As a stage manager, this show, as a concept, STRESSES ME OUT. Can you imagine the reaction when ALW told the team of the original production they’d be on roller skates??
Such a great era, when producers really pushed the boat out (literally with Phantom..) and experimented with what they and their performers could do. This show looked a little safer than the original with the very technical jumps being done by 2 performers on scooters.
NEVER CLICKED SO FAST IN MY LIFE!! I've booked tickets for August, and having had a manic starlight express obsession a few years ago I'm actually so excited. (although nothing will beat the original production, they will never replace you CB😢)
It is absolutely nothing like the original so the comparison can’t even be made. It was truly awful. So so so terribly disappointed. I want to remove it from my memory forever, they have ruined starlight express’ legacy
Also Electra has always been a more gender-neutral character! I mean, He Whistled at Me (Reprise) hints that Electra is male-presenting without “the apparatus” (insane lyric) and AC/DC was nearly explicitly about bisexuality. It’s nice that they fully committed
This was the first musical I saw when I was 10 yrs old, and I immediately became a superfan because atmospherically that show was like nothing else I've seen since. I'm based in Spain now, so there is very much a sense of me living vicariously through your updates until I take to my own seats in July. Thanks Mickeyjotheatre
gotta say - the original Lotta Locomotion was a cute, bouncy introduction to these characters with a bit of cheeky double-entendre. Whole Lotta was "I need a big hot powerful engine with all the thrust" - and the German lyrics went as far as "A coach is made to be the prize for the winner". No... no. Replacing that was needed, but the original version was not problematic! The thing about Starlight Express is the way the show has constantly been evolving, there's not the same sense of "Replica" and "Non-Replica" as you see in other shows. Cats, for example, this New York Jellicle Ballroom production is an alternate universe. It's a fascinating take on the show, but there's no suggestion that the Ballroom setting will replace the Junkyard set for the standard. Sunset Boulevard is not, from now on, always going to be black and bloodied and full of cameras. But Starlight, every time changes are made, that becomes the standard. The old material is scrapped and usually gone for good.
My point exactly! With just a little adjusting a lotta locomotion would be fine! And it's not like sexual songs don't exist on the West end... Take moulin rouge or grease for example. Sometimes the source material doesn't need to be changed.
I'm ok with the character changes and update to song and lyrics. But I'm sadly not sure I'm onboard with the costumes. Looking at them... they feel more like "space ships", than a child's toy train collection. Which I can somewhat understand can work for "Starlight Express" if it were more of a space themed production. But since the lyrics still references trains, they kind of need some more railway elements. Again, that's just my own point of view.
The biggest tip for audiences is YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE AUDITORIUM during the performance as you would have to cross the train tracks (which is never a good idea).
But wasn't that normal in all the former productions? In Bochum, it's also like that but it isn't a Problem. The first act is 1 hour 10 Minutes and you can wait that long. The second one is 50 minutes. How long is it in London?
@@biggest_stex_fan Good point. It was less of an issue in the original London production as most people wouldn't need to cross a track to leave the auditorium. In this new production almost everyone would have to walk some way along a track to get to an exit.
@@biggest_stex_fanroughly the same. Last night they had to stop the show during first act due to an audience member’s health emergency. We at first thought someone stepped on the track to go to restroom but that wasn’t the case.
@butterbook Saw the show in London last night. It's just beyond me why they've changed both Greaseball and Poppa to a woman. The whole show was thoroughly disappointing.
@@mee5780saw this last night 13\06. I think Momma works perfectly, and is in keeping with the new start to the show. My concern with Greaseball was that the voice of the actor was not strong enough. GB is one of ALW’s Elvis types, macho and posturing, the actor we saw didn’t give that kind of energy and she seemed to be struggling.
Just saw it! Onlybknew the premise, none of the music before seeing it and i loved it!! A lot of the cast was making their professional debuts and they sounded amazing!
So glad they’re adding back High Style, Wide smile!!!! One of my absolute favourite songs from the original that was sadly cut when I did my amateur version - genuinely so excited for that (and the lesbian trains fr fr we love representation)
Having been an original cast (1988) member of the Bochum show (and yes you really should go see it, although it’s not the show it was & will never be again….. but it’s still a worthwhile visit) anyhoo I loved your commentary & found myself giggling a number of times. I’m in New Zealand now so seeing this production is probably not possible for me but you never know! Looking forward to your review! Cheers “Ashley” (1989) aka Jo Simpson
I'm setting plans in place now to get my wife to the UK for this show. We saw the "original" west end run on our honeymoon, in 1987 (yesterday was our anniversary). I place "original" in quotes because I'm aware the show was being tweaked and updated multiple times even during that first run. As a show where the "plot" is secondary -- and really thin -- it seems all sorts of things can come and go, rather easily. Personally, I'm all for a slutty train song.
Ha. I was 9 in London in 1989, so it went over my head, but the overall experience was super memorable. Given my sister dressed as Pearl for a year after this, roller skates included, I'm gonna say I'll take a pass on slutty train song. Congrats on the anniversary. Time machine to 1987 for a few hours sounds pretty amazing.
Original Rocky lyrics - ‘Yeah your head is full of rocks’ ‘They aint rocks theyre aggregates and aggregates are really great!’ 🤣 Got to love the ever changing lyrics - am easily confused 😂 xx
Oh, also: in Bochum they always high-five everyone in all the first rows (there are several "first rows") during the mega mix. Or at least all the kids (including my nephews - even though they've grown up between the last 2 times I went to see it with them😭)!
I actually saw the OG run of the show on the West End in 2000 and as a 12 year old kid it was awesome to see the actors skating around you and above you on the upper level. I was obsessed with the songs like "Freight is Great", "UNCOUPLED" and the title song "Starlight Express" I thought the actor playing Flat Top was cute and I loved the character of Poppa, he was like an old retired train with the essence of BB King, and the different countries represented by the trains was fun to an American kid just learning world geography. I was shocked to hear the new changes. Big Hopper is gone?! I loved that character and his part in the story. And is Greaseball not an Elvis type anymore, now that the character is presented as female? I have huge nostalgia for that production and that album.
Can't believe you haven't seen the show in Bochum, on the level you review things. It was only on for 35 years and it's the ultimate benchmark. They upgraded the technical settings throughout. I am going next Friday to see it London. It was my first musical ever in the early 1990ies. Have just seen the new look and first London videos on tiktok and been shocked. It's giving high school production with a bigger budget. Been excited for a new cast for a new generation but the magic of Bochum that kept it rolling for decades seems to be different very toned down . Will give it a fair chance and watch it but been expecting a lot more from a first look.
Stagey Railway enthusiast here for you they’re not trains the correct way to identify them is that they’re locomotives they are only a train when they have the coaches or wagons coupled to them they are a train. So calling them trains you’re effectively describing them as a family. 😅
Saw the Bochum production last year after enjoying the London production in the 1990s. I've just seen the finale / bows video here on TH-cam of the Wembley production and all I can say is... thank goodness for the wonderful German production!
Booked a trip to London this summer just so my kids could see Starlight Express! In fact, we are seeing it twice… once was the beginning of the trip and the night before we fly home. Can’t wait!!
Slight correction, the caboose character was *originally* named CB (presumably both as a reference to "CB radio" and because it looks like CaBoose), but at some point later on they took away his name and just referred to him generically as "the red caboose" which is still baffling to me. Why is he the only character who's not allowed to have a name.
He was always called CB in London til the character was cut in 1993. The character was always called Caboose in Bochum, Bochum just carried on after London closed in 2002. So people now only tend to know the character by the German name. In the London production he was never just called Caboose…
As someone who paid a frankly ridiculous amount of money for the kids to sit in "first class carriages" because it was going to move and be this unique experience, i am really annoyed to find out they now dont move. I would actually prefer to sit a bit farther back and get a better overall view. I'll have to wait until we go to decide if it was worth it or not.
I completely agree. I have also booked the 1st Class Carriage for my family at great expense. With so little information prior to booking it was impossible to know what you were getting, only the assumption that by paying a premium price you get a premium view. I guess I'll know in 3 weeks time....
I went on Saturday on opening night paid 150 pounds for my ticket for the carriages. It said it was supposed to move all the seats apparently like Germany I’m so annoyed because you can’t see any of the skating and apparently when the show opens. The tickets are 180 pounds, and I didn’t enjoy the show
I can confirm that the seats did not move. I’ve just emailed to say that it’s a rip off and they’ve confirmed that the seats do not move at all and asked me if I want to see the show again.
The fact that Electra is referred to as they/them makes SO much sense! I always felt like this was hinted at during the Bochum production all along, but the German language doesn't have a respectful gender neutral pronoun that doesn't objectify people. We only have "Es" ("it") and I think that's extremely disrespectful to use for a person. However, I always felt like Electra never really fit into the cis-gender category, and I also think it's obvious they were never intended to be "straight". So, this change in addressing them is a no-brainer to me and almost overdue.
im not going to the production since i dont live in london and such, though im very excited for this production, ive listened to other productions and i feel like this one has production
Going to be watching it in a few weeks time and cannot wait! This was really helpful, as we would have been expecting the same show we're used to. Thank you :)
I dunno. I kinda think the disembodied voice sets it up as the fantasy inside the child's imagination. As when (in the Toy Story movies) Andy is playing with his toys, and we sometimes see the scene as Andy imagines it.
@thomasscallan1718 The set doesn't look like the one in Bochum at all. The whole idea of a train station with the different tracks in the background is gone. At least what I can see from videos and pictures - no moving parts or bridges. I think the set is a huge downgrade in comparison with the original london, broadway or bochum set.
I thought it looks nothing like the Bochum stage. My husband is an original starlight express Production member from the 80’s. We’re seeing it next week and I’m sure he’ll be really disappointed with all the changes.
@@psrpippy I thought the Bochum staging really retained the essence of the Apollo Victoria set but just gave them more room to do stuff. Even the minimal touring set had more character than this bland, skate park-look 😖
I'll wait for more info, photos, etc, to come out before deciding whether to see this version or not, but as of now I think I'll stick with the Bochum production.
Someone uploaded the Megamix from tonight and it’s safe to say I’m glad I put my tickets up for sale as we are DEFINITELY not going… th-cam.com/video/qPNXbhRH6_o/w-d-xo.htmlsi=IIZnFEzsxnwl4t22
Going to be seeing it in August with a friend. When I saw it was happening I screamed so loud my friend thought i was in trouble. Starlight Express is the first musical I saw. It was during the 2012 tour and I saw it at New Wimbledon Theater and my love of musicals started from there. Now after many years I can finally see it again.
I was at the first preview but had never seen Starlight. I was in the platform seats which are between the ‘Trivial Pursuits Wedge seats’ and the back block. These also had track behind and up through the centre. They were excellent seats. There was a short stop when a man collapsed in the audience and had to be taken out (he was fine, I asked afterwards). Once you are seated and the show has started then it would be very difficult to get out as all the exits use part of the track. I did not see anyone leave during the show. You are also told that if you leave you will not be allowed back until the interval. Two people were moved into the seats next to me as they had been in the seats at the side overlooking the track and said the view was not good. They had a photo and this looked the case although from where I sat they looked pretty good. I have got tickets for the wedges but having been you will miss a lot behind you. Nothing to do with the story but some nice touches. And yes, they were high fiving people in the front rows and aisle seats, not just at the back but everywhere. Arlene Phillips was in the row in front and the producer and director made speeches before the start. The audience was amazing and it was very enjoyable. That’s enough before I give anything away, lol.
I, as a StEx Bochum Enjoyer... am scared by these Costumes... they look like Superhero Costumes but from the Lava Girl and Shark Boy Movies... also the desicion to give Everyone a Backpack where they "Connect" to each other is ... a choice...
I was at the 2nd Preview on Sunday, I had an open mind with the changes to this production having seen Starlight countless times at the Apollo. I thoroughly enjoyed it - yes the staging is smaller but the set, effects add something new, in fact I was blown away with the sound and light production. Starlight has always been a progressive show over the years, the re-telling of this classic feels fresh and up to date for a new generation and for fans - it was great to see so many singing along, it certainly has a special place for many and I’m glad it’s back.
They should’ve marketed it as a retelling then rather than teasing that it was ‘coming back’. Thoroughly deceitful marketing considering the sheer volume of changes. There’s being progressive and refreshing things for a revival, but this was taking the proverbial.
I was front row trackside last night asnd the view was amazing. Agree with pretty much everything MJ has said here. The only partial negative will only affect people who saw the origianl. No bridge, and the races felt slower than beofre. However, that's minor. The races themseoves were very exciting and the whole show was pretty dammed awesome.
If it is totally different lyrics for the theme song, im thinking it may be based on the 1987 concept album. "When the nightest darkest Open your mind...... This is not the stuff that anyone could make up. Starlight Express.. ' Again, im not really familiar with it. But in recent demo i heard, it sounded like 1987 concept album meshed with the traditional chorus.
I’m booked up for a Thursday Skate Warm-Up and evening performance in Bochum in August. I had to see a proper production after this seeing this London reworking. Can’t wait!
I saw it in the 90’s and I was with my family in the close standing circle where the cast give you high fives when they skate past. It was a magical experience for me and my sister at 12/14 years old. I’m 44 now and can’t wait to see how it’s changed
We saw the show yesterday and WOW! A word used a lot by preview reviewers is "immersion" and that's how i felt, even though i wasn't sat in the stage. I loved the original and the 90's update but this felt so much more. We were impressed by how everything just worked, the planning and timing is excellent! We laughed very loudly at the tissue gag!! It's still fresh at the moment but i think i like this more than Back to the Future, that says a lot! We loved it and want to go back soon, might sit in the stage next time! 😁👍🚂
I saw youtube clip from the finale and i'm confused. I saw the Bochum Version 2 times, and here everything looks slow and small sized. is it just me? But those tracks doesnt look big and i can tell you in Bochum they have a huge speed. also i didnt see the spectacular hyperhydraulic bridge in the middle which is just epic in the Bochum Arena😮
Yup. It’s much slower, no bridge. The track around the back of the auditorium has very sharp, unbanked 90-degree turns, so it wouldn’t be possible to travel with any speed. The fastest people go is when then go down the quarter-pipe (not even a bowl) at the back of the stage and head off down the central track to the back of the auditorium, but then they have to do a quick Double Derby stop before the end. The fastest characters are the scooter-riding Marshalls - and they are absolutely fantastic. They are the only ones who do any real stunts/somersaults and you’ll be watching them during the races rather than the engines.
Feels like the dreaded "Health & Safety" has limited not only the speed but the dancing as well. Really slow... And I mean One Rock & Roll... They didn't even move!
@@coletteredgravethe choreography is really, really disappointing. Mostly standing in one place, stepping side to side or rolling slowly, but with loads of manic arm movements. Pearl only manages a single, half-hearted arabesque during the whole of “Make up my heart”. In some songs, the cast stand completely still, but the STAGE starts revolving 🙄.
@@robwarner9371 I directed the first UK amateur production with 30 kids all under 15 and they even manged to move more, skate faster and I was even sad they have lost the trains "ticking over" when not centre stage. My uncle was box office manager at Apollo Vic for 12 years, I saw the original show 20+ times. I wanted to audition when I left college but the London show ended same year😭... Its got a very strong place in my heart. Of course it must change and adapt to the current railways / demographics / audience, but how has it lost its way that much. Only Hydra skated anywhere close to what has been expected before... Hopefully they will gain confidence and move more...
@@coletteredgrave indeed! I’m hoping the choreography will become more complex as they gain more confidence, but what they *should* have done is given them longer in skate school. I’m a tad fed up when people say “it’s their first professional production, give them a chance” while ignoring the fact that this is *a professional production*. I came away with the feeling of “they did the bare minimum”. Hydra was in the Bochum production, which explains the way he feels at home on wheels - and some of his trick skating is awesome. Lack of confidence on skates is glaringly obvious. I’ll bet directing the student production was awesome fun - and I’m guessing the youngsters really rose to the challenge with gusto! Do you have any footage of that on TH-cam?
i did not realise how seriously people took this show until tonight! i completely understand having preferences or attachments to previous iterations of a show but some of the criticisms i’ve seen seem to stem from the fact that it’s a revival at all. gabriella slade in particular can do no wrong in my eyes. anyway, i’m going into it with an open mind… love the lesbian trains!!
Starlight was my very first Broadway audition! I had no idea what to expect, and also had no idea that I was auditioning for the biggest, casting agency at the time, Johnson and Liff. (Cats, Les Miz, Saigon etc) I think my naïveté helped me get pretty far. though I was cut after 3 call backs. 😢
I am intrigued. 16:00 suggestive rap intro? The only rap intro to Lotta Locomotion that springs to my mind is the Las Vegas(at least, I'm fairly confident it wasn't Broadway): "Hey, listen to the one-man-band Rusty, you don't understand You'll be nowhere, you'll be last You ain't going nowhere fast" which doesn't feel at all suggestive to me? I love "I Got Me", but it's such a perfect updated, reworked version of "Rolling Stock: reprise" that it boggles my mind a little that it gets used to introduce the coaches instead of as the less prominent coaches' turn to shine and boost Dinah's self-esteem. Was the new opening to the title song maybe: "Whistling in the darkness waiting for a sign I hope, I think, but I can't be certain Looking for a signal hoping down the line someone, somewhere draws back the curtain" because that was one of my favourite parts of the workshop.
@@MickeyJoTheatre ohhh right, the UK tour. Yeah, that was when they were trying to emulate the Pussycat Dolls, wasn't it? Imagine if they hadn't had to use the Vegas costumes... like I say, I wrote a rambling and tangibly sleep-deprived dissertation about it.
I emailed the Theatre because first class carriages tickets are rip off for 150 pounds that were post to move,the email. I’ve just received from the Theatre saying the seats do not move now.
@@simonhall5718 people should demand en masse an explanation and ask for partial refunds. I know people who’ve tried already haven’t been successful so far, but if enough people do it, you never know. And I’d be soooo disappointed if I’d paid £180 per ticket for this hot mess!
I'm going to admit right now that I'm terrified when you said practically everything's changed... because I saw the original cast and LOVED it, I love the music, I grew up on that... and the fact that they already revived it once (if I remember correctly) like they were toy trains belonging to a boy.... I was not a fan of that idea. But I shall continue to watch your review on the edge of my seat.
Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING has changed from what you remember. And the little boy/girl is now running around on stage 😖. They’ve changed the lyrics to most of the songs they kept from the OG production, but lots of songs cut out and only a handful of recognisable characters are left sadly.
@@Simulacra719 That's a shame. I'll have to keep on listening to the original soundtrack I know and love... because those songs were amazing. The way I look at the original, was if the technology could talk, these were generations of creations in competition with one another. The Steam Engine was being "replaced" with Electricity, and in a literal race to see who could still cut it in a rapidly changing industry, Rusty had to find the power within himself and BELIEVE in his ability to overpower the encroaching age of electricity.
Although the mics weren’t very high up in the sound mix, it sounds like “I’ve got me and that’s all I need”, rather than “I am me”, which makes more sense.
Was there in London for the original run. I am now planning my 11 show list for my next visit well I have 4 slots left. This fell off the list. I will watch your review eagerly but I doubt I’ll add it back in.
It was really great. I enjoyed the previous version but I also loved this one. It had lots of feels of the original but with interesting additions. We have already decided to go back and see what it’s like in a different set of seats.
Starlight Express was the first musical I saw at the theatre when I was 10, I am glad its back, and intend to take my 11 year old to see it. I will say when you likened the new costumes to Six, I always felt that the Queens' costumes were akin to those from the original starlight production.
Is the title song back to the El Debarge melody that starts "when the night is darkest open up your mind" or is it a whole new verse melody? What about Fur Immer from the updated Bochum version?
Going on Sunday, I’m very excited 🤩 I‘ve been a huge fan of the Bochum show since I was a child so of course I want to fly out to London to see this new iteration 🛼 do they have enamel pins as merch? I‘ve started collecting musical pins and would love to add more.
Hello again Mickey Joe, There is a TH-cam video review of this show, and also the comments were all very negative. There is another YT video showing the theatre. For me, just based on the videos I have seen, the theatre lacks atmosphere (unlike the Apollo Victoria Theatre). Being a new theatre it looks to clinical. And to build a theatre around the show is one huge risk, as I can't see it lasting (based on the comments from people who know the show very well). I hope it does well.
I definitely need to look it up, because to this day I have no idea WHY they removed one of the most plot-integral and fun characters of the entire show (C.B.) thus, derailing a good chunk of the storyline from 1992 onwards. Or maybe im just partial to the late Michael Staniforth's performance on the original 1982 soundtrack...
He was wonderful and in his 40s at the time! This new version they are all so young and look so small 🫤 I think that’s why people are saying it looks so amateurish.
I think I read somewhere at the time that it was felt the character was glorifying train crashes, and this was insensitive. I loved Wide Smile and There’s Me, CB’s relationship with Dinah was so innocent and pure, despite him being a bit of a rascal!
I'm going to see it on my birthday in July, but I will say I have liked each new revival less and less. The original soundtrack is iconic and I feel like the fun keeps getting taken out.
I saw a tour in 92 in California. Such a happy, fun show. My dad who’s didn’t like musicals loved it. I did not like many of the exchanges over the years, especially the loss of Only He which later became Only You and then lived on in I Am the Starlight. Only He could have been a Whitney Houston power ballad! @mickeyjotheater is this worth a plane ticket from California? Might it make its way out here or do I have to see this?
It’s an interesting one, because (at least for a while) it was advertised that the most expensive seats near the front would move. There were several people at the theatre this evening who paid for these seats and weren’t too happy.
thanks for this! i'm seeing this in july coming from the us and i can't wait! its my favorite musical and i've been following the bochum production and this production for the past few years. it seems as if they're taking the current bochum show changes and updating them a bit more. very very interesting indeed
You’re in for disappointment because it’s not even anything like the Bochum show. They have scrapped basically everything that resembles starlight express. It was a HUGE disappointment. I’ve seen the original, the new, Bochum and the first tour and I wouldn’t call what I saw tonight starlight express. So sad… I was so excited for tonight
Where did you sit? I'm a little concerned that I booked trackside (the raised side section) which were originally sold as second top price tickets, but now don't look like very good seats and are now being sold as much lower tier tickets?
I’m booked in for “Trackside” too. On the seating plan, it looked like they were alongside the track. Today, we find out that they are on an elevated balcony. That was true misrepresentation of what you were getting. On booking, you were told “Please note you are seated in a section close to the racing track”. A basic untruth!
They are still 2nd top price tickets. Yes you are right beside one of the racetracks (note, race), yes you get high fives. BUT the main stage action you will see sideways on. I sat here last night. I wouldn't choose again
Saw the show on Thursday 13 June. Took a friend who’d never seen it before, but has recently taken up roller skating, and they absolutely loved it. I’ve been a fan of the show for 40 years and have seen most versions. I enjoyed the evening - it is certainly a highly entertaining show - but the incessant dumbing-down reached a new peak with this production.
I saw it recently and I am new to Starlight Express so I didn't know anything about the story beforehand, though I could identify most of the changes made anyway. I think the worst change was making Greaseball a female as it didn't fit naturally with some of her lyrics and the 'b-a-s-t-a-r-d' bit at the end. The actress playing her was brilliant but it was shoe-horned in to me and made the plot around her and Dinah more obscure and frankly less believable. Looking at clips of the last London show at the Apollo, I think the main differences are that older productions had slightly more focus on plot and particularly more emotion from the Control voiceovers, whereas this new one is a fantastic spectacle with great constumes, performances and music but it seems that what little nuance the show originally had has pretty much gone. This comment may seem negative but I actually loved the show, I just slightly regret that it appears to have put the sheer fun of it at maximum priority and everything else has taken a back seat.
I'm seeing it in July and am so hyped. Slightly nervous about the lighting situation. If you're able to answer, I'm wondering if there is much in the way of flashing lights or bright lights pointed towards audience?
The other thing I want to know is the target audience. What age range do you think would enjoy this the most? My sense is that it started with kids in mind...had some adult material added to keep the parents happy...now is squarely aimed at kids again. But please correct me if I'm wrong.
Still waiting on that "Drunkenly Explaining Starlight Express" video with you dressed up as a train! 😂
NEED this!
I would legitimately PAY to see this video happen hahahaha
As a stage manager, this show, as a concept, STRESSES ME OUT. Can you imagine the reaction when ALW told the team of the original production they’d be on roller skates??
Such a great era, when producers really pushed the boat out (literally with Phantom..) and experimented with what they and their performers could do. This show looked a little safer than the original with the very technical jumps being done by 2 performers on scooters.
I LOVE how Control gets more and more of a character as new adaptations come out
NEVER CLICKED SO FAST IN MY LIFE!! I've booked tickets for August, and having had a manic starlight express obsession a few years ago I'm actually so excited. (although nothing will beat the original production, they will never replace you CB😢)
It is absolutely nothing like the original so the comparison can’t even be made. It was truly awful. So so so terribly disappointed. I want to remove it from my memory forever, they have ruined starlight express’ legacy
I loved CB at the Apollo!!
I had a manic starlight express obsession a few years ago too and it actually made me start doing roller derby lmao
I just flew from the USA to see it, and I still think you will love it! Some changes, but the new songs are good.
Also Electra has always been a more gender-neutral character! I mean, He Whistled at Me (Reprise) hints that Electra is male-presenting without “the apparatus” (insane lyric) and AC/DC was nearly explicitly about bisexuality. It’s nice that they fully committed
This is the comment I came for!
I just love how in every ALW video we get the AWL merch toys
I love that you noticed!
Loved when they changed the British train to Brexit in the German production 😂😂
That is a political message. The Brexit train. To remind people of what it means to be British in Germany now.
This was the first musical I saw when I was 10 yrs old, and I immediately became a superfan because atmospherically that show was like nothing else I've seen since. I'm based in Spain now, so there is very much a sense of me living vicariously through your updates until I take to my own seats in July. Thanks Mickeyjotheatre
gotta say - the original Lotta Locomotion was a cute, bouncy introduction to these characters with a bit of cheeky double-entendre. Whole Lotta was "I need a big hot powerful engine with all the thrust" - and the German lyrics went as far as "A coach is made to be the prize for the winner". No... no. Replacing that was needed, but the original version was not problematic!
The thing about Starlight Express is the way the show has constantly been evolving, there's not the same sense of "Replica" and "Non-Replica" as you see in other shows. Cats, for example, this New York Jellicle Ballroom production is an alternate universe. It's a fascinating take on the show, but there's no suggestion that the Ballroom setting will replace the Junkyard set for the standard. Sunset Boulevard is not, from now on, always going to be black and bloodied and full of cameras. But Starlight, every time changes are made, that becomes the standard. The old material is scrapped and usually gone for good.
My point exactly! With just a little adjusting a lotta locomotion would be fine! And it's not like sexual songs don't exist on the West end... Take moulin rouge or grease for example. Sometimes the source material doesn't need to be changed.
I am a lotta locomotion truther 😭 That version has so much potential
I'm ok with the character changes and update to song and lyrics.
But I'm sadly not sure I'm onboard with the costumes.
Looking at them... they feel more like "space ships", than a child's toy train collection.
Which I can somewhat understand can work for "Starlight Express" if it were more of a space themed production.
But since the lyrics still references trains, they kind of need some more railway elements.
Again, that's just my own point of view.
The biggest tip for audiences is YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE AUDITORIUM during the performance as you would have to cross the train tracks (which is never a good idea).
But wasn't that normal in all the former productions? In Bochum, it's also like that but it isn't a Problem. The first act is 1 hour 10 Minutes and you can wait that long. The second one is 50 minutes. How long is it in London?
@@biggest_stex_fan Good point. It was less of an issue in the original London production as most people wouldn't need to cross a track to leave the auditorium. In this new production almost everyone would have to walk some way along a track to get to an exit.
@Almaviva1001 how long are the two Acts? In Germany, it is 70 Minutes an 55 Minutes approximately
@@biggest_stex_fanroughly the same. Last night they had to stop the show during first act due to an audience member’s health emergency. We at first thought someone stepped on the track to go to restroom but that wasn’t the case.
@josephlim6854 oh wow, that happens in Germany "often" but in the first show...
Reva Rice is still playing Mama in Bochum ❤❤, I watched her in London in 1996 as Pearl
What happened to Poppa??? DEI strikes again???
@@butterbook guess they wanted to make the old ttsin female
@butterbook Saw the show in London last night. It's just beyond me why they've changed both Greaseball and Poppa to a woman. The whole show was thoroughly disappointing.
And Reva is still as incredible today as she was back then!!
@@mee5780saw this last night 13\06. I think Momma works perfectly, and is in keeping with the new start to the show. My concern with Greaseball was that the voice of the actor was not strong enough. GB is one of ALW’s Elvis types, macho and posturing, the actor we saw didn’t give that kind of energy and she seemed to be struggling.
Watched the show last night and it was incredible. Seen the previous show and loved this version just as much.
Just saw it! Onlybknew the premise, none of the music before seeing it and i loved it!! A lot of the cast was making their professional debuts and they sounded amazing!
So glad they’re adding back High Style, Wide smile!!!! One of my absolute favourite songs from the original that was sadly cut when I did my amateur version - genuinely so excited for that (and the lesbian trains fr fr we love representation)
Having been an original cast (1988) member of the Bochum show (and yes you really should go see it, although it’s not the show it was & will never be again….. but it’s still a worthwhile visit) anyhoo I loved your commentary & found myself giggling a number of times. I’m in New Zealand now so seeing this production is probably not possible for me but you never know! Looking forward to your review! Cheers “Ashley” (1989) aka Jo Simpson
You were my favourite Ashley! Greetings from Germany! 🥰
Hi Jo, cool to see your response here - I remenergie your name (and voice) as well, from the original Bochum recording. Hope you're doing well 😊😊
Mickey wearing Mickey? That is so narcissistic, I respect it immensely 😉
I'm setting plans in place now to get my wife to the UK for this show. We saw the "original" west end run on our honeymoon, in 1987 (yesterday was our anniversary). I place "original" in quotes because I'm aware the show was being tweaked and updated multiple times even during that first run.
As a show where the "plot" is secondary -- and really thin -- it seems all sorts of things can come and go, rather easily.
Personally, I'm all for a slutty train song.
Ha. I was 9 in London in 1989, so it went over my head, but the overall experience was super memorable. Given my sister dressed as Pearl for a year after this, roller skates included, I'm gonna say I'll take a pass on slutty train song.
Congrats on the anniversary. Time machine to 1987 for a few hours sounds pretty amazing.
Original Rocky lyrics - ‘Yeah your head is full of rocks’ ‘They aint rocks theyre aggregates and aggregates are really great!’ 🤣 Got to love the ever changing lyrics - am easily confused 😂 xx
Oh, also:
in Bochum they always high-five everyone in all the first rows (there are several "first rows") during the mega mix.
Or at least all the kids (including my nephews - even though they've grown up between the last 2 times I went to see it with them😭)!
I actually saw the OG run of the show on the West End in 2000 and as a 12 year old kid it was awesome to see the actors skating around you and above you on the upper level. I was obsessed with the songs like "Freight is Great", "UNCOUPLED" and the title song "Starlight Express" I thought the actor playing Flat Top was cute and I loved the character of Poppa, he was like an old retired train with the essence of BB King, and the different countries represented by the trains was fun to an American kid just learning world geography. I was shocked to hear the new changes. Big Hopper is gone?! I loved that character and his part in the story. And is Greaseball not an Elvis type anymore, now that the character is presented as female? I have huge nostalgia for that production and that album.
Me too! Dustin and Flat Top were awesome! It’s so sad they got rid of them 😭
I saw it in ‘85, and am hugely nostalgic for that show too! Xx
@@artsybin8185 oooh I’m proper jealous! I I didn’t get to see it until 1993 and sad that I never got to see the OG version live 😭
On the edge of my seat to see your full review! Thanks for posting this info!
Can't believe you haven't seen the show in Bochum, on the level you review things. It was only on for 35 years and it's the ultimate benchmark. They upgraded the technical settings throughout. I am going next Friday to see it London. It was my first musical ever in the early 1990ies. Have just seen the new look and first London videos on tiktok and been shocked. It's giving high school production with a bigger budget. Been excited for a new cast for a new generation but the magic of Bochum that kept it rolling for decades seems to be different very toned down . Will give it a fair chance and watch it but been expecting a lot more from a first look.
Stagey Railway enthusiast here for you they’re not trains the correct way to identify them is that they’re locomotives they are only a train when they have the coaches or wagons coupled to them they are a train. So calling them trains you’re effectively describing them as a family. 😅
To be even MORE pedantic (it's my thing), within the rail industry the word "train" is seldom used -- the preferred term is "consist".
Saw the Bochum production last year after enjoying the London production in the 1990s. I've just seen the finale / bows video here on TH-cam of the Wembley production and all I can say is... thank goodness for the wonderful German production!
Booked a trip to London this summer just so my kids could see Starlight Express! In fact, we are seeing it twice… once was the beginning of the trip and the night before we fly home. Can’t wait!!
Slight correction, the caboose character was *originally* named CB (presumably both as a reference to "CB radio" and because it looks like CaBoose), but at some point later on they took away his name and just referred to him generically as "the red caboose" which is still baffling to me. Why is he the only character who's not allowed to have a name.
i kinda like red caboose as a name ngl, its fitting in my opinion
Maybe an homage to the children's song? In which case, "Red Caboose" actually is his name.
He disappeared altogether in the 90s version. Poor CB!
He was always called CB in London til the character was cut in 1993. The character was always called Caboose in Bochum, Bochum just carried on after London closed in 2002. So people now only tend to know the character by the German name. In the London production he was never just called Caboose…
@@sandyrass1 If I recall correctly it was broadway that first started using red caboose/ caboose as a name
The song starlight express, verses are from the USA/ Japan / Australia tour
If Wembley is West End, then Mercury Theater Chicago is Broadway.
😂😂😂
As someone who paid a frankly ridiculous amount of money for the kids to sit in "first class carriages" because it was going to move and be this unique experience, i am really annoyed to find out they now dont move. I would actually prefer to sit a bit farther back and get a better overall view. I'll have to wait until we go to decide if it was worth it or not.
I completely agree. I have also booked the 1st Class Carriage for my family at great expense. With so little information prior to booking it was impossible to know what you were getting, only the assumption that by paying a premium price you get a premium view. I guess I'll know in 3 weeks time....
I went on Saturday on opening night paid 150 pounds for my ticket for the carriages. It said it was supposed to move all the seats apparently like Germany I’m so annoyed because you can’t see any of the skating and apparently when the show opens. The tickets are 180 pounds, and I didn’t enjoy the show
I can confirm that the seats did not move. I’ve just emailed to say that it’s a rip off and they’ve confirmed that the seats do not move at all and asked me if I want to see the show again.
Come to Germany. The seats down there spin 360. Also amazing production
The fact that Electra is referred to as they/them makes SO much sense! I always felt like this was hinted at during the Bochum production all along, but the German language doesn't have a respectful gender neutral pronoun that doesn't objectify people. We only have "Es" ("it") and I think that's extremely disrespectful to use for a person.
However, I always felt like Electra never really fit into the cis-gender category, and I also think it's obvious they were never intended to be "straight". So, this change in addressing them is a no-brainer to me and almost overdue.
I’m 18 and have tickets to go in October. Never seen the show and I cannot wait to see it for the first time!
im not going to the production since i dont live in london and such, though im very excited for this production, ive listened to other productions and i feel like this one has production
It’s dreadful, don’t bother…
th-cam.com/video/qPNXbhRH6_o/w-d-xo.htmlsi=IIZnFEzsxnwl4t22
Had a great time last night with other starlight fans. Cast is amazing!!! Kudos to all who made their professional debut last night!
Going to be watching it in a few weeks time and cannot wait! This was really helpful, as we would have been expecting the same show we're used to. Thank you :)
The set/auditorium looks pretty similar to the Bochum production. Good idea to have Control on stage
I dunno. I kinda think the disembodied voice sets it up as the fantasy inside the child's imagination. As when (in the Toy Story movies) Andy is playing with his toys, and we sometimes see the scene as Andy imagines it.
@thomasscallan1718
The set doesn't look like the one in Bochum at all. The whole idea of a train station with the different tracks in the background is gone. At least what I can see from videos and pictures - no moving parts or bridges. I think the set is a huge downgrade in comparison with the original london, broadway or bochum set.
@@colossosaidafor the money people are paying for tickets, it’s a travesty that the whole thing looks so cheap 😖
I thought it looks nothing like the Bochum stage. My husband is an original starlight express
Production member from the 80’s. We’re seeing it next week and I’m sure he’ll be really disappointed with all the changes.
@@psrpippy I thought the Bochum staging really retained the essence of the Apollo Victoria set but just gave them more room to do stuff. Even the minimal touring set had more character than this bland, skate park-look 😖
I'll wait for more info, photos, etc, to come out before deciding whether to see this version or not, but as of now I think I'll stick with the Bochum production.
Good decision because it was the biggest disappointment ever. I hated it
Someone uploaded the Megamix from tonight and it’s safe to say I’m glad I put my tickets up for sale as we are DEFINITELY not going…
th-cam.com/video/qPNXbhRH6_o/w-d-xo.htmlsi=IIZnFEzsxnwl4t22
It was really disappointing!
Going to be seeing it in August with a friend. When I saw it was happening I screamed so loud my friend thought i was in trouble. Starlight Express is the first musical I saw. It was during the 2012 tour and I saw it at New Wimbledon Theater and my love of musicals started from there. Now after many years I can finally see it again.
I saw this on broadway and remember it as a camp fun night. id love to see it again.
I was at the first preview but had never seen Starlight. I was in the platform seats which are between the ‘Trivial Pursuits Wedge seats’ and the back block. These also had track behind and up through the centre. They were excellent seats.
There was a short stop when a man collapsed in the audience and had to be taken out (he was fine, I asked afterwards). Once you are seated and the show has started then it would be very difficult to get out as all the exits use part of the track. I did not see anyone leave during the show. You are also told that if you leave you will not be allowed back until the interval.
Two people were moved into the seats next to me as they had been in the seats at the side overlooking the track and said the view was not good. They had a photo and this looked the case although from where I sat they looked pretty good.
I have got tickets for the wedges but having been you will miss a lot behind you. Nothing to do with the story but some nice touches. And yes, they were high fiving people in the front rows and aisle seats, not just at the back but everywhere.
Arlene Phillips was in the row in front and the producer and director made speeches before the start. The audience was amazing and it was very enjoyable. That’s enough before I give anything away, lol.
Gravel no longer has the right to travel :(
Pour one out for gravel
I saw this years ago in Vegas. It is a ridiculous and hysterical entertainment. Fun that it is getting another production.
I, as a StEx Bochum Enjoyer... am scared by these Costumes... they look like Superhero Costumes but from the Lava Girl and Shark Boy Movies... also the desicion to give Everyone a Backpack where they "Connect" to each other is ... a choice...
I was at the 2nd Preview on Sunday, I had an open mind with the changes to this production having seen Starlight countless times at the Apollo. I thoroughly enjoyed it - yes the staging is smaller but the set, effects add something new, in fact I was blown away with the sound and light production. Starlight has always been a progressive show over the years, the re-telling of this classic feels fresh and up to date for a new generation and for fans - it was great to see so many singing along, it certainly has a special place for many and I’m glad it’s back.
They should’ve marketed it as a retelling then rather than teasing that it was ‘coming back’. Thoroughly deceitful marketing considering the sheer volume of changes. There’s being progressive and refreshing things for a revival, but this was taking the proverbial.
Can't believe they cut "Gravel's got the right to travel" 😭😭😭😭
Someone has already uploaded the mega mix from the new Starlight Express and it got me all teary eyed.
Happy teary eyes though, I'm getting emotional about everything nowadays
I was front row trackside last night asnd the view was amazing. Agree with pretty much everything MJ has said here.
The only partial negative will only affect people who saw the origianl. No bridge, and the races felt slower than beofre.
However, that's minor. The races themseoves were very exciting and the whole show was pretty dammed awesome.
I was a little concerned trackside seats wouldn't be good with them not technically being trackside. I am booked for FF
@@stevej8037 I was FF. Great view.
@@TerryEastham what number? As I know some are more towards the side where it looks like you'd just be looking at the back of heads.
@@stevej8037 I was 44
@@TerryEastham we are 42 & 43.
If it is totally different lyrics for the theme song, im thinking it may be based on the 1987 concept album.
"When the nightest darkest
Open your mind......
This is not the stuff that anyone could make up.
Starlight Express.. '
Again, im not really familiar with it. But in recent demo i heard, it sounded like 1987 concept album meshed with the traditional chorus.
Currently in STEX DE!! Come to Bochum and I’ll arrange a ticket! 🎉
I’m booked up for a Thursday Skate Warm-Up and evening performance in Bochum in August. I had to see a proper production after this seeing this London reworking. Can’t wait!
I have to admit Starlight has always has a special place in my collection. Just fun to listen to.
I saw it in the 90’s and I was with my family in the close standing circle where the cast give you high fives when they skate past. It was a magical experience for me and my sister at 12/14 years old. I’m 44 now and can’t wait to see how it’s changed
I so loved the standing circle. My flatmate and I would go every week as the tickets were released just before the perfomance and so cheap
We saw the show yesterday and WOW! A word used a lot by preview reviewers is "immersion" and that's how i felt, even though i wasn't sat in the stage. I loved the original and the 90's update but this felt so much more. We were impressed by how everything just worked, the planning and timing is excellent! We laughed very loudly at the tissue gag!! It's still fresh at the moment but i think i like this more than Back to the Future, that says a lot! We loved it and want to go back soon, might sit in the stage next time! 😁👍🚂
Are you the same person who goes by the handle ‘ceebee’ over on TheatreBoard?
@@Simulacra719 No, that's not me.
I saw youtube clip from the finale and i'm confused. I saw the Bochum Version 2 times, and here everything looks slow and small sized. is it just me? But those tracks doesnt look big and i can tell you in Bochum they have a huge speed. also i didnt see the spectacular hyperhydraulic bridge in the middle which is just epic in the Bochum Arena😮
Yup. It’s much slower, no bridge. The track around the back of the auditorium has very sharp, unbanked 90-degree turns, so it wouldn’t be possible to travel with any speed. The fastest people go is when then go down the quarter-pipe (not even a bowl) at the back of the stage and head off down the central track to the back of the auditorium, but then they have to do a quick Double Derby stop before the end. The fastest characters are the scooter-riding Marshalls - and they are absolutely fantastic. They are the only ones who do any real stunts/somersaults and you’ll be watching them during the races rather than the engines.
Feels like the dreaded "Health & Safety" has limited not only the speed but the dancing as well. Really slow... And I mean One Rock & Roll... They didn't even move!
@@coletteredgravethe choreography is really, really disappointing. Mostly standing in one place, stepping side to side or rolling slowly, but with loads of manic arm movements. Pearl only manages a single, half-hearted arabesque during the whole of “Make up my heart”. In some songs, the cast stand completely still, but the STAGE starts revolving 🙄.
@@robwarner9371 I directed the first UK amateur production with 30 kids all under 15 and they even manged to move more, skate faster and I was even sad they have lost the trains "ticking over" when not centre stage. My uncle was box office manager at Apollo Vic for 12 years, I saw the original show 20+ times. I wanted to audition when I left college but the London show ended same year😭... Its got a very strong place in my heart. Of course it must change and adapt to the current railways / demographics / audience, but how has it lost its way that much. Only Hydra skated anywhere close to what has been expected before... Hopefully they will gain confidence and move more...
@@coletteredgrave indeed! I’m hoping the choreography will become more complex as they gain more confidence, but what they *should* have done is given them longer in skate school. I’m a tad fed up when people say “it’s their first professional production, give them a chance” while ignoring the fact that this is *a professional production*. I came away with the feeling of “they did the bare minimum”. Hydra was in the Bochum production, which explains the way he feels at home on wheels - and some of his trick skating is awesome. Lack of confidence on skates is glaringly obvious.
I’ll bet directing the student production was awesome fun - and I’m guessing the youngsters really rose to the challenge with gusto! Do you have any footage of that on TH-cam?
i did not realise how seriously people took this show until tonight! i completely understand having preferences or attachments to previous iterations of a show but some of the criticisms i’ve seen seem to stem from the fact that it’s a revival at all. gabriella slade in particular can do no wrong in my eyes. anyway, i’m going into it with an open mind… love the lesbian trains!!
Greaseball being female does not work.
Starlight was my very first Broadway audition! I had no idea what to expect, and also had no idea that I was auditioning for the biggest, casting agency at the time, Johnson and Liff. (Cats, Les Miz, Saigon etc) I think my naïveté helped me get pretty far. though I was cut after 3 call backs. 😢
Went on a school trip to see it in the late 1990s when I was about 11/12. Was only my second west end show.
Loved that production may go see this.
I am intrigued.
16:00 suggestive rap intro? The only rap intro to Lotta Locomotion that springs to my mind is the Las Vegas(at least, I'm fairly confident it wasn't Broadway):
"Hey, listen to the one-man-band
Rusty, you don't understand
You'll be nowhere, you'll be last
You ain't going nowhere fast"
which doesn't feel at all suggestive to me? I love "I Got Me", but it's such a perfect updated, reworked version of "Rolling Stock: reprise" that it boggles my mind a little that it gets used to introduce the coaches instead of as the less prominent coaches' turn to shine and boost Dinah's self-esteem.
Was the new opening to the title song maybe:
"Whistling in the darkness
waiting for a sign
I hope, I think, but I can't be certain
Looking for a signal
hoping down the line
someone, somewhere draws back the curtain"
because that was one of my favourite parts of the workshop.
"Hi my name's Dinah, I'm the dining car" etc, it also featured "I'm duvay, I'm a sleeper, but you won't get much sleep" 😅
@@MickeyJoTheatre ohhh right, the UK tour. Yeah, that was when they were trying to emulate the Pussycat Dolls, wasn't it?
Imagine if they hadn't had to use the Vegas costumes... like I say, I wrote a rambling and tangibly sleep-deprived dissertation about it.
The very very original had the lyrics mickeyjo refers to. Eg "ain't gonna smoke, ain't gonna drink - what are you gonna do - whaddya think" (Pearl)
@@siobhantaylor1563 that will completely fly over children's heads.
Crazy and Pumping Iron and Starlight Sequence is my fave songs from Starlight Express! 🚂💫🛼🎶🎵
Carrie is the Luggage Car in Bochum and Belle is the Bar Car as of the 2018 Version.
the only reference point for Starlight Express i have is the Family Guy bit where Peter stared in it
And that bit from Family Guy is better than this entire show!
What did slick oil look like? I know I’ll probably know soon enough but I’m so eager to know right now
Kind of like somebody dressed as bumblebee from the transformers films 😅
@@MickeyJoTheatre NOOOOO
If his name is slick oil, why not give him an oil slick color scheme 😭 iridescent rainbow and all
@@faith4disney isnt slick oil a female character? i thought it was confirmed that slick oil was female.
@@TRAIN110ValleyProductions I have nooo idea about this show whatsoever
Love the cap. Such memorable colours.
It was CB first (think CB radio), later becoming Red Caboose.
I emailed the Theatre because first class carriages tickets are rip off for 150 pounds that were post to move,the email. I’ve just received from the Theatre saying the seats do not move now.
That was false advertising and they really should issue partial refunds to people with those tickets. It’s disgraceful!
@@Simulacra719 I think it’s disgusting behavior and when the show opens, those tickets are going to be 180 pounds the seats that don’t move
@@simonhall5718 people should demand en masse an explanation and ask for partial refunds. I know people who’ve tried already haven’t been successful so far, but if enough people do it, you never know. And I’d be soooo disappointed if I’d paid £180 per ticket for this hot mess!
I saw newsies from the very back row and the view was actually very good, especially for a show that’s so much of a spectacle
I was there too! I looked for you, I knew you'd be there. SO MUCH TO DISCUSS. What drama!
I'm going to admit right now that I'm terrified when you said practically everything's changed... because I saw the original cast and LOVED it, I love the music, I grew up on that... and the fact that they already revived it once (if I remember correctly) like they were toy trains belonging to a boy.... I was not a fan of that idea. But I shall continue to watch your review on the edge of my seat.
Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING has changed from what you remember. And the little boy/girl is now running around on stage 😖. They’ve changed the lyrics to most of the songs they kept from the OG production, but lots of songs cut out and only a handful of recognisable characters are left sadly.
@@Simulacra719 That's a shame. I'll have to keep on listening to the original soundtrack I know and love... because those songs were amazing. The way I look at the original, was if the technology could talk, these were generations of creations in competition with one another. The Steam Engine was being "replaced" with Electricity, and in a literal race to see who could still cut it in a rapidly changing industry, Rusty had to find the power within himself and BELIEVE in his ability to overpower the encroaching age of electricity.
Lets hope webber doesn't treat this cast like he did the Cinderella.
Very much. A huge number of the cast are making their professional debut.
He treated Cinderella same he did Patti during Sunset
I think the new songs, they changed in Bochum, were translated into English, like "Ich bin ich /I am me" etc
Although the mics weren’t very high up in the sound mix, it sounds like “I’ve got me and that’s all I need”, rather than “I am me”, which makes more sense.
Was there in London for the original run. I am now planning my 11 show list for my next visit well I have 4 slots left. This fell off the list. I will watch your review eagerly but I doubt I’ll add it back in.
It was really great. I enjoyed the previous version but I also loved this one. It had lots of feels of the original but with interesting additions. We have already decided to go back and see what it’s like in a different set of seats.
More context THE PEOPLE DEMAMD MORE CONTEXT MICKEY
Never enooooough, never never
What’s the love song that they use?
Next Rime You Fall in Love or Only You? (Or a new one!?)
It's "I do"
From what I've seen, it's "I Do"
Starlight Express was the first musical I saw at the theatre when I was 10, I am glad its back, and intend to take my 11 year old to see it. I will say when you likened the new costumes to Six, I always felt that the Queens' costumes were akin to those from the original starlight production.
Is the title song back to the El Debarge melody that starts "when the night is darkest open up your mind" or is it a whole new verse melody? What about Fur Immer from the updated Bochum version?
yes its that version of the title songs and yes I Do/Fur immer is in it as well. Both have slightly tweaked lyrics though from previous incarnations.
I loved the original show - and am now unsure about the new show - sorry
Going on Sunday, I’m very excited 🤩 I‘ve been a huge fan of the Bochum show since I was a child so of course I want to fly out to London to see this new iteration 🛼 do they have enamel pins as merch? I‘ve started collecting musical pins and would love to add more.
Did they change the lyrics about clean energy being terrible?
There is very much a scientific update that ties in with one of the new characters! 👀
This looks epic ❤ i got to go on the stage for an open day when the UK tour was in town in the 2000s and this is a million times better 🎉
Hello again Mickey Joe, There is a TH-cam video review of this show, and also the comments were all very negative. There is another YT video showing the theatre. For me, just based on the videos I have seen, the theatre lacks atmosphere (unlike the Apollo Victoria Theatre). Being a new theatre it looks to clinical. And to build a theatre around the show is one huge risk, as I can't see it lasting (based on the comments from people who know the show very well). I hope it does well.
What's actually left of 'Freight' with those bits removed?
I think they call it 'Fraud is Great" now
4 new characters, porter, lumber, Slick oil and Hydra. Freights been reworked and they sing new lyrics. They're all British characters as well.
The new version sounds TERRIBLE. The changes are so unnecessary 😖: th-cam.com/video/VpLQiR9Md1Y/w-d-xo.htmlsi=AAO2fCWb_dYTLg5x
I’m literally at dinner in Disney world and I can’t wait a second longer I clicked so fast.
I definitely need to look it up, because to this day I have no idea WHY they removed one of the most plot-integral and fun characters of the entire show (C.B.) thus, derailing a good chunk of the storyline from 1992 onwards.
Or maybe im just partial to the late Michael Staniforth's performance on the original 1982 soundtrack...
He was wonderful and in his 40s at the time! This new version they are all so young and look so small 🫤 I think that’s why people are saying it looks so amateurish.
I think I read somewhere at the time that it was felt the character was glorifying train crashes, and this was insensitive. I loved Wide Smile and There’s Me, CB’s relationship with Dinah was so innocent and pure, despite him being a bit of a rascal!
I'm going to see it on my birthday in July, but I will say I have liked each new revival less and less. The original soundtrack is iconic and I feel like the fun keeps getting taken out.
I saw it tonight and I take it back, there are some things that could be refined but the theatre is gorgeous, the cast are incredible, what a show
Is Light at the end of the tunnel still in?
Yep!
I saw a tour in 92 in California. Such a happy, fun show. My dad who’s didn’t like musicals loved it. I did not like many of the exchanges over the years, especially the loss of Only He which later became Only You and then lived on in I Am the Starlight. Only He could have been a Whitney Houston power ballad!
@mickeyjotheater is this worth a plane ticket from California? Might it make its way out here or do I have to see this?
Were there no seats at the starlight auditorium that moved, unlike the theatre at Bochum, Germany?
No moving seats!
@@MickeyJoTheatre Oh, Well. How did you like the revival overall?
@@bronypony3091 I'm not really able to say yet but there will be a full review at the end of the month once the show has had its press night!
It’s an interesting one, because (at least for a while) it was advertised that the most expensive seats near the front would move. There were several people at the theatre this evening who paid for these seats and weren’t too happy.
How weird, I booked as soon as it launched and it said that the seats moved!
My bf is one of the producers and as an American I'm a literal curious to see it as this show isn't a big deal over here.
thanks for this! i'm seeing this in july coming from the us and i can't wait! its my favorite musical and i've been following the bochum production and this production for the past few years. it seems as if they're taking the current bochum show changes and updating them a bit more. very very interesting indeed
You’re in for disappointment because it’s not even anything like the Bochum show. They have scrapped basically everything that resembles starlight express. It was a HUGE disappointment. I’ve seen the original, the new, Bochum and the first tour and I wouldn’t call what I saw tonight starlight express. So sad… I was so excited for tonight
I've got tickets for later in month, I saw in West end in 00, looking forward to seeing it again,
Last saw Starlight in 1992. Was always a favorite! Hoping to see it next year on a trip to London 😊
Are “He’ll Whistle At Me” or “He Whistled at Me” still in the show?
Its now called Whistle at me, slightly different and sung as a duet.
Fiest time seeing it and as a massive theatre kid I cried in I am the starlight
Can’t wait to see this show - looking forward to your full review ❤
You bringing up Newsies so much just made my day❤
very excited for this production, i heard the megamix on youtube and im already hyped.
PLEASE I have to know!! Did Right Place Right Time get cut? What about He’ll Whistle at Me? And One Rock and Roll too Many?
Right Place, Right Time is definitely gone as The Rockies (along with Dustin and Flat Too) have been cut.
one rock n roll is still in it and there's a version of Whistle at me thats sung as a duet.
Where did you sit? I'm a little concerned that I booked trackside (the raised side section) which were originally sold as second top price tickets, but now don't look like very good seats and are now being sold as much lower tier tickets?
Oh crap this is also where I'm booked in 😫 I have bought refund protection though
I’m booked in for “Trackside” too. On the seating plan, it looked like they were alongside the track. Today, we find out that they are on an elevated balcony. That was true misrepresentation of what you were getting. On booking, you were told “Please note you are seated in a section close to the racing track”. A basic untruth!
@@robwarner9371 It just seems really unnecessary to raise it up.
They are still 2nd top price tickets. Yes you are right beside one of the racetracks (note, race), yes you get high fives. BUT the main stage action you will see sideways on. I sat here last night. I wouldn't choose again
@@siobhantaylor1563 only a small number are second tier ticket prices. Many have been downgraded.
Saw the show on Thursday 13 June. Took a friend who’d never seen it before, but has recently taken up roller skating, and they absolutely loved it. I’ve been a fan of the show for 40 years and have seen most versions. I enjoyed the evening - it is certainly a highly entertaining show - but the incessant dumbing-down reached a new peak with this production.
I saw it recently and I am new to Starlight Express so I didn't know anything about the story beforehand, though I could identify most of the changes made anyway. I think the worst change was making Greaseball a female as it didn't fit naturally with some of her lyrics and the 'b-a-s-t-a-r-d' bit at the end. The actress playing her was brilliant but it was shoe-horned in to me and made the plot around her and Dinah more obscure and frankly less believable. Looking at clips of the last London show at the Apollo, I think the main differences are that older productions had slightly more focus on plot and particularly more emotion from the Control voiceovers, whereas this new one is a fantastic spectacle with great constumes, performances and music but it seems that what little nuance the show originally had has pretty much gone. This comment may seem negative but I actually loved the show, I just slightly regret that it appears to have put the sheer fun of it at maximum priority and everything else has taken a back seat.
I'm seeing it in July and am so hyped. Slightly nervous about the lighting situation. If you're able to answer, I'm wondering if there is much in the way of flashing lights or bright lights pointed towards audience?
There's bits of flashing, strobe, lasers. I'm very overestimulated by light and I was fine.
@@siobhantaylor1563 That's helpful, thank you!
The other thing I want to know is the target audience. What age range do you think would enjoy this the most? My sense is that it started with kids in mind...had some adult material added to keep the parents happy...now is squarely aimed at kids again. But please correct me if I'm wrong.
very much a family show i'd say.