it to a strength.
They funny thing is, the cast is international but sometimes with heavy accents, cause Andrew Lloyd Webber himself is picking the cast members xd so up this day u got plenty of children that are singing starlight express songs without real german words, like me when I was a child haha 😂
Single Train: "What is a Starlight Express?"
ALL TRAINS: "WHAT IS A STARLIGHT EXPRESS?"
There's a man over there with a look of surprise
As much as to say "Well now, how about that?"
Do I actually see with my own very eyes...
A man who's not heard of the Starlight Express?
When you do a backflip, do you land on your skates?
Do you wear a helmet that restricts your vision?
When you speed down a ramp, can you pump on the breaks?
Are your socks soaked with blood when you pull off your skates?
Man I really wish there was some form of professional recording of this show. It sounds insane.
Drawn By Dragonfly you and me both!
There's a a few boots of it up on here that are pretty good copies if you look around a bit. :-)
Honestly, I don't think that a recording could do justice to the spectacular that is this show, they never do but this one in particular that is really all about the show. I got to see it in that mentioned German theater when I was younger and it was quiet the experience, I don't think a camera could catch that. Especially because the set is so complex, like you have stuff going on on stage but sometimes at the exact same time there were two people racing around on the outter way doing flips right in front of where I sat. I don't remember a lot of it tho.
There's a couple bootlegs out there on youtube that look like they were recorded on old vhs tapes. Imagine a bootleg recorded from someone in a nosebleed seat and its on VHS so its all grainy and gross. You can find a few promotional clips from the german show and I think I have found the occasional close up of a song or two that someone in the audience filmed.
Still....would be amazing to have this filmed with a multi-camera set up so you can see close ups of stunts and performers
Drawn By Dragonfly I saw it twice in London...it was incredible. Would love to see it again
19:08 can you imagine back in 1987 audiences are greeted with a behemoth staging like this. not even current musicals can afford to replicate this kind of spectacle.
This musical is like a David Bowie song
Without the subtlety
Casual Cyberguy Why did I never think of this comparison!?
And with more cocaine consumption.
Hell, Bowie has a song somewhat related to trains (and the Jewish Kabbalah): “Station to Station”.
That Family Guy sketch was all i knew of Starlight Express. When you said it was about trains I just...I wasn't ready.
Same for me!
I still have that stuck in my head
Remember everyone; this is may be the world's most expensive Thomas the Tank Engine fanfiction.
Edit: Holy crap this has to be one of the best discussions on a show I've seen. I've bern laughing at all the jokes and ideas for 'film adaptions' including the "Transformers versions". This show is a gift that keeps giving. 😂
I LOVE IT.
Sorry, but its not a thomas fanfic, its a somewhat reconstructed leftover from 3 abandoned projects.
@@Arturobrito0502 one of which was an animated adaptation of Thomas the Tank Engine, so...
Oh my god youre right
My God…did Thomas and the Magic Railroad cost less to make?!
@@skinnysnorlax9356 Magic Railroad's budget was 19 million, so I think that was more expensive?
I used to work backstage at Starlight London in about 85/86 it was incredible, the sweat that used to pour off the casts heads after Rolling Stock and Ray Shell just did not stop.Lots of stars came and it was a wonderful experience
You did work backstage in 85/86? I never knew that
@@OptimusPrime298 It was a strange job but I had just left school and took a job taking the whole company up and down in an old spooky Victorian lift backstage but I used to throw lift parties, lot of fun but long hours without a break.Tom Jobe terrified me
When Brendon mention trains and seeing the footage in the intro, I immediately thought, "Trainsformers. Thomas in Disguise."
4:36 ...I'm gobsmacked.
Notchimochi Well...that’ll be stuck in my head all day now.
@@WaitintheWings ruclips.net/video/XBKh9Yz2EQ8/видео.html In case you do want to see what it look like, animator James Farr pulled off an impressive animation.
my dance teacher was in the German cast of starlight express and lost half of his finger in an accident doing this show, doesn't phase him but we were all shocked when he told the story
Knowing how dramatic and over-the-top some performing arts teachers are, he probably considered it a badge of honor.
“I sacrificed part of my finger for my AAAAAHHHHHRRRRRTTT!”
If one must lose half a digit, at least his way comes with a badass story
Metal
Starlight Express was one of the first musicals I‘ve ever seen (that was professionally produced) in Bochum, where the special built theatre for it stands.
It‘s so good and cool, when you see the "trains" rush in front of you and you can feel with it... and I‘m not even starting with the costumes, because they are out of this world... I look forward to see it again, in sometime...
Anytime this show gets brought up, the back of my brain is filled sith Peter Griffin, skating around in circles, repeatedly saying "Starlight Express."
Truly. A legacy.
STARLIGHT EXPRESS! D8
YO DEFUNCTLAND WATCHES YOU?! MY two favs?! amazing!
Tina Marie Still crazy that my name can be spoken in the same sentence as defunctland lol
Wait in the Wings I think you’re worthy, you don’t has his production value, but you’ve got the right passion.
It blows me away every time. Kevin is a secret theater nerd.
I'm honestly surprised this hasn't had a revival on West End or Broadway. 1980's nostalgia has been really popular for the past 5 years and Starlight Express is so 80's it hurts.
Actually, a revival comes to West End which opens on June 30, 2024!
It's so sad to me how so many people write this musical off as just being a dumb train musical when it's actually very compelling and sweet. All of the characters are so unique and have individual arcs of their own -- with Greaseball learning to be less of a jerk, Electra rightfully being knocked down a peg, Red Caboose getting a taste of his own medicine, Pearl finding true love, Dinah learning to stand on her own, and Rusty overcoming all odds. It's such a fun, wholesome, happy play -- I wish more people would give it a chance because it really does have so much heart.
I was fortunate to see the first version with the original London cast. I was UNfortunate to see several other versions. That's not just nostalgia talking, the original really was the best, although the German version I saw in 1990 was a close second. Fun fact: When the divine Stephanie Lawrence left the cast, her showstopping power ballad "Only He" was cut because they couldn't find anyone else who was capable of singing it two minutes after an exhausting race sequence.
OMG - thanks to this vid all being filler background sound & focused on the roller stunts, Icompletely forgot that the SE cast also had to SING!! 😳 That's just mind-boggling. When you think of how often mega-star singers lipsync public performances due to the demands of just dancing, let alone skating...!
is that why 'only you' isn't performed in later versions? I remember it from the original cast but I can't find it outside of that.
@@jsainz706 Actually it was performed in the German version up until mid 2002
Ty. I didn't know that! @@AntFraRob
Saw it at the Apollo in 85 with the moving bridge set. The "rail tracks" ran around the auditorium at low and upper levels. It was awesome !!!
I did seven years in the German production and it was the greatest experience of my career.... I saw the London production as a teenager and within the first minute knew I had to do this show. It was equally the hardest and most thrilling and rewarding show I've ever done. It is still a massive hit in Germany and has just had its 32nd birthday. It may not have stayed long on Broadway but it was and still is a worldwide success with many Guinness world records to its name... Long live this incredible show!! Love to all the Starlight family xxx
I admire you so much for being a part of this show. I never got to see but wish I could!!!
It haunts my dreams in the best way .. what makes it so magnetic !?
I desperately want to see Starlight Express, it's so bad and it's wonderful. I appreciate how it fell so hard in the states but thrived in Bochum Germany, they built a theater adapted for it and i'm absolutely here for it
During the intro, I jokingly called the musical a cross between Thomas the Tank Engine and Rollerball.
I did not anticipate the actual creator of Thomas the Tank Engine being involved in the foundation of this project.
Indeed
Honestly it likely "failed" because ALW himself didn't have his heart in it at all. This looks like a real life case of a composers simple songs getting turned into an over-produced mess by greedy exces.
As cliché as that trope is, this is the real example of it
Definitely agree. Workshopping and revisions gone out of control!
Well, all he intended for it to be was simple musical for kids, after all.
For Broadway this was definitely the case. They changed the lead character of Rusty to be this happy go lucky train, where as in London he was bullied by others at the start and his character was angry and determined and frustrated because he wanted to race and the audience was sympathetic to him and was rooting for him from that point in. On Broadway there was no reason to really get behind Rusty from the start, also cutting Pearl out of the Locomation number didn't make sense either as you had no introduction to who or what she was. There were many musical differences as well as changes to the characters compared to London. The main thing about it was it was never meant to go to Broadway AT ALL. It was supposed to tour Arenas accross the US like it eventually did in Japan and Australia that same year. But the [producer pulled out of doing it it and so to make some much needed money for The Really useful Groups investors , the board voted that STEX should go to Broadway, it was virtually against Andrews wishes though. It never quite worked as it should have done on Broadway as the co-producers interfered and wanted the changes to the show, not necessarily what Andrew wanted to do. He talks about it in more detail in his autobiography; UNMASKED. Definitely worth a read as it's very gossipy and quite funny in parts. He's actually very honest and open , even so far as not shying away from being self critical. I think with the shows set not encompassing the theatre like London and the changes to the score and plot, it didn't work as well there. Though the 1st German version of the show as well as the Japanese/Australian Arena tours that opened that year and the following were based on that version musically . And as others have mentioned they were both successful productions. The Arena tour went back again to Japan and Australia in 1990/91 and the German production is still running 34 years later after opening, though it's gone through a lot of changes over the years.
The fact that the synopsis of this show is A LOT like cats kind of says it all
Failed? 😂😂 it ran for 17 years in London, has run for almost 40 years in Germany, had 2 USA tours, 2 UK tours, an Asian tour and has just been revived at a theatre in London for its third iteration. Failed 😂😂😂😂
I saw Starlight Express at my local theatre. It didn't have the huge round space for racing circuits or massive special effects but I still remember loving it. We had a few stunt ramps and half pipes on stage at times to keep the spectacle up along with the "normal" skating choreography, but for the race scenes, I remember having to wear 3D glasses as a projection was played in the theatre.
Interesting to see how different versions of the show do their staging.
I saw this at the Las Vegas Hilton back in the 90s. I really enjoyed it, plus we sat in the section where we got to root for Rusty. One of Greaseball's lackys was shouting at me, who's gonna win?? I kept shouting Rusty! And he was pointing at me with narrowed eyes lmao. He remembered where I was sitting and came back and pointed at me after the race. Good times.
Thank you so much for this! Starlight Express was the first big musical I saw, I don't remember a whole lot about it other than the track that looped out into the audience, but when Rusty found the spotlight and belted "Starlight Express", 13-year-old me FELT THINGS.
Considering I was obsessed with the original Thomas series as a child, Starlight Express is like uncovering a piece of history completley lost to time. I think seeing his original Thomas vision would be very interesting to see, considering it was sort of the ground work of what would eventually become the aformentioned musical. The designs of the trains in the musical were especially amusing. You did a fantastic job of explaining the history of this rather interesting Broadway piece! Also, "An engine of many colors", was actually produced as an offical epsiode of the series in one one of the newer seasons, albeit with a completley different plot.
Same. I've loved trains (Thomas and the real deal) all my life so it was only natural for me to fall into the Starlight fandom
Same, favorite character was Cb the red caboose shy and always smiles in the outside, but on the inside is a maniac that causes train crashes.
Cool thing is, it was a HUGE success in Japan. I mean huge. Possibly because most shows there revolve around spectacle. The ‘87 tour was so successful they came back in 1990 rebuilding stadiums as race tracks. Unsurprisingly, it worked alright in Vegas in the 90s as well as the 1989-1990 US/Canada tour. Touring may have actually been a good format for this show, since audiences usually are expected to see it once, not to mention smaller stages/budgets.
Drinking game: Whenever there's a train pun, you take a shot.
Also, I'm pretty sure that the whole idea of Andrew Lloyd Webber wanting to kill people was his way of getting revenge on the person who let Starlight Express touch Broadway.
Do you want to kill us?
@@maxrohtbart6201 Did you let my mega-musical about talking musical instruments on Broadway? If you're not the one responsible then you're exempt
Everyone is going to be dead by the end of the "training" segment.
Jenna roller dancing on 30 rock makes so much sense after finding out Jane krakowski was in starlight express lol
I watched it in 1995 in London and 1997 in Bochum. It was heartwarming and beautyfully executed.
Just because it didn't went on forever on New York's Broadway doesn't mean anything is wrong with it.
Me, hearing about Xanadu: oh roller skates and 80s vibes, love it, so cute!
Me, hearing about THIS: oh god... oh no... it’s too powerful, it must be s t o p p e d
I saw Starlight Express in London in the mid or late 1990s when I was a teenager and loved it.
But OMG that Broadway set!
misterbungle7 ITS WILD ISNT IT??
Have you seen the Bochum set?
Back during the original run I had a boyfriend, William Frey, in the ensemble (RIP - Bill died around 1988 or so....). Bill was beautiful and just nuts, strong and daring enough to be a part of it : I remember him telling me of the terror cast members felt heading top speed toward a tunnel, where the doors were kept closed, opening at the last possible moment - whipping up to high speed on the track, and heading to what looked to be a closed wall - and then having it open. I never saw the show.
Never did I ever think I’d be watching a documentary where I found out Zack and Cody’s dad auditioned for cats and starlight express
I saw Starlight Express in London in 1997. I had a standing ticket and got to the theater early so I could get a good spot. I stood right in front of the railing near the track and had the cast go zooming past me up close the entire time. I had been fascinated by the costumes and makeup ever since seeing ads for the Broadway show back in the '80s so finally being able to see them up close was like a dream come true. The only thing I didn't like was "Control", as it was obvious it was an adult trying to sound like a child with a bad American accent.
Ayyyyyy, it’s train sex innuendos the musical. I played Nintendo/Hashimoto before and roller skating down skatepark-like ramps is the most terrifying thing I’ve done in front of a live audience, and also the most painful rehearsal process ever.
What production was it?
LadyDragonbane Nothing professional, I did Starlight at my high school. We had a budget to do the show justice though. I loved “derailing” and jumping off a ramp to backstage where I presumably died.
You lucky so-and-so! I would have killed to have my high school put on this show. I wanted to be Dinah so bad. Too bad me and wheels on my feet go together like oil and water.
There was a train named Nintendo? Really!?
oooo im obsessed with this musical ... v exciting episode : D
any chance of a mashup? 😆
Hey I love your channel!❤
THANK YOU SO MUCH for including Peter Griffin! It was the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the RUclips notification 🤣
Jonas Pina STARLIGHT EXPRESS!
@@WaitintheWings the only joke from FG I've laughed at in the last 10 or so years... it's so accurate to SE you can't not.
@@robustfawn It was so nonsensical and random it was perfect. 😂
I think your assertion that people would rather experience these thrills than see them is spot on. As soon as you described the set, I didn't think about how cool the show would be to watch. I immediately thought "I wanna play on that."
Starlight Express really has a certain cult status in Germany. I remember seeing it when I was a kid and I still remember the show to this day. It was just a fantastic spectacle, though I have certainly seen better musicals since then. The one part I very vividly remember was that during one of the races, after a part where they go down from the bridge, one of the trains, I think it was the electric one, took one of the safety barriers and whacked another in the face with it. He went down and I think it was planned, but holy f**k.
I was in a production of this in the early 90s. I played CB, the Red Caboose. It is one of my favorite roles I have ever played and one of the best times of my life.
When I was a kid my sister somehow had the soundtrack of this musical. I listened to it so many times that I just love it. I've seen a few grainy clips of it online, but I would have loved to see it live. When I talk with other theater nerds they never know what Starlight Express is, so I'm happy this is here. It just had so much imagination and 80's flair.
I'm the same. My sister brought back the new starlight express record from her school trip to London, and I used to listen to it to fall asleep every night - kinda cute if you think about the premise of the story. (Mind you, my sis is 7 years older than me). She had to translate every song and tell me what the musical was about. Since it's the only version I've ever known, you could say I have my very own starlight express production going on rent-free in my head since 1997. It actually made me kinda fearful to look up how Starlight express was actually supposed to be like :P
Jane's character on 30 Rock has a flashback to a show she was in, wearing skates & crazy, metallic costumes. Liz Lemon interrupts her & asks, "What show was that?" I always thought it was funny because the costumes & skates were so random but I get it now lol.
Or when she does that skating show when she "got fat" for the season she was pregnant. (Me want food)
26:23 this strikes me because I had actually found out about this musical because a HIGH SCHOOL at teen theater convention I attended put on a workshop about how they themselves did this musical. They seemed really enthusiastic about it at the time but now hearing about how dangerous the broadway version is I can’t imagine the stress they must have been facing behind the scenes.
I’m definitely writing this as I’m enjoying the introduction to this video lol, but your content is always so enthralling to watch. It’s fun getting to watch such a creative spin on video essays about the theater world/musicals and that’s no different with this video as well. Keep up the great work and Rock On!!
Alex Carson You’re so sweet! I’m honestly always self conscious about not diving directly into the musical, but I makes me feel better knowing you like it! :) Thanks again!
Saw this on Broadway back in 1988. I was 7, and it blew my mind. I was obsessed and would reenact it in our basement; flailing around a course made of cushions while listening to the LP my parents got for me at the show. 😂
Thank you so much for doing this video! Like how Les Miserables and Cats got me into musicals, Starlight Express is the reasons why I want to be in musicals and it was the show that got me into roller skating. I wasn't around for the Broadway production, but I saw the Vegas production and listen to the Pop Album version like no tomorrow since I was a child. I still want to audition for the German production to this day. I know this show doesn't have the same rep that Phantom or Evita has but this musical does hold a special place in my heart and always will be. And the Broadway production does play a important part for Starlight's history thank you for putting this production into light again with this video.
I was a young preteen when Starlight came out, and I'll admit it. I LOVED the show. Obviously I loved Greaseball. The music was current for the late 80s, roller skating was my entire life, and it was just glorious.
Little known fact. WHen Jeff Shankley was leaving and they were auditioning for Greaseball, someone who shall remain nameless, thought the muscles were real and spent weeks in the gym building up fpr the audion. Trevor N was so impressed with his dedication, nameless got a callback.
Yeah... Only the 9th longest running West End musical of all time and still running elsewhere in the world to this day. It was the show that introduced me to musicals and still love it today. Used to go down to London every few months and get standing racetrack tickets! :)
Oh boy, oh boy- it's now 12 am and I can't stop watching these. They are seriously engaging- it's so fun watching such a creative spin on the traditional video essay - and with theater and musicals! I'm missing live performance during quarantine so much and this just makes it a little bit better. Thank you!!
I can't remember how old I was but this was the first musical I ever saw live in London. I was just a kid so it was perfect for me, I bought a cd of the soundtrack and wore it out! Hearing 'This is Control, This is Control' still fills me with that unequivocal joy of musical theatre
It may not have been that much of a success on Broadway but it was a huge hit in London and the Bochum, Germany production is still running to packed houses every night (with the exception of during the pandemic). My partner used to work on Starlight London in the late 80’s while one of his friends who was appearing in the London production moved to play the same character in the Bochum show. She stayed there for over 31 years and left in 2018. The show is amazing and deserves so much more credit. I love it to this day.
I'm a simple man. I see new Wait in the wings video, I click!
Starlight Express is awsome. You have to experience it live in Bochum to realy get it. The songs are great, but the spectacle is even better. It's a show unlike any other.
Anthropomorphic *toy* trains. It's the same concept as The Nutcracker, or Toy Story.
Incidentally, watch Captain Eo, and you'll see John Napier recycled the designs for Greaseball's Gang to use as the Whip Warriors.
This is hands down one of my favourite musicals of all time! I was introduced to it through a tape my nan kept of Andrew Lloyd Webber songs and my brother's scout group performed the musicals songs in their gang show. I finally saw it years in Edinburgh Playhouse and it blew me away, it had lighting effects and even 3D (When they did the racing scenes, it really helped it feel more real!).
The story though was certainly not what I was expecting - I thought it was gonna be like Whistle down the wind where some kids believe in this urban legend of a special train that only appears at night that they try to convince theirs kids that's is real but only those who haven't lost the ability to believe in magic and mystery can see it. Seriously, that's what I thought it was about before I saw the actual musical years later! 😜
I had the fortune of seeing Starlight Express in London in the 80s, and I thought it was fantastic! The projector screens that appeared showing different parts of the race, and the last line in the song Uncoupled were standout memories.
I know I'm pretty late here but I got a visit to Startlight Express as a birthday gift for my 10th (?) birthday. It was so overwhelming I almost forgot everything but I know I loved it. We also had the Starlight Express CD.
And yeah, I'm German.
Who's here after finding out about the new production with butch lesbian greaseball?
Yess! Hadn’t heard about it until people were talking about it on tik tok
I hold a special place in my heart for this musical. I had just moved to New York city, and it was my first audition. I was 18. A very confident singer and conveniently enough a really good roller skater, so I thought I would go. Auditions were at the nightclub Roxy now known as Webster Hall. We were all numbers, not names.
Got pretty far in the callbacks, but eventually got the cut. When I saw the show on its feet at the Gershwin, I was blown away by all the performances, but the stand out for me was Greg Mowry, whos vocal, was craaaazy good. especially in the number starlight express. I heard that was his last show and he left the business after that.
Why hasn't there ever been an official recorded version of this like there was for Cats?! And why the hell do they keep drastically changing the show in ways that make it _worse_ than its original Broadway version?!
There is an cast recording"The Oreginal London Cast Recording for Starlight Express"
Also when you hear Papas wonderful Gospel song you will know what the Starlight Express means..
@@michaelhollander5411 If that's true, then why can't I find it online?!
@@otaking3582 I've got a bootleg of the german version if your interested.
@@michaelhollander5411 I have the CD
I worked on the original London one and absolutely hated every change they made. Apart from 'my shoes are too tight' to 'my pants are too tight', and the slipped-in disgusted aside, 'Carriages!' The songs got too anodyne and wimpy and some of them seemed to leave the plot of the show totally.
Huh I had no idea Defunctland was a patreon. That's super cool, I adore Kevin's channel
Having seen three different iterations of Starlight (original London, New Starlight London and a touring production) it still amazes me that they never used stunt skater doubles for the races.
Before seeing the show the first time, I assumed that was what they did, but massive credit to the performers to be able to do all of that and act and sing.
Obviously there is a cost to doubling up the performers, which I’m sure was considered too high, but for me the most exciting performance was where they were actually skating around the arena/audience.
They did! Both in the original London , New London and the Japan/Australian tours in 87 and 1990/91. Ray Shell who played Rusty in the OLC said he wasn't a very strong skater so he had a double for the race. Same for Lon Satton who played Poppa eventually. John Partridge in the New London version had the same issue as he was a late casting for the show, he couldn't skate properly , but could do enough to do the choreo in the show but not skate the London set(which was in itself very dangerous and tricky compared to Germany where it's very flat compared to the london set) The Japan/Australian arena tour had full on stunt doubles for that production as the races and the tricks and stunts were spectacular and the set for that was HUGE! There was no way that a regular cast member could do what they needed to do in those races and risk major injury that would take them out of the show.. There was something like 68/70 cast members in that version compared to the usual 28-30 in London and Germany(Not counting understudies and swings)
@@ladyjennyanytime5195 Didn'T John Partridge actually get into an accident? Something related to another technical malfunction? Or did I read that incorrectly?
@@skullslace2426 Yes he was involved in an accident that took him out of the show for a short period of time. From I can remember he tore a ligament in his ankle after a piece of hydraulic track failed to go into place during one of the races and he had to be carted off stage in front of the audience. , There was a big hoo-ha in the papers with Andrew Lloyd Webber claiming sabotage by a disgruntled member of staff as there had been a spate of incidents backstage including some sort of flood through a burst pipe, which we've heard since through cast members who were in the show at that time.
@@ladyjennyanytime5195 Thank you for clarifying :)
@@skullslace2426 You're more than welcome luvvy. :-) If you want to know more about STEX or look at pix from the various productions onstage and off I heartily recommend the starlight express WIKI Fan page. Its a font of knowledge or join the starlight Trainwrecks group on Facebook. :-)
Starlight Express was the first show I ever saw that, ignited my love for musical theater. Being from Germany, it was just something a family would do, take their kid to see Starlight Express. And I loved it! I have seen the show five times since, lastly in February with Reva Rice. They have changed a lot over the years with new songs, costumes and the story but it is still an amazing show and it will always hold a place in my heart ✨
"The perfect gift for the kid who has everything except parents"
So this was the Musical Bruce Wayne's parents got murdered at.
Amazing video, thank you for this. I do love this show, saw it when I was younger in London. Quick story. I was telling a friend about the first time I ever saw a musical live - it was Cats when I was 5. I told him, when the cats came out through the audience with the light up glasses in the beginning one of the performers had stuck his face in my face and I started wailing. After the show the performer came out to apologize. It was the beginning of a life long love for musical theater. My friend was like, yeah, when I was a kid I saw a production of Starlight Express, and I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the act, and as I was walking into the men’s room a skater came out and rolled over my feet and just kept going. Needless to say, he did not grow up with a lifelong love for musical theater.
I love Starlight. I am from a town just 1 hour drive away from Bochum in Germany. I have seen it 3 times. My best friend had seen it 22 times. It was my first ever show to see an I still love all the songs.
They bring in something new every 2 years or so to keep it fresh and interesting.
A few years ago the company that brings all the shows on stage ( "Stella" or now "Stage") wanted to close Starlight, but by the cast and crew refusing to get paid for 2 weeks they managed to find a new company to let them stay on stage in the Theater that was only build for that show.
Everyone who knows Starlight Express and want to visit germany should go and watch the show.
Absolutely incredible. I wish I was able to have seen this in person in all of it's excessive 80s glory.
Seeing a Wait in the Wings video pop up in my sub box is always a helluva treat- and as always, a fantastic watch!
The EducatedRanter Hey! Thank you so much!!
Fun fact for me- Starlight Express was the very first musical I saw on Broadway! It will always, despite its flaws, have that special place in my heart. And I saw it with my mom who has since passed.
It's funny that the Gershwin Theatre and the Apollo Victoria Theatre: housed both Starlight Express, then when that show closed, they now both Currently house Wicked. Kinda symbollic really. Two Spectacle shows playing in the venue.
Starlight Express was the first thing you saw when you stepped outside of Victoria for basically my entire life, until Wicked replaced it. It said Welcome to London. It was a massive success. That it was a bad fit for Broadway is unsurprising. Richard Stilgoe's ode to trainspotting and anagrams is quintessentially British. And it gave the world Danny John-Jules. Respect due.
Earlier in this year, after Cats(2019) came out, I went through somewhat of an obsession with Starlight Express. It's... so much. Thanks for covering it, very interesting story!
MY GODDESS THOSE COSTUMES 🤩 Seriously, those costumes, and that music, deserve a better show. You could make a mood board out of any image from this show.
This was made by the same guy who made Phantom of the Opera and Jesus Christ Superstar.
Let that sink in.
Well he also made By Jeeves and Love Never Dies. Soooo.
matthew whitcher Literally what I tell all of my friends
Wait in the Wings I will never understand the hate for Love Never Dies
Can’t make all winners, the road to success is paved with failures.
@@dillonohlemiller9027 It's an unnecessary fan fiction that completely throws the original message of Phantom out the window.
We don’t say cursed names in here
(Cough cough Love Never Dies cough)