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Well said!

What did you make of it in the end?

@@Simulacra719. These are my thoughts from another post just come home for a matinee. The costumes are pretty awful, I hate that the Greaseball character is now a woman and that the stage isn’t very big BUT the music is great, the cast are settling in to their roles and the lighting is brilliant. Control is now played by a young boy so the story makes sense but my biggest issue is with the choreography. It’s just not as good. There’s a lot of rolling around and hand jiving also they’re not very good at skating backwards. I think my problem is I’m such a huge fan of the original London production and the Bochum show. Go with an open mind and you’ll enjoy it. It’s different but good.

And why not reward your long-term supporters of the show by bringing back the show they loved as close to the original as possible?!

I agree with everything you are saying...but please explain "that we are living in a more diverse society?" Diversity has always been around...and what audience is being appealed to by changing male characters into female characters?

I paid £29.50 for this evenings performance. Booked it yesterday. I agree with a lot of what you say but I still enjoyed it. The singing varies. Pearl was fantastic in singing. Electra very poor. Greaseball now a woman. Hydrogen and the reference to net zero was 😂

Wasn't the reference "we can't do that (whistle)"? Like whistling is bad. Well, PC Starlight Express, along with the shout out yo net zero in the musical and newbie Hydrogen.

It’s great. I want to go again even though a few things were off. I’d also take noise defenders as it’s super loud

Glad to hear that! Looks like a lot of people here are jumping to conclusions

@@craigmmcgillJumping to conclusions how?

I just saw it thus evening. I saw it before in London over 20 yrs ago and then in Manchester. This version was fab too and I enjoyed it, but they have gone all politically correct...whistling is bad, references to net zero and hydrogen. Electras costume 🤪

So having high expectations is looked down upon now??? Tell me your a millennial without telling me your a millennial. Congrats on all Cs on your school report card. Let's celebrate!!

But it WASN’T ADVERTISED as a non-replica, and that’s why people are angry as they’re not getting the product they paid an extortionate price for. It’s deceitful false advertising. For the price they’re charging, the quality is abysmal. And they have a damn cheek to even call it Starlight with the sheer number of changes made to the OG production, with many of those changes being completely unnecessary.

Wow, that was staggeringly pompous! ‘Let’s appreciate their effort’. Who on earth do you think you are patronising people like that?! This has been falsely advertised as a return of Starlight Express and they’ve delivered a completely different show. Not just the odd few tweaks that were used to with this show, but an entirely new show with changes that don’t make sense or improve/enhance the original content. At least the 1992 production rebranded it ‘The New Starlight Express’ so people were aware it would be significantly different. They’ve deceived people into parting with a lot of money on good faith that they would see Starlight Express, and this isn’t Starlight Express…this is bull 💩! Cheap, pared-down sets and costumes with high school theatre-quality performances is unacceptable for the ticket prices charged. And I don’t care if this was a preview, the quality of performances should’ve been much higher than this. Previews are for sorting technical details and tweaking content, it’s not to give the cast another month of rehearsals because they aren’t up to scratch! The production team didn’t schedule enough time for rehearsals and it shows, and it’s wrong to have charged people so much money to see it when the cast clearly aren’t ready. So get off your high horse and pipe down. Or you’re connected to the production somehow and you’re on damage control here?

@@Simulacra719 unfortunately I‘m not connected to any of the people involved, but I find it a bit sad that people have such singular expectations of a show that can look very different and still be great. This production‘s purpose was to be different than Bochum, but I can see that this is not for every fan‘s liking. As I said I didn‘t like all the changes made, for example they unfortunately shortened the races (understandable when considering the theatre‘s size, but still…) and cut C.B. entirely. But it is hard to judge a show based on a phone-made video of its curtain call. It is still an interesting new approach and I am quite certain that all these radical changes won‘t be carried over to future productions (which I believe will be closer to the original again). And If you are selling your already bought tickets I will gladly buy them if you want!

@@ulrichlehensteiner my expectations weren’t singular and I was expecting changes, but not to this level - this is something else and most of it is unnecessary. The question is, how much can you change something before it technically becomes something else entirely? IMO, that’s what’s happened now and it should’ve been marketed as such so that customers could’ve made a more informed choice before parting with substantial amounts of cash to book it. And since the overwhelming majority of comments on other videos are negative, I dare say I’m not alone in this opinion. And I’m not basing my decision just on this video - there’s plenty of content from the show out there now and from what I’ve seen and heard, I do not regret my decision and I’m not willing to pay a further £600+ for hotels and travel to see it. Despite all the changes over the years, I always said I’d take Starlight in any format as I loved it so much, but this is too far for me…and I never in a million years thought I’d say that, let alone walk away when I’d already booked the most expensive tickets I’ve ever purchased for the show. However, if you want my tickets, they’re available on Twickets - it’s the only listing for 6th July at 7:30pm and I’m accepting offers if you want to purchase them.

It is certainly different from the production in Bochum, but that is exactly what they wanted to achieve. It‘s different, but not overall bad mind you. And I am sure that the changes here won‘t be definite for all future productions, on the contrary I am quite certain that they will remain a one-time-thing, so talking about „ALW killing Starlight Express“ might be a bit too early. And of course the audio-quality of a phone-video can be no indicator of the show‘s musical quality.

womp womp

that’s a real shame. i guess it must have come back to life even better than germany’s production.

I just saw it thus evening. I saw it before in London over 20 yrs ago and then in Manchester. This version was fab too and I enjoyed it, but they have gone all politically correct...whistling is bad, references to net zero and hydrogen. Electras costume 🤪

I am an epic fan of Starlight Express who has loved it since I saw the original version back in the Apollo many years ago. I have seen several versions of it and went to London last week to see it revamped. It was very very different but it had to be changed to bring it up to date to capture the widest possible audience and attract youngsters and make it safer and more politically correct. I was so glad to see it back again in the UK. Some things worked very well and were better. Rusty had to convert to hydrogen, he could not remain a coal fuelled steam train and I think this was done very well. Jeevan Braich's portrayal of Rusty was beautiful, tender and moving, the best I have ever seen. The additional song about hydrogen was brilliant and very catchy. Mama was fabulous, an amazing actor and singer. The connection of a mother with a real child on set brought a stronger depth of emotion but I don't think the child being Control throughout the show really worked and broke the fluency of the performance, also it was a big pressure on a child to have a main part. The set was smaller and safer and the actors did not reach the speeds they used to. It was a lot less exciting and exhilarating. I really really missed the bridge and the excitement it brought and felt a bit of grief it wasn't there 😢. The stunts were a lot less frequent and less risky and done on a scooter, which was a surprise and disappointment but was a lot safer for the actors. Apart from Rusty and Mamma the costumes did not work for me. The carriages' outfits looked like they were straight from Six and were still quite revealing and suggestive. A lot of the costumes looked like space creatures or aliens and nowhere near the resemblance of a train. Electra's entrance was not the almighty jaw dropping spectacle it used to be😢. Electra was very very different in looks. I missed their mohawk😢. Greaseball as a girl did not work for me. Apart from a few actors, the singing was not on the level it used to be or equivalent to other West End shows but it isn't the West End, it's Wembley. There was a heavy London street accent in quite a few of the actors and no one had an American accent. No southern Dolly Parton style Dinah. However it was still magical and moving and I cried when the Starlight Express arrived. Would I go again? Yes absolutely, it is still an entirely unique and thrilling show. But it also made me want to book a flight to Germany and see the show in Bochum as I am longing to see the old Starlight Express.

I’m not going either. We’d have to pay a further £500+ for travel and hotels just to get there (on top of £300 already paid for tickets), so unless our tickets sell, we’d rather take the financial hit than ruin our memories by watching this garbage. I’m not dragging my elderly father halfway across the country to see it when they’ve cut all of his favourite Freight trains. I’m so sad that he’ll never get to see the proper Starlight again 😞

He’s the one who looks like he’s wrapped in Bacofoil with kitchen knives sticking out of him. He’s singing ‘Clear my track’.

DEI

They wanted to shine a light on the very real problem of abusive lesbian relationships.

@MT-mj3yv and too bad not the lipstick lesbian ones. Damn...a missed opportunity. I am sure ALW is taking notes

Mickey Joe Theatre says it’s Pearl, Dinah, Belle and Tassita - o can see them at 1.15 in the video singing a reprise of the song that has replaced A Lotta Locomotion

ALW has gone DEI. Time to retire....And Rusty looks androgynous too as well.

⁠@@butterbookand it’s not even properly implementing DEI. This ideologically-motivated ‘inclusion’ has come at the exclusion of a long established (and well loved) character. We can’t have a white, hetero male lead character now, can we?! That will never do! 😏 Simply gender swapping the character in the name of ‘representation’ is lazy and it lacks creativity. If they wanted more female representation, why not replace Greaseball with a new female character (or add a fourth lead train) that Al Knott could’ve made her own rather than having to imitate a long-established male character who was based on a very famous man? It makes no sense. They could’ve at least changed the character up to be more Joan Jett or something, rather than have her trying to imitate Elvis. ‘I’m a rockin’’ rather than ‘I’m a knockin’’?! And she’s going to blow her vocal cords out quickly if she keeps straining her voice trying to sing songs that were designed for a male performer. It would’ve been more organic to make Electra female. Pearl is questioning what she wants in a partner, so why not explore that with a female? It feels like the changes were thought up by a bunch of student activists who constantly want everything represented - gender, sexuality, race, climate change. And the irony is, StEx had all of those things represented already to some extent. But nooo, that wasn’t enough for the bullies representing the cult of DEI was it?! This constant ideological bombardment in entertainment nowadays is exhausting…I just wanted to see Starlight Express FFS!!

@Simulacra719 very well said!!!!!! And Starlight was waaaaaaay ahead of its time by being diverse 40 years ago!!!!! Who is whispering in ALW's ear???

@@butterbook IKR?! 3 of the 4 leads were black in 1984, and one of them androgynous/bi. Electra and his components have always given queer vibes. Even though Electra’s fluid sexuality was seen as a bit controversial back then, it was done subtly and cleverly…now they just bash you over the head with ‘representation’ in modern shows because everyone (apart from white hetero men) is soooo oppressed! Waaaah! I wonder too who’s whispering in ALW’s ear too, as gender swapping the white, very hetero male lead when there were more obvious choices available (i.e Electra) seems very calculated and almost sneering. Everything about this new production feels like it’s sneering at the older fans…the disdain is palpable in the choices made when changing aspects of the production. They sneer at us, but they were more than happy to take our money whilst deceiving us by marketing this as a ‘comeback’ 😏

@Simulacra719 he even did it in Joseph by turning most of the show to the narrator...who...you guessed it...STRONG FEMALE LEAD. In Cinderella...making all hetero males into airhead. YAWN. But it's working at the box office...RIGHT????? ALW can't even buy a hit.

Dude. This is the first show that their doing with this new material. It’s not supposed to be perfect. The story and changes aren’t perfect but are amazing when executed.

@@genreproductions2706but it wasn’t advertised as such, so they have deceived people out of a lot of money. It’s pretty despicable. And the performances should’ve been much higher in quality for the price of the tickets paid.

With respect which is little; Cameron only funded part of Cats and Phantom; he was not a member of the creative team. Be sure you’re thanking the right people when you praise the shows you once liked.

I was there, it was so so loud. This is the finale so the songs apart from greaseballs singing were excellent

I was actually surprised at how quiet the sound was. I was sitting in the mis-named Trackside seats (side balcony), so perhaps the speakers weren’t directed towards me as much, but usually you get a bit of a jump when the overture strikes up. Not here. Also, for all the bragging about the state-of-the-art mics and sound desk, the vocals were barely coming through.

@ianday3620 Were you sitting in the trackside seats? If so, were you happy with the view? I thought they would have been level with the track.

@@stevej8037 yes it was Trackside2. I also assumed I’d be level with the stage when I bought the ticket. The view is pretty good. Almost everything happens centre stage, be it the low or high level, so you don’t really miss much.

@@ianday3620 thanks. I can't lie, I do feel kind of duped. I was contemplating trying to get a seat change.

@@stevej8037 yea I know what you mean. I was to go again I’d choose the main bank of seats. I think they’d have the best overall straight on view.

@@ianday3620 I did email KX tickets but they won't have it that the seat description is misleading.

I saw it 17 times! That new stage is tiny!!😮

@@RichArd-vc5jp That's interesting Richard. Thank you for your reply.

Danke schön

If you are fine with not understanding the language, come to Germany. We also have definitely moving seats on some places

My thoughts exactly. Paid £300 for tickets in July and have decided not to go as I’m not forking out a further £500 for travel and hotels to see this hot mess.

@@Simulacra719 I don’t even get why the tickets are so expensive for this! Like in Germany StEx is also not cheap but cheaper and you get more and better quality

@@FoxofNothing precisely! I’m seriously shocked at how much they’re fleecing people for such a low level of quality and a product that barely resembles what it should. It’s disgraceful taking advantage of fans like that, and such a rip off.

I'm pleased to see this video, I'm disappointed as the only reason I booked the most expensive seats that I can't really afford was because the seats were supposed to move. I've had no email or communication to let me know in advance of the change. I love the words written by Richard Stillgoe so I hope some of the same songs are in this but the complete shock to me on this video is the costumes. In the original show they really resembled all the different trains but these costumes all look the same and do not look realistic...I'm just wondering if these were just the costumes for the finale perhaps ? or are they the same all the way through ? hope not.

Das Bühnenbild hat irgendwas 80er Jahre mässiges. Das hat was. Die kostüme, wow, hatte mich schon gewundert warum es im Vorfeld nie Fotos davon gab. Wow, ist das schlecht...

Do the front sections move or not because i am now looking online and it dont say they will move

@@thephantomfantasia they won't, sorry.. it was planned but they decided otherwise now

@@raviravioli ok good thing I am in the back section now anyway when I booked in the first place