
Overview
Synopsis
A child’s train set magically comes to life while he sleeps and the various engines compete to become the “Fastest engine in the World!” The underdog, Rusty the Steam train, dreams of becoming the champion but he is belittled by Greaseball, an arrogant diesel train, and Electra, the new electric engine. Encouraged by Poppa, an aging steam train, he turns to the legend of the “Starlight Express” and begs for her help. With her assistance, Rusty realizes that he already has the power to win deep inside himself. He ultimately defeats his archrivals Greaseball and Electra, winning the heart of the lovely first class coach, Pearl, who is waiting for her dream train. Performed entirely on roller skates, Starlight Express is a visual and aural explosion of the senses.
Show Information
- Music
- Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Lyrics
- Richard Stilgoe , Don Black
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1984
- Genres
- Fairy Tale/Fantasy
- Settings
- Fantasy/Imaginary, Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- The World Championship Railroad Race (as imagined by a young boy)
- Cast Size
- large
- Orchestra Size
- Small
- Dancing
- Heavy
- Licensor
- Concord Theatricals
- Ideal For
- College/University, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, High School, Diverse Cast, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Late Teen, Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult, Child Characters, Large Cast
Context
One of the first megamusicals, Starlight Express opened on March 27th 1984 at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London’s West End. The original production was directed by Trevor Nunn, with choreography by Arlene Phillips, and received two Olivier Award nominations, including Best Musical. The theatre was adapted to build an in-house race track that extended into and around the stalls, and around the front of the circle. The show ran for over 17 years, totalling 7,406 performances. It is
to read the context for Starlight Express and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
Late in the evening, a child is playing with his toy trains. He takes the role of “Control” and sets up a championship race to decide which of his trains is “the fastest in the world”. While he is playing, he falls asleep. But in his dreams, the championship begins…
Control introduces the engines: Ruhrgold (a German intercontinental express), Turnov (a Trans-Siberian Express from Russia), Nintendo (a Bullet Train from Japan), the Prince of Wales (a “frightfully British” Royal
to read the plot for Starlight Express and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
---|---|---|---|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano |
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone, Tenor |
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano, Alto |
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano, Alto |
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano, Alto |
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor, Baritone, Bass |
|
Featured |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass |
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor, Baritone, Bass |
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor, Baritone |
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor, Baritone, Bass |
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor, Baritone, Bass |
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
Songs
Act One
- Overture - Orchestra
- “Entry of National Trains” - Control
- “Rolling Stock” - Greaseball, Company
- “After Rolling Stock” - Rusty, Greaseball, Nintendo, Ruhrgold, Turnov, Control, Dinah, Buffy, Duvay, Pearl, Company
- “Rusty Cannot be Serious” - Duvay, Buffy, Dinah, Pearl, Company
- “A Whole Lotta Locomotion” - Control, Dinah, Buffy, Duvay, Pearl
- “He’ll Whistle at Me” - Pearl, Coaches
- “Freight” - Dinah, Buffy, Pearl, Duvay, Trucks, Control, Hip Hoppers, Flat Top, Caboose, Dustin, Greaseball, Nintendo, Ruhrgold, Turnov, Company
- “AC/DC” - Electra, Components
- “Pumping Iron” - Dinah, Buffy, Duvay, Pearl, Greaseball, Hip Hoppers, Components
- “Coda of Freight” - Company
- “Crazy” - Rusty, Coaches, Pearl
- “Pearl, You’ve Been Honored” - Purse, Rusty, Pearl
- “Make Up My Heart” - Pearl, Rusty
- “Race One” - Control, Greaseball, Ruhrgold, Electra
- “Poppa’s Blues” - Poppa, Hip Hoppers, Flat Top, Dustin
- “After Blues” - Poppa, Rusty, Hip Hoppers, Flat Top, Dustin
- “Starlight Short” - Poppa, Control, Hip Hoppers, Rusty, Flat Top, Dustin
- “Race Two” - Poppa, Control, Nintendo, Turnov
- “Laughing Stock” - Rusty, Dustin, Poppa, Greaseball & Gang, Flat Top, Hip Hoppers, Caboose, Dustin, Electra, Pearl
- “Starlight Express” - Rusty
Act Two
- “The Rap” - Hip Hoppers, Control, Electra, Components, Greaseball, Caboose, Dinah
- “U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D.” - Dinah
- “Girls’ Rolling Stock” - Buffy, Duvay, Dinah
- “Dinah You’re Honored” - Purse, Dinah, Buffy, Duvay, Caboose, Greaseball
- “Race Three” - Control, Greaseball, Electra, Rusty
- “Terrorizing Rusty” - Greaseball & Gang, Electra, Caboose, Flat Top, Rusty, Pearl
- “Right Place, Right Time” - Rusty, Hip Hoppers
- “Rusty Alone” - Rusty
- “Starlight Sequence” - Rusty, Starlight
- “Rusty and Dustin” - Rusty, Dustin
- “Dinah’s Disco” - Dinah, Electra, Caboose, Control
- “Pre-Race Four” - Greaseball, Pearl, Electra, Caboose, Rusty, Dustin, Company
- “Race Four” - Control
- “One Rock ‘n’ Roll Too Many” - Electra, Greaseball, Caboose
- “After Rock ‘n’ Roll” - Control, Poppa, Dustin
- “I Do” - Pearl, Rusty
- “Long Live Rusty” - Dinah, Greaseball, Electra, Company
- “Light at the End of the Tunnel” - Poppa, Company
- “Megamix” - Company
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
A musical where a theme, metaphor or concept is just as important as the overarching plot and the featured songs.
A large-scale musical produced for large commercial profit.
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