Starlight Express opened for previews on 8 June 2024 at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre – a flexible space in north-west London[1].
Marking the original production's 40th anniversary, Starlight Express at the Troubadour is "a completely new experience"[2], rather than one that recycles the look and feel of past productions. Continuity is provided, however, by long-time director-choreographer Arlene Phillips, who serves as "creative dramaturg".
The production is booking until 19 April 2026, having been extended six times.[3][4]
A cast recording was released on 15 November 2024.
Production Details[]
Background[]
The production was announced on 19 September 2023 by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2[5], with a follow-up post on Instagram[6]. The announcement received coverage on many industry websites[7][8][9].
The same morning, the production issued a press release. It said that the production would have "a cast of 40" and that auditions were starting "now"[7]. (Further auditions for stunt performers were held in April 2024).
In October 2023, revised material was workshopped at ArtsEd College with then current students. The cast list and principal roles were announced on 27 March 2024, the show's 40th anniversary. At the time, many cast members shared the news including their ensemble roles and covers. In early April, however, this information was withdrawn. In May, the final cast list appeared on the show’s official site.
Story and characters[]
The material develops the 2018 Bochum revisions, carrying over developments such as moving "Crazy" to the top of the show and replacing Poppa with Momma[7], while making "lots of little changes" to the songs[6] and adding a "very big twist"[6], with Rusty transforming for the final race from a "dirty old coal-powered steam engine" to a hydrogen-powered "engine of the future"[6].
Many of the ensemble characters have been replaced with new characters taking similar roles. These include:
- the coaches, who revert to the coaches from the 2017 Workshop: Tassita the quiet car and Belle the sleeping car
- the freight trucks, who are replaced by 4 fuel trucks: Porter (coal), Lumber (wood), Slick (oil) and Hydra (hydrogen)
- the competing engines, who no longer represent countries: Golden Eagle, Orange Flash, Green Arrow, Blue Lightning and Silver Bullet
In addition, some of the characters' genders have changed. These include:
- Momma (female), who replaces Poppa (male) as per the 2018 Bochum revisions
- Greaseball, who is female (she/her)
- Electra, who is non-binary (they/them)
- Tassita, who is male (he/him)
Control appears onstage in this production, played alternately by both young girls and boys. Their mother also appears onstage, played by the performer playing Momma.
Finally, the ensemble no longer appear as Greaseball's gang or as race marshals. Instead, they use their colourful identities throughout the show.
Music[]
The score has been re-orchestrated to be "relevant to the sounds that young people are hearing now"[10]. Orchestrator Matthew Brind says:
"Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Wilson [Co-Musical Supervisor] and I had fun hanging out in a recording studio, thinking about how the songs would feel if sung by contemporary pop singers. We started thinking: "What would Bruno Mars do with the song?" or "How would a Pink vocal inform the track?" ...Electra is very Lady Gaga. Greaseball has more of a P!nk-like influence, with a slightly rockier edge. As to giving the trains their own distinctive sound, Andrew had already done a lot of the work in that Greaseball has always been much more guitar-based and Electra's more synth-based. The parameters were already there, so it was just about bringing that into a modern, cool vernacular that would be relatable to a young audience and bring the show to a new generation."[10]
Design[]
The production's aesthetic differs greatly to the template set by the original production and developed over the years.
The set design is "more modern", "slick" and "poppy", set designer Tim Hatley says. "We don't have any brick and we're not in any grubby station yard... It's a little more Mario Kart-influenced."[10]
The costume designs by Gabriella Slade aim to "embody the spirit of the train" more than "look like trains". Influences are drawn from contemporary and futuristic fashion, Marvel superheroes and arena pop shows.[10]
Theatre[]
Performances take place in the "Starlight Auditorium", built within a large performance space at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre. There are 1,017 seats[11].
Hyping the venue's flexibility, Lloyd Webber initially said:
"[The production is] going to be around you, the seats will move [and] there will be lots of projection"[7].
This led some fans to speculate that the production would draw on plans for a production of Starlight Express at the NEC, Birmingham in 2021[12], which did not proceed past early planning stages. The "360-degree rotating"[13][12] technology from Imagine Nation, as initially rumoured for the cancelled 2021 Birmingham production, was also rumoured to be deployed in this production. This speculation, however, turned out to be false.
The shape of the set suggests a steam engine, as with the South African production from 2013. The central performing space includes a revolving platform that also raises up. the main ramp upstage splits to allow entrances centre-stage. Steep ramps either side lead to an upstage balcony, and the aisles between the seats are race tracks, heavily used by the performers. Overall the result is an intimate performance venue, with even the back rows of the single, raked seating feeling not too far from the centre stage. About half the audience is immediately next to or surrounded by the aisles used by performers, creating an immersive experience.
The Auditorium layout was revealed in sneak peeks at the set model in a promotional video. All seats, when booking, contain the warning that "Entry to and from seats will be limited and restricted at times", as access is via the racing tracks used in performance.
Tickets went on sale for performances starting 8th June 2024, the seating layout being based on initial set design models. As the set was refined, further tickets were released and pricing bands modified to account for whether seats offered a premium view of the performance or not. Well after the initial ticket release, all performances in June were designated as "Previews" with a press night indicated to be 30th June. Initially some seats were advertised as "Moving"[6], however once the show opened it became apparent that rotating seats like those used in Bochum are not part of this production’s layout; no sections of seating move; nor does the set in its entirety move.
Musical Numbers[]
(Songs in italics are not included in the programme and are short recit scenes between major musical numbers.)
|
Act 1
|
Act 2
|
| Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Race 4 |
|
|
|
|
Cast and Creatives[]
Creative Team[]
- Music - Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Lyrics - Richard Stilgoe
- Director - Luke Sheppard (&Juliet, The Little Big Things)
- Set designer - Tim Hatley (Back to the Future)
- Video designer - Andrzej Goulding (Life of Pi)
- Costume designer - Gabriella Slade (Six)
- Lighting designer - Howard Hudson (&Juliet)
- Sound designer - Gareth Owen (MJ the Musical)
- Orchestrations and musical supervision - Matthew Brind
- Musical director - Laura Bangay
- Choreography - Ashley Nottingham (Pacific Overtures)
- Assistant choreographer - Priscilla Osegie
- Associate choreographer - Helen Siveter
- Creative dramaturg - Arlene Phillips
- Skate coach - Luke Zammit
- Assistant skate coach - Jason Gray
Band, June 2024[]
- Conductor (musical director) - Laura Bangay
- Keyboard 1 - Clive Dunstall
- Keyboard 2 and assistant musical director - Denise Crowley
- Keyboard 3 - Josh Cottell
- Guitar 1 - Adam Goldsmith
- Guitar 2 - Kobi Pham
- Bass Guitar - Nathaniel Adamson
- Drums - Joe Evans
2024-2025 Cast[]
2025-2026 Cast[]
Cast started 11th June 2025.
| Role | Performer | Role | Performer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rusty | Gavin Adams (Injured) Jeevan Braich (temp injury cover) Scott Hayward (injury cover) |
Pearl | Sophie Naglik |
| Greaseball | Olivia Ringrose | Dinah | Georgia Pemberton |
| Momma | Jade Marvin | Belle | Tamara Verhoven Clyde |
| Electra | Asher Forth | Tassita | Nicky Wong Rush |
| Porter | Lewis Kidd | Golden Eagle | Iwan James |
| Slick | Nicole Louise-Lewis | Orange Flash | Amiyah Goodall |
| Hydra | Jaydon Vijn | Blue Lightning | Temi Olawole |
| Lumber | Harrison Peterkin (until 09/2025) Jamie Cruttenden |
Silver Bullet | Cletus Chan |
| Green Arrow | Ashley Rowe | ||
| Killerwatt | Evan Taylor Benyacar | ||
| Wrench | Amber Weston | Skate Marshall | Jamie Addison |
| Joule | Maddy Erzan-Essien | Skate Marshall | Dante Hutchinson |
| Volta | Ollie Augustin | Skate Marshall | Charlie Russell |
| Ass. Children´s Captain Swing |
Jessie Angell | Children's Captain Swing |
Hannah Kiss |
| Swing | Charles Butcher | Swing | Red |
| Assistant Dance Captain Swing |
Jamie Cruttenden | Swing/ Alternate Rusty |
Scott Hayward |
| Resident Choreographer Swing |
Kelly Downing | Swing | Bethany Rose-Lythgoe |
| Assistant Dance Captain Swing |
Isaac Edwards | Assistant Skate Captain Swing |
Sheridan |
| Swing | Sam Gallacher | Swing | Dieuwke Tönissen |
| Skate Captain Swing |
Lucy Glover | Swing | Lara Vina Uzcatia |
| Role | Performers |
|---|---|
| Rusty | Scott Hayward, Evan Taylor Benyacar, Lewis Kidd and Ashley Rowe |
| Pearl | Maddy Erzan-Essien, Bethany Rose-Lythgoe and Tamara Verhoven Clyde |
| Greaseball | Lara Vina Uzcatia, Jessie Angell and Amber Weston |
| Dinah | Bethany Rose-Lythgoe, Amber Weston, Dieuwke Tönissen and Kelly Downing |
| Momma | Temi Olawole, Amiyah Goodall and Nicole Louise-Lewis |
| Electra | Sheridan, Red, Ollie Augustin and Jamie Cruttenden |
| Belle | Amiyah Goodall, Lara Vina Uzcatia, Bethany Rose-Lythgoe and Kelly Downing |
| Tassita | Charles Butcher, Evan Taylor Benyacar and Sheridan |
| Hydra | Iwan James, Ollie Augustin, Red and Sheridan |
| Porter | Scott Hayward, Charles Butcher and Sam Gallacher |
| Slick | Jessie Angell, Temi Olawole, Maddy Erzan-Essien and Kelly Downing |
| Lumber | Jamie Cruttenden (until 09/25), Sam Gallacher and Isaac Edwards |
| Skate Marshall | Kelly Downing and Luke Zammit |
Controls[]
| June 2024 | Early 2025 | June 2025 | Current 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Brooks (until 09/2024) |
Elliott Norrington (from 11/2024 until 06/2025) |
Christopher Azzopardi (from 07/2025) | |
| Arabella Stanton (until 09/2024) |
Aanya Devi Sharma (from 11/2024) | ||
| Mimi Soetan (until 11/2024) |
Buzz Fletcher (from 01/2025 until 08/2025) |
Mila Isaacs (from 07/2025) | |
| Shaniya Abrahams (until 01/2025) |
Karin Narumi (from 01/2025 until 06/2025) |
Jazmyn Lewin (from 06/2025 until 09/2025) |
|
| Cristian Buttaci (until 02/2025) |
Shayan Ghai (from 01/2025) | ||
| Barnaby Halliwell (until 02/2025) |
George Jones (from 06/2025) | ||
Alexander Brooks and Arabella Stanton left the show in September 2024, at the start of the new school year, so they were replaced by Aanya Devi Sharma and Elliott Norrington in November 2024. Mimi Soetan left the show in November 2024 and was replaced by Buzz Fletcher in January 2025. Shaniya Abrahams left the show in January 2025 and was replaced by Karin Narumi and Shayan Ghai. Cristian Buttaci and Barnaby Halliwell left the show in February 2025. Karin Narumi left June 2025, at the same time as the adult cast change, so she was replaced by George Jones and Jazmyn Lewin who joined at the same time as the adult cast change. Elliott Norrington left at the end of June 2025, several weeks after the cast change and was replaced by Mila Isaacs and Christopher Azzopardi in July 2025. Buzz Fletcher left the show at the end of August 2025. Jazmyn Lewin left the show in September 2025, at the start of the new school year.
Press[]
- Instagram post by Andrew Lloyd Webber, 19/09/2023[6]
Transcript: “I’m really excited, because Starlight Express is returning to London next, next June. The announcement’s going to be made today. It’s going to have a very, very big twist, don’t think that steam is something from the past, it’s not about dirty old coal-powered steam engines. Oh no, no, our steam engine is going to be very much an engine of the future. All of you Starlight fans who remember it from the old days remember it was the first real immersive theatre show ever to play in London. Very, very proud of it then, and it’s going to be even more immersive and even more exciting now, let me tell you, some of the seats move, so it’s going to be quite something, quite something. I’m very, very excited. The music’s all going to be re-produced, and there are lots of plot twists, and lots of little changes, but it’ll still be Starlight Express, so I hope I’ll see you there.”
- The Guardian: ‘Steffi Graf went to see it 12 times!’ How we made rollerskating sensation Starlight Express. Interviews by Lyndsey Windship, 17th June 2024
- The Cast appeared at the 2024 Royal Variety Performance, filmed on 26th November 2024[14]
- Why Starlight Express Continues To Shine So Bright - Guide to the show. Andrewlloydwebber.com, January 2025[15]
Reviews[]
- Telegraph ***** - Dominic Cavendish "Andrew Lloyd Webber’s blockbuster makes a spellbinding return"[16]
- LondonTheatre1 ***** - Terry Eastham [17]
- The Stage ***** - Paul Vale “Barely stops moving”[18]
- Daily Mail **** - Patrick Marrion "A trainwreck? No, this is an ear-blasting scorcher of a revival"[19]
- Guardian **** - Arifa Akbar "Lloyd Webber’s bizarre juggernaut is bigger, camper and more OTT than ever"[20]
- Independent **** - Tim Bano "A neon fever dream you’ll watch with your mouth wide open"[21]
- The Times **** - Clive Davis "revamped classic will intoxicate your inner child"[22]
- Theatre Weekly **** - Greg Stewart "You might not always understand what's happening, but you'll have fun watching it all unfold"[23]
- London Theatre **** - Marianka Swain "All aboard this mind-blowing, tech-wizard thrill ride"[24]
- MickeyJoTheatre ****
- WhatsOnStage *** - Sarah Crompton "Not first class, but a technical rollercoaster ride"[25]
- Time Out *** - Andrzej Lukowski "In a lavish revival, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s roller skating trains opus is still a one-dimensional gimmick – but it’s an incredibly entertaining one"[26]
- i News ** - Fiona Mountford "Starlight Express is irredeemably naff. This new production of the 80s Andrew Lloyd Webber hit is slick but soulless"[27]
- Variety - David Benedict "Wobbly Revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Roller-Skating Musical Never Hits Stride"[28]
Awards[]
The Stage Debut Awards, September 2024[29]
- Winner - Jeevan Braich - "Best Performer in a Musical"
25th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards, February 2025[30]
- Winner - Best Professional Debut Performance - Jeevan Braich
- Nominated - Best Supporting Performer in a Musical - Jaydon Vijn
- Winner - Best Musical Revival - Starlight Express, Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre
- Winner - Best Costume Design - Gabriella Slade, Starlight Express
- Winner - Best Lighting Design - Howard Hudson, Starlight Express
- Winner - Best Set Design - Tim Hatley, Starlight Express
- Nominated - Best Sound Design - Gareth Owen, Starlight Express
- Winner - Best Video Design - Andrzej Goulding, Starlight Express
- Winner - Best Wigs, Hair and Make Up Design - Jackie Saundercock and Campbell Young Associates, Starlight Express
London For Groups Awards, February 2025[31]
- Winner - Best West End Musical - Starlight Express, Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre
Olivier Awards, March 2025[32]
- Nominated - White Light Award for Best Lighting Design - Howard Hudson
- Winner - Best Costume Design - Gabriella Slade[33]
- Nominated - Piper-Heidsieck Award for Best Musical Revival
References[]
- ↑ Wembley Park Theatre Official Site
- ↑ lwtheatres.co.uk "Starlight Express", September 2023
- ↑ https://www.broadwayworld.com "Andrew Lloyd Webber's STARLIGHT EXPRESS Extends to October 2025" Oct. 24, 2024
- ↑ www.whatsonstage.com"Starlight Express extends run once again" 29 August 2025
- ↑ BBC Radio 2 Archive, Zoe Ball chats to Andrew Lloyd Webber, 19/09/2023
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 @AndrewLloydWebber Instagram post, 19/09/2023
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 What's On Stage, "Starlight Express to Return to London in new production", 19/09/2023
- ↑ londontheatrereviews.co.uk "Starlight Express to Open in London" 19/09/3023
- ↑ londontheatredirect.com "Starlight Express is Coming to London" 19/09/2023
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Production programme, printed June 2024
- ↑ https://theartsdesk.com/theatre/starlight-express-troubadour-wembley-park-theatre-review-freight-kinda-great
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 theatrefan.co.uk "Starlight Express - New Immersive Production Planned", 5th March 2021
- ↑ Stage-Around, Imagine Nation, 2018
- ↑ Behind the Scenes at the Royal Variety Performance, Twitter post 17th December 2024
- ↑ Andrewlloydwebber.com, January 2025
- ↑ Telegraph, Dominic Cavendish. 30th June 2024
- ↑ LondonTheatre1, Terry Eastham. 30th June 2024
- ↑ The Stage, Paul Vale. 1st July 2024
- ↑ The Daily Mail, Patrick Marrion. 30th June 2024
- ↑ The Guardian, Arifa Akbar. 30th June 2024
- ↑ The Independent, Tim Bano. 1st July 2024
- ↑ The Times, Clive Davis. 30th June 2024
- ↑ Theatre Weekly, Greg Stewart. 30th June 2024
- ↑ London Theatre, Marianka Swain. 30th June 2024
- ↑ WhatsOnStage, Sarah Crompton. 30th June 2024
- ↑ Time Out, Andrzej Lukowski. 2nd July 2024
- ↑ i News, Fiona Mountford. 30th June 2024
- ↑ Variety, David Benedict. 30th June 2024
- ↑ The Stage Debut Awards, 29th September 2024
- ↑ 2024 Whatsonstage Awards Nominations, 5th December 2024
- ↑ London for Groups Awards, 18th February 2025
- ↑ Nominations announced for Olivier Awards 2025 with Mastercard, 4th March 2025
- ↑ Announcement, 6th April 2025