Starlight Express at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre

A Guardian article recently noted that critics have surely begun lining up their puns ready for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express to make its highly anticipated return. 

You’ll soon see this review is not above that. In fact, it’d be unnatural to see a write-up of such an eccentric musical not basking in all wordplay possibilities. In that spirit, Starlight “Excess” has audiences racing to their seats. The show is rolling full steam ahead and pulling straight into the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre station, a completely immersive venue that, back in the early 80s, the production could only dream of. 

Following the tracks within a boy’s imagination, his train set comes to life and its various engines compete in the ultimate race to become the fastest train in the world. The underdog steam train Rusty (Jeevan Braich) is set against the arrogant diesel-driven Greaseball (Al Knott) and the Lady Gaga of the locomotive world, Electra (Tom Pigram), a new electric engine. This journey full of self-discovery, carriage romances and the need for speed is a visual and aural delight. 

In a dream world, which isn’t limited by the constraints of reality, this musical goes bigger and bolder. The planetarium-like setting surrounds the audience with twinkling stars and rotating planets. This then transforms into a live formula one-style viewing screen, ensuring spectators don’t miss a minute of the steaming action as the cast speed through the audience. 

Dressed in futuristic, angular and wonderfully iridescent costumes and makeup, designed by Gabriella Slade and Jackie Saundercock respectively, each character embodies the spirit of their train through mechanical and sculptural illusions without being too literal. 

Each move made by the cast was so exactly choreographed by Ashley Nottingham, with Arlene Philips returned as Creative Dramaturg. This chaos and control dynamic was a joy to watch and a cap has to be tipped to the dedication of the ensemble for sheer effort and flawless execution. 

Michael Harrison’s new production, helmed by director Luke Sheppard, has taken Starlight to new dimensions, revamping a show that was already a monumental artistic and creative feat. A musical about London Tubes for example, the Lizzy and Vicky lines vs Norman Northern, with the DLR running as underdog, might not strike the same note. Neither would a plot stifled with the delays the British train system is known for. Though there’s no doubt, Webber’s story is completely and utterly magical. 

The regenerated Starlight Express returns with some fresh wheels and whistles, including a score that has evolved to include a few newly written hits by Webber, such as Hydrogen. The production also evolves from four wheels to two, with the addition of scooter tricks and impressively high skate park ramps. Yet the performance also stays true to its roots, with the return of musical staples like Starlight Express, U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D. and Light at the End of the Tunnel. 

Starlight Express unlocked this writer’s passion for live performance when I was young, and now this reboot has returned to the stage ready to inspire the next generation of theatre lovers. So get your skates on and prepare to be transported to a destination of adrenaline-fulled escapism.

Olivia Gardener
Images: Pamela Raith

Starlight Express is at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre until 16^th February 2025. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.