Flat-Top is the brick truck in Starlight Express. Cheeky and irreverent, Flat-Top treats the race night as an entertaining diversion from working in the Freight train.
Personality[]
"Flat-Top. He's the punk of the freight yard, rebel of all things freight. He wants to be part of Greaseball's gang so he can show the world just how bad he is. He dosen't have any friends except Dustin and Rusty, and the only thing he keeps is a pet brick. He named him Brick because he's a pet brick. Brick is always loyal to Flat-Top, and wishes to be a real pet."
Flat-Top is a young punk, rebelling against anything he can, loving to get a reaction and a rise out of anyone. He's part of the Freight train, particularly close to big, slow Dustin. He gives the impression of not caring about anything, but when he sees his friends hurt, his tough outside cracks.
Flat-Top is often seen trying to flirt with the female characters, particularly Ashley, Joule, and most unsuccessfully, Volta.
Tickovers: Flat-Top is seen taking off his brick and using it as various things.
Brick, the Pet Brick[]
Brick, Flat-Top's pet brick, can be many things: a Yo-Yo, mobile phone, nail file, mouth organ, comb, sandwich, talking parrot, but usually, a pet brick
Flat Top's brick is backed with velcro, this allows the performer to take it off and put it on again, whether it's attached to his belt or headpiece.
Story[]
We first meet Flat-Top when Rusty brings in the Freight train. He's a tough, rebellious kid, who takes Control's command to introduce himself as a challenge. He takes joy in threatening to throw his brick into the audience. For all they are totally unalike, Flat-Top is good friends with Dustin, the big hopper, and looks out for him. Flat-top awkwardly tries to catch the eye of one of the Coaches, but rarely has any luck. Being a cheeky, disrespectful and not easily scared character, he's quite happy to joke about Electra in the introduction to AC/DC - Dustin is impressed "Electra must be rich to have his own repair truck!" But Flat-top jokes "Or unreliable! hah!" Flat-Top often seems more impressed by the sexy Component girls than Electra himself. Flat-Top dreams of being like Greaseball, and accepted into his Gang, and as Greaseball sings "Pumping Iron", Flat-Top has been known to imitate him. As all the racers find their partners, Flat-Top is left without a place in the race, to his annoyance.
In the Freight yard, Flat-Top is not a fan of Poppa's Blues - complaining "That stuff is so out of date!" Rather than dancing or listening, Flat-Top spends the song playing with his brick or winding up Dustin. Poppa has no time for his lip - he tries to encourage Rusty to believe in his power as a Steamer, but Flat-Top would rather shout for "Oil! Oil! Oil!" Poppa's anger flares at the disrespectful interruption, and he tells Flat-Top that "Oil is for the Diesel himself!" That puts Flat-Top into a sulk, and when Poppa asks if he'll race with him, he's offended at the suggestion. "No way, not with you! Me, go with a Steamer, all smelly and smoking, all ancient and filthy, you gotta be joking!" He ducks out of the way before Poppa can respond, but Dustin volunteers instead.
Once Poppa and Dustin have won the second heat, but Poppa's collapsed, Flat-Top begins to show a softer side to his character as he is worried about the old Steamer. But he quickly covers up the emotion with Greaseball and his Gang show up mocking the steamers. Flat-Top is conflicted - he desperately wants to be cool enough to hang out with the Diesels, but the Steamers are like family to him. After a moment's hesitation, he makes his decision, and joins Greaseball's gang. He stays with them for The Rap, and then as things turn progressively uglier after the Uphill Final, and the Gang turn on Rusty, beating him up after the race is called off. Flat-Top's ended up holding Rusty's helmet, and seeing him on the ground, beaten up and defeated, Flat-Top can't just skate off with the gang. He hangs back for a moment, just to check he's alright and hand back the helmet. After seeing just how nasty Greaseball can be, Flat-Top finds other company for the rest of the race night, making his way back to the Freight train and the familiar irritations.Flat-Top's role in the show was increased when Caboose was cut from the London production, as Flat-Top took some of his stage space and plot - for example, rather than Caboose causing Rusty to crash in the uphill final, it was the fight, and Rusty was injured by the Gang working on Greaseball's command rather than the accident. Flat-Top was left to fill the space left by the lack of crazy Caboose.
Appearance[]
Gallery[]
Role[]
|
| Audition Notices |
Cast[]
London
| 1984 - 1986 | Mark Davis |
| 1986 - 1989 | Eddie Kemp |
| 1989 - 1990 | Jeff Baptista |
| 1990 - 1991 | Michael Cahill |
| 1991 - 1992 | Garry Noakes |
| 1992 - 1994 | Richard Mylan |
| 1994 - 1996 | Darryl Paul |
| 1996 - 1997 | Ian Stanley |
| 1997 - 1998 | Ian Meeson |
| 1998 - 1999 | Andrew Spillett |
| 1999 - 2001 | Jamie Golding |
| 2001 - 2002 | Ross Dawes |
Broadway
| 1987 - 1988 | Todd Lester |
| 1988 - 1989 | Michael O'Steen |
Japan / Australia Tours
| 1987 | Michael Sundin |
| 1990 | Masayoshi Hamana |
Bochum, Germany
| 1988 - 1989 | Mark Hogarth |
| 1989 - 1989 | Michael Rivera |
| 1989 - 1990 | Simon Harrison-Scott |
| 1990 - 1991 | Alexander Lee Burgos |
| 1991 - 1992 | Freddy Moretine |
| 1992 - 1992 | Tom Moneypenny |
| 1992 - 1993 | Darryl Paul |
| 1993 - 1996 | Ramon Visser |
| 1996 - 1997 | Paul Whitaker |
| 1997 - 1998 | Frankie Braxton |
| 1998 - 1999 | Ian Stanley |
| 1999 - 2000 | Ramon Visser |
| 2000 - 2001 | Ian Stanley |
| 2001 - 2004 | Ramon Visser |
| 2004 - 2005 | Romeo Salazar |
| 2005 - 2006 | Lucas Glover |
| 2006 - 2008 | Stephan Zenker |
| 2008 - 2009 | Eddie Dredge |
| 2009 - 2010 | Marcel Brauneis |
| 2010 - 2012 | Ben Draper |
| 2012 - 2013 | Andrew Prosser |
| 2013 - 2014 | Dale White |
| 2014 - 2015 | Paul Treacy |
| 2015 - 2018 | James Marshall |
| 2018 - 2019 | Darius James |
| 2019 - 2020 | Charles Butcher |
| 2020 - 2021 | Delano Willemsen (Cancelled due to Covid) |
| 2021 - 2023 | Delano Willemsen |
| 2023 - 2024 | Michiel Janssens / Dennis Spee |
| 2024 - 2025 | James Aymon |
US Tour 1989 - 1991
| Dennis Courtney |
Las Vegas 1993 - 1997
| 1993 - 1994 | Andrew A. Currie |
| 1994 - | Paul Finoccharo |
| 1996 - 1997 | Todd Lester |
US Tour 2003 - 2004
| Russell Saylor |
UK Tours 2004 - 2008
| 2004 - 2005 | Paul Christopher |
| 2006 - 2007 | Adam Ellis |
| 2007 - 2008 | Glenn Robb |
NZ Tour 2009
| 2009 | Jared Pallesen |
UK Tour 2012-2013
| 2012 - 2013 | James Marshall |
| Asia 2013 | James Marshall |
Fan Theories[]
See Here for Fan theories about Flat-Top.