The main story of Starlight Express takes place in a child’s imagination.
“Control” is the name that the child gives themselves as they play. They introduce the characters to the audience, order them about, and comment on the races. In that way, their role is equal parts train announcer, signaller and sports commentator.
Personality[]
In the original London production, Control tries to run a tight show, getting easily annoyed at the time wasting and gradually realising they have less control over their characters until they rebel at the end yelling "Shut it, Control!"
In later productions, Control is less bossy. The 1993 Las Vegas production Mother mentions that it's Christmas Eve, which adds context to the child's excitement. The 2003 US Tour never uses the phrase "This is Control!" - instead the child says "Attention everybody!" and never gives themselves a name or title.
In the 30th anniversary Bochum production and 2024 Wembley production, Control asks the trains to treat their new coach, Pearl, "with respect" and is sentimental about Rusty, who is introduced as having been inherited from Control's dad.
Role[]
At the very beginning of the show, Control is heard playing with their trains, as the audience sees model trains lit up, running around the theatre. Gradually the music swirls around, giving the sense of drifting off to sleep. The model trains that were initially running around the auditorium transform into skaters speeding through the darkness as the audience is brought into the child's dream.
Control calls for the characters to get a move on - directing Rusty to fetch the coaches, calling racers to starting grid etc. Control is in control throughout most of the story, but gradually gets increasingly annoyed by the trains’ ability to make their own decisions. At the end of the show, when Electra and Greaseball decide to convert to steam, Control shouts at everyone to “do what you're told!”, to which the trains reply, "Shut it, Control!"
The show begins with an excited voice telling us that "Tonight is Race night! Take your seats for the world championship Railroad race..." A sharp knock on the bedroom door interrupts their play, as their mother sends them to bed. Reluctantly the child obeys, but after a few seconds, a whispered voice begins to introduce us to the "Champion engines of the World!"
Control is clearly favouring Greaseball as the most impressive of the engines, and the "reigning champion", but very impressed with the appearance of a "Superstar challenger!" Control has little time for Rusty ("Get lost, Rusty!") and Pearl, wanting to get to the action of the races, but compared to some other productions, they are relatively uninvolved vocally, allowing the story to play out for them.
The newest telling of the story begins with a very literal set onstage - Control's bedroom features their bed, toy box, rocket lamp, a mobile of the planets, toy trains and roller skates lying around. The child runs onstage and begins playing with the trains, when their mother - the actress playing Momma, dressed ready for bed herself - comes in to put the child to bed, singing a lullaby "When your goodnights have been said, and you're lying in bed/ with the covers pulled up tight..." She leaves as Control appears to be falling asleep, and the child begins to dream.
Control is extremely busy within the show, appearing almost constantly, interacting with characters silently as well as when they have lines. The role is considerably more prominent than in any earlier production.Gender[]
Control is referred to as ‘he’, both in The ‘New’ Starlight Express ("Hitching and Switching"), and in the story synopsis for the version of the material licensed to amateur groups. The programme for the 2009 New Zealand tour describes Control as 'a nine-year-old boy'.
In other productions, however, Control’s gender is not specified. The Non-replica 2024 Wembley production casts a mix of genders to perform the role live onstage.
Offstage or Onstage?[]
Offstage In the original London production and its subsequent ‘replica’ productions, Control is heard, but not seen. In most productions, Control is pre-recorded, and that recording is used until changes in the material require updated lines.
Unusually, the 1989 US Tour had an actor perform the lines live backstage, by booth singer, Lori Flynn or her understudy, Scott Westmoreland[1]
During the preview period for the original production in London in 1984, Control was voiced live as the material was developing from one performance to the next. Control was voiced by an adult man for these early shows. When the material was locked down, Control’s lines were recorded by a female actor in the cast, Nancy Wood, impersonating a child's voice. The races, however, still received sportscaster-style live commentary.
Onstage Control has been portrayed live onstage by most Non-Replica productions. The first time this was seen from the original Creative Team was the 2017 Workshop, where the short run and constantly changing nature of a workshop made pre-recording entirely impractical.
The 2024 Wembley production has cast six children to play Control. The role is a significant part of the show, with the child running and dancing along with the skaters as well as voicing the lines as expected. They even join with the Marshals, riding a scooter.
Cast[]
This cast list is incomplete. London
| 1984 - 1992 | Nancy Wood | |
| 1992 - 2002 | Tara Wilkinson | Mother - Debbie Blackett |
Broadway
| 1987 - 1989 | Braden Danner |
Japan / Australia Tours
| 1987 - 1988 | Braden Danner | Mother - Charlotte Avery |
| 1990 | Yumi Tohma |
Bochum, Germany
| 1988 | Bela and Olivier Borchardt | Mother - Claudia Neuland |
| 2001 | ||
| 2006 | Jo Marie Dominiak | |
| 2013 | Paul Falk | Mother - Birgitt Theiss |
| Unknown | Julius Jellinek | |
| 2018 |
US Tour 1989 - 1991
| 1989 | Lori Flynn |
| 1989 | Scott Westmoreland (cover) |
Las Vegas 1993 - 1997
| 1993 | Mother - |
Mexico 1997
| 1997 | Eduardo de la Vega Vaughn | Mother - Mercedes Vaughn |
UK, Asia and NZ tours
| 2004 - 2013 | Georgina Hagen |
Wembley, London 2024
| 06/2024 | Alexander Brooks |
| 06/2024 | Arabella Stanton |
| 06/2024 | Barnaby Halliwell |
| 06/2024 | Cristian Buttaci |
| 06/2024 | Mimi Soetan |
| 06/2024 | Shaniya Abrahams |
Fan Theories[]
See Here for Fan theories about Control.