Review: STARLIGHT EXPRESS, Troubadour Theatre

Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express is possibly one of the world's most bizarre musicals. Yes, even more so than Cats. A child's dream-like world where trains compete for races and for each other, all set on roller skates. And yet, this 1984 musical has been seen by over 20 million people worldwide and it's latest revival will make a new generation fall in love with this loud, bright and captivating production.

Surely the Troubadour was made for this production? As soon as you enter the vast foyer, you are greeted with more glitter-balls than a particularly sparkly episode of Strictly. The auditorium itself feels like being thrown into the middle of an arcade game, with the central stage topped by the show's name, depicted by laser beams coming from behind. 

Directed by Luke Sheppard, there is a modern feel to the story. Control, the child who takes us into their dream world, is now an on-stage presence throughout. The story is based on trains who pair up with different coaches to race. We root for steam train Rusty, who longs to pair with Pearl the carriage, but is mocked by gritty diesel train Greaseball and flamboyant electric train Electra. A new train, Hydra (a remarkably agile Jaydon Vijn), is also now part of the action, in a neat nod to the future of energy.

There are also gender changes; Al Knott’s agressive Greaseball is now female, while Poppa is now Momma and Tom Pigram's commanding Electra is given gender neutral pronouns. 

A remarkable number of the cast is making their professional debuts. Jeevan Braich is sweetly reserved as Rusty, Kayna Montecillo has gorgeous vocals as Pearl and Eve Humphrey brings great comedy to dining car Dinah.

This is not Lloyd Webber's strongest score, but is incredibly varied with bluegrass, a rather cringy rap, pop and electronica. Jade Marvin is a standout voice with her blues-inspired numbers, particularly arresting in “Light at the End of the Tunnel”.

The production is an incredible creative feat. Tim Hatley's set design, Howard Hudson's lighting and Andrzej Goulding's video design meld perfectly to maintain a fantastical visual spectacle. A planetary system descends from the ceiling, a beautiful star-scape envelops the auditorium in the second half and, of course, the racetracks and ramps weave around the auditorium to enable the cast to immerse the whole audience with their skating as they glide by.

The influence of Gabriella Slade's iconic costume work on SIX The Musical is easy to see here, but is ramped up to eleven with a look that is a mixture of sci-fi fantasy, meets Power Rangers, meets Drag Race in space, with a hint of steampunk thrown in. It looks remarkable, with each character carefully defined by their outfit, but also Campbell Young's fantastical wigs and Kackie Saundercock's David Bowie-esque makeup. Standouts are Electra's inflatable lighting rods and light-up skates and Greaseball's neon lips and fabulous mullet.

Taking a step back, it is so impressive that every cast member came to the show without skating experience and now make the physical execution and tight choreography look effortless. To misquote Ginger Rogers; they do it all backwards and on skates!

It's not perfect; the story is wafer-thin, some lyrics are too childish ("Freight is great") and the 'love story' between Rusty and Pearl is not given enough prominence to have much impact. However, it is so much fun that these issues matter little. As a theatrical experience, this will make a life-long impression on many young theatre-goers; a young boy sitting next to me was slack-jawed with wonder throughout the show.

Big, bright and spectacular, this version of Starlight Express is sure to run and run.

Starlight Express is currently booking at the Troubadour Theatre until 16 February 2025

Photo Credits: Pamela Raith