When was starlight express first performed

In , Control was re-recorded by Tara Wilkinson , again impersonating a child. Performers from the show promote a competition to find the next child to voice Control, Bochum In most productions, Control is heard, but not seen.

Some non-replica productions have depicted Control onstage. Starlight on Ice featured Control as a child wearing a costume similar to Rusty's. The Johannesburg production depicted Control as a boy wearing pyjamas and a nightgown. In the UK tours, Control was briefly seen on the 3D screen. Control was also seen onstage throughout the workshop production. In most productions, the voice of Control is recorded before performances begin and played back at each performance by a sound technician. The London production used Nancy Wood's recorded performance from to , and Tara Wilkinson's from until the production closed.

In Bochum, however, Control is re-recorded with each new update to the show. The show opened at the Apollo Victoria in London on 27th March , taking the revolutionary approach of building a race track all the way around the auditorium. In April Starlight Express became the second longest running musical in London theatre history at that time.

Bochum, Germany UK Tour UK and Nordic Tour Las Vegas Original London Production. The Times. He appeals again to the mythical Starlight Express for help, and this time, it hears. The Starlight Express appears in front of Rusty, reminding him that whatever strength he needs — the starlight — is within him already I Am The Starlight. Rusty asks Dustin to race with him in the final. He accepts and they head off together.

Moments before the race, Dinah, angry with the way Electra treats her, disconnects from him. Electra quickly appeals to C. The trains gather to watch what they expect will be a head-to-head final between Greaseball and Pearl, and Electra and C. Suddenly Rusty arrives with Dustin. The marshals allow him to enter the race. The race is fast and furious. Greaseball struggles with an unwilling Pearl holding him back, and Electra uses all his power to disrupt his opponents.

Electra zaps electricity at Greaseball, but misses and injures Pearl. Greaseball, showing no concern, simply disconnects Pearl at full speed.

Rusty diverts from the race course just in time to save her, but at the cost of falling into a distant third place. To avoid being disqualified for not having a coach, Greaseball starts to grapple with Electra over C. The fight degenerates into chaos and Greaseball, Electra and C. But instead of celebrating he leaves immediately to find Pearl.

Humiliated and furious, Electra leaves the race track, swearing never to return No Comeback. Greaseball and C. Poppa demands that Greaseball and C. Away from the other engines, Pearl fears that she caused Rusty to lose the race. Rusty arrives. He tells Pearl that he won the race and confesses his love for her Only You. The other trains arrive.

Greaseball finally apologises to Dinah for his behaviour and they reconcile. The musical numbers in Starlight Express have changed many times since the first production opened in This list shows the musical numbers in the original West End production, then which numbers have been added or removed over the years.

It was directed by Trevor Nunn. Arlene Phillips created the roller-skating choreography. John Napier designed by the set, which featured race tracks extending from the stage into the auditorium, as well as a six-tonne steel bridge which lifted and tilted to connect the various levels of the set. Numerous changes from subsequent productions were incorporated:.

The characters of Belle and C. B were cut. This required substantial changes to the plot as without a clear villain, Rusty, Electra and Greaseball had to cause their own problems or be the victims of circumstance to move the story along. Rather than winning a heat each, as in the five-race structure, Greaseball and Electra come first and second in the first heat, securing places in the final for each of them.

At the end of the race, Electra and Greaseball now crashed accidentally, and Electra took C. Starlight Express closed in London on 12 January Considered one continuous production despite revisions, Starlight Express ran for 7, performances, making it the ninth longest-running West End show.

The Broadway production of Starlight Express opened on 15 March at the Gershwin Theatre, where the musical Wicked is currently playing as of It ran for performances, closing on 8 January Created by the original team of Trevor Nunn direction , Arlene Phillips choreography and John Napier design , Starlight Express on Broadway was extensively revised from the original West End production. The plot was streamlined, with one fewer race compared to the West End production.

As of , the production is still running and has been seen by more than 17 million people. Starlight Express in Bochum largely followed the template set by the Broadway production. However, the creative team made a further series of revisions, notably removing a character, Belle, who had been part of both the West End and Broadway productions. The Starlight Express Theater features tracks on three levels in a U-shape, with the audience sitting in the middle and around these tracks.

That the venue took less than one year build is documented in the Guinness Book of Records. In March , the production ran a talent competition called Musical Showstar on German television to find the next Rusty and Pearl.

The production has been updated periodically since , taking in some changes from other worldwide productions:. An extra track was added to the set, allowing greater flexibility of staging and more tricks for the skaters. In the Rap was altered again. Several songs had lyrics changed and costumes altered with a nod to the original London production. He wrote new material, which was workshopped for six performances at The Other Palace in London in September before being rolled out in Bochum.

Phillips directed the stripped back workshop production with no set, costumes or roller skates. These changes included:. Rocky 3 became female; Volta became male. Lloyd Webber, Phillips and original designer John Napier returned to oversee the changes, which Lloyd Webber now considers the definitive version of Starlight Express.