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. The production was revived in 1990, touring Japan from 24 March to 18 July.
Production Credits
- 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
Production Specifics
The Japan/Australia tour was the third production of Starlight Express, following the original production in London and the subsequent production on Broadway. The tour used much of the material as it was revised for Broadway, such as adding the song Engine of Love and reducing the number of races from 5 to 4. However, it made a big change that would be followed by all future productions, cutting the character of Belle the Sleeping Car.
On the first tour, the cast sang live. On the second tour, the cast mimed to recorded vocal tracks[1].
Mykal Rand as Electra with his eight Components, 1990
Character Doubles
This was the first tour of Starlight Express and was the only tour to have the facilities to perform the races live, by skating around the large arena set. This production included multiple characters:
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
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.
Races
The race structure incorporated multiple racers to fill the huge stage, and the races were run by stunt skaters rather than the principal cast.
| Track 1 | Greaseball | Dinah |
| Track 2 | Electra | Pearl |
| Track 3 | Flying Hamburger | Joule 1 |
| Track 4 | Turnov | Caboose |
| Track 5 | Espresso | Buffy |
| Track 6 | Bobo | Volta 2 |
| Track 7 | Yamamoto | Rocky 1 |
| Track 1 | Hashimoto | Volta 1 |
| Track 2 | Vladimir | Wrench |
| Track 3 | Weltschaft | Joule 2 |
| Track 4 | Coco | Ashley |
| Track 5 | Pendelino | Rocky 2 |
| Track 6 | Poppa | Dustin |
| Track 1 | Greaseball | Pearl |
| Track 2 | Electra | Dinah |
| Track 3 | Hashimoto | Volta 1 |
| Track 4 | Weltschaft | Joule 2 |
| Track 5 | Espresso | Buffy |
| Track 6 | Coco | Ashley |
| Track 7 | Yamamoto | Rocky 1 |
| Track 8 | Rusty | Caboose |
| Track 1 | Greaseball | Pearl |
| Track 2 | Electra | The Red Caboose |
| Track 3 | Hashimoto | Volta |
| Track 4 | Rusty | Dustin |
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.
Trivia
Prince William attended the opening night of the revival in 1990.
Musical Numbers
The Japan / Australia Tour was developed alongside the Broadway production, opening 8 months later. The material took a "Best of Both Worlds" approach, using material predominantly from Broadway, but referring back to elements of the original London production, and removing some of the more over-wrought elements added for the American audience such as the "Silver Dollar" plotline.
| Act 1 | Featured Characters |
|---|---|
| Overture | The Company |
| Rolling Stock | Greaseball, Greaseball's Gang, National Engines |
| Engine of Love | Rusty, Pearl, Dinah, Ashley, Buffy |
| A Lotta Locomotion | Pearl, Dinah, Ashley, Buffy |
| Freight | Rockies 1,2,3,4, Flat Top, Dustin, Caboose, Coaches, Ensemble |
| AC/DC | Electra, Krupp 1 and 2, Wrench, Joule 1 and 2, Volta, Purse, Ensemble |
| Pumping Iron | Greaseball, Pearl, Dinah, Ashley, Buffy, Joule 1 and 2, Volta, Wrench |
| Freight Reprise | The Company |
| Make Up My Heart | Pearl |
| Race: Heat One | |
| There's Me | Caboose, Dinah |
| Poppa's Blues | Poppa, Rockies 1,2,3,4, Flat-Top, Dustin |
| Race: Heat Two | |
| Laughing Stock | The Company |
| Starlight Express | Rusty |
| Act 2 | Featured Characters |
|---|---|
| Entr'acte | The Company |
| U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D. | Dinah, Ashley, Buffy |
| Coaches' Rolling Stock | Dinah, Ashley, Buffy |
| Wide Smile | Caboose, Electra, Krupp 1 and 2, Wrench, Joule 1 and 2, Volta, Purse |
| Final Race | |
| Right Place, Right Time | Rockies 1,2,3,4 |
| I am The Starlight | Rusty, Poppa |
| Re-Run | |
| One Rock & Roll Too Many | Greaseball, Electra, Caboose |
| Only You | Pearl, Rusty |
| Light at the End of the Tunnel | The Company |
1987 Japan/Australia Tour Highlights Album
The cast recorded a highlights album, which was released with different covers in Japanese and English.
1987 Tour
1987 Tour Dates
- 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
1987 Gallery
1990 Tour
1990 Tour Dates
- 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
1990 Gallery
Documentary - Japan Tour 1990
(around minute 42:00 starts "There's a light at the end of the tunnel, where you can see the Characters and Their doubles)
Press Reel - Japan 1990
