Starlight Express - Troubadour

It's been very clear that entrance to the first class carriages will be limited during the show from the off I think.

I think (from a very old memory, admittedly) when you sat in the middle seats in London, there were gates that opened to allow you to cross the track and get into the main aisles. Obviously not during the performance, but pre-show and in the interval. 

I'd imagine having Gareth Owen as the sound designer will help.

The sound at Newsies was really awful so I’m very much hoping they’re taking steps to improve things for Starlight. It must be tricky with it basically being a big, echoey metal box.
The cast finished skate school on Friday and are starting to rehearse the show next week. 2 months to go…!

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/what-was-i-made-for/id1733061343?i=1000652688356

Fascinating podcast with guest Sam Lane who was in the London production for 8 years, mainly in the 1990s.
The Starlight section starts at about 18 minutes.

Talks a lot about how dangerous the London set could be, how often "crashes" and injuries occurred and how it was unique given it wound around an existing theatre (compared to say Bochum which was designed from scratch for skating). Also talks about how health and safety was changing things towards the end of the run and how something like this in a conventional theatre would never happen now. Increasing restrictions were being put in re how they moved about backstage etc etc.

That AV set was so special! It's asymmetry, bends, corners, angles all a result of fitting into a conventional theatre. Completely unique moment in time! The Bochum one is cool, but for me nothing will ever beat the AV!

She was also one of the last groups to go in when they held open auditions for people that could skate. One of the fascinating things (to me at least) re the first decade or so in London was the diversity of the cast and how they employed so many skaters who had never worked in MT before, some of whom had never even sung! As time went on it became more conventional until eventually the skate school model was fully established and they cast MT performers, teaching them to skate afterwards.

For the Bochum 30th no doubt the choreography was simplified and the races were slowed down. Am now wondering if this was all to do with safety for the performers and reducing injuries. Certainly since then first cast have been on way more than they were before when at any given performance you were lucky to get to 60 odd percent.

It's also made me reflect re the new Wembley version - a total guess but I really don't think we are gonna see much in the way of skating heroics from the main cast - certainly not to the extent the AV had in the 90's and Bochum had pre 30th (it literally got faster and more daring every year until the massive pulling back in 2018). My hunch is that all the wild spectacular stuff will be left to the bladers and stunt skaters. I do wonder how the races will work - again a guess but I am thinking some wild hybrid of projections/film/massive lighting/stunt skaters but simple ish stuff from main cast.

Anyway there we are. These are my Starlight musings today.

Indeed. It’s another reason for my hunch that set will be simple (ish) to skate!

Sam Lane is an iconic Starlight legend. I’d like to see her play Momma! I’m surprised they haven’t gone back to some of the originals. I remember Ray Shell, playing Poppa after he’d played Rusty in the original.

Just saw the videos on Insta, and I agree - very exciting! It makes me happy to see a big set with actual race tracks etc, when this was announced part of me was worried we'd end up with a slightly larger version of previous tours.

Yes, they have cast some kids so assuming they’re playing ‘Control’

In the ‘workshop’ I really liked having Control onstage (apart from cutting the Overture short).

The set model looks exactly like the seating plan…like seats! 😁

I've just watched the model section of the video repeatedly to try and work out the view from my seats! Gone for £77 front row locomotive and it looks fine. Obviously a railing in front but I don't really mind that. So fingers crossed it's all good. Won't be too long to hopefully find out.