Starlight Express - Milton Keynes Theatre

Review date 25th April 2013

Starlight Express started life in 1975 as a story that Andrew Lloyd Webber had high hopes of being a animated movie.  It never got off the ground in that format so he re-wrote it for his children Imogen and Nicholas.  It was that very version that opened in March 1984 at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London.

Nine years later the show was revised an re-vamped with new music, which was dedicated to Lloyd Webber's son Alistair.  Starlight has run for over eighteen years and transfixed audiences with such punch and precision, I couldn't wait to see it at MK Theatre.

The story is Cinderella-esque - but with trains.  It is so different, and so clever - the whole show is a wow!  A race is on to find the best between the long running champ diesel train "Greaseball "(Jamie Capewell) and the new comer with his electrifying speed "Electra" (Mykal Rand)...but have they forgotten about the good old steam trains? In steps "Rusty" (Kristopher Harding) to do his best to beat the rest!

The dancers are uber talented, they sing and dance with such flair and fluidity, it's amazing how they do it so well...AND on skates!?

The choreography is super slick and seriously intricate, and why wouldn't it be with Arlene Phillips directing and providing the fantastic choreography- it's roller skate dancing at its very best! Add to that music by Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe, it's a recipe for a fantastic show.

The staging of this show is quite spectacular, the costumes are amazing - but the addition of  the 3D sections takes it to another level.  You have to experience it to fully appreciate it. 

"Starlight Express is a complete theatrical experience.  It is a love story and a story of triumph, involving sportsmanship, rivalry, dander and thrills.  It is a show that truly has something for everyone..."

Catch the Starlight Express if you can!

Lily B xx