From 15 November 1987 to 29 May 1988, a large-scale, "in-the-round" production of Starlight Express toured sports arenas across Japan and Australia. A highlights album was released, and the production was revived in 1990.
Production Details[]
Background[]
The Japan/Australia tour was the third production of Starlight Express, following the original production in London and Broadway production 3 years later. Against his better judgement, Lloyd Webber had acquiesced to the American production being a "sit-down" production in a traditional theatre, rather than the touring "circus" show he envisaged[1]. The opportunity in Japan and Australia allowed him to revisit the circus "big top" concept.
Material[]
The Japan/Australia tour used the Broadway production's material as the starting point, but simplified the story in a few key ways:
- the number of races was reduced from the original 5 to 4
- the "Silver Dollar" plotline was removed - the race was not for a prize that could be stolen but for the title of "Champion".
- the character of Belle the Sleeping Car was cut entirely – a change incorporated into all future versions of the show.
Various rumours have floated around concerning the music production for this show, whether it was live or pre-recorded. This was clarified by cast members - on the first tour, the cast sang live. On the second tour, the cast mimed to recorded tracks[2].
Characters Featured[]
This production cut the British Train, a precursor to the German production taking the same step. The cast also included dedicated Gang, 19 swing performers, and 12 stunt skaters. The cast combined musical theatre performers and stunt skaters, who performed the races live.
To fill the stage, a number of characters were "doubled up":
Components:
- Krupp 1 and Krupp 2
- Joule 1 and Joule 2
- Volta 1 and Volta 2 (1990)
National Engines:
- Weltschaft, Flying Hamburger - Germany
- Espresso, Pendelino - Italy
- Hashimoto and Nakamura (1987) or Yamamoto (1990) - Japan
- Bobo, Coco - France
- Turnov, Vladimir (1990, simply Turnov 1 and 2 in 1987) - Russia
Set Design[]
- "The largest tent in the world at the Showground, is there for a play on Rollerskates called starlight express. The Starlight Supertop, the vast canvas tent housing and 6,500 seats, was imported from England and takes up almost an entire car park at the Sydney Showground. January 06, 1988."
Costume Design[]
The costumes were produced in New York by Parsons-Meares, alongside the creation of the Broadway and initial German costumes, leading to all three productions having essentially the same design. The notable differences from their Broadway counterparts involve the colours of certain National Engines - the Japanese engine was changed from bright yellow to silver and blue. In turn, the formerly blue French Engine became a real-world accurate bright orange TGV. The Italian Engine took the bright yellow base that was no longer being used by the Japanese Engine over the indistinct grey he had previously worn. The Russian Engine remained red, and the German Engine remained green, resulting in brighter, immediately recognisable National Engines.
Musical Numbers[]
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Race Partners[]
| Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Race 4 |
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Cast and Creatives[]
November 1987 - May 1988 Japan/Australia Tour[]
- Tokyo: 15th November - 11th December 1987
- Osaka: 24th December 1987 - 10th January 1988
- Sydney: 24th January - 28th February 1988
- Brisbane: 6th March - 20th March 1988
- Melbourne: 27th March - 14th April 1988
- Adelaide: 21st April - 8th May 1988
- Perth: 18th May - 29th May 1988
March - July 1990 Japan Tour[]
- Tokyo: 23rd March - 9th April 1990
- Nagoya: 16th April - 6th May 1990
- Fukuoka: 13th May - 27th May 1990
- Hiroshima: 3rd June - 18th June 1990
- Osaka: 30th June - 18th July 1990
Prince Edward attended the opening night in Tokyo.
Creative Team[]
- Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Lyrics by Richard Stilgoe
- Designed by John Napier
- Choreographed by Arlene Phillips
- Lighting by David Hersey
- Sound by Martin Levan
- Production Musical Director David Caddick
- Original productions in London and New York directed by Trevor Nunn
- Adapted and Directed for Japan and Australia by Dion McHugh
- Assistant Director Carole Todd
- Musical Director Philip Edwards
- Assistant Choreographer Ilse Challis
- General Management Adelaide Festival Centre Trust
- Executive Producer John Robertson
- Producers Kevin Earle and Mort Clark
- Produced in London by The Really Useful Theatre Company
- Produced in Japan by Fujisankei Communications Group
Media[]
1987 Cast Highlights Album[]
The cast recorded a highlights album, which was released with different covers in Japanese and English.
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Side One |
Side Two |
Video[]
