Starlight Express - Troubadour

Thanks, booked again for Friday. I’m a creature of habit (and also dithered too long on another seat choice), so back in the same section, but on the skater aisle side.

I think this will be over long before Taylor Swift ends, but thankfully I can walk home in an hour (or walk to the bus, but it’s not much faster).

haha, 'camp' !

Have you seen it?
If you had- you’d get it.

🤣

I agree dan - this has largely been a happy thread. Sadly there are always one or two who want to pee on the bonfire. It's a great show which audiences have loved both times aive been. The box office advance tells the real story.

For me, as for so many other around here, “Starlight Express” was also the ‘gateway drug’ to musicals (in fact to theatre in general) as a teenager and as a result I have since chosen a career in theatre administration. Although my cultural tastes have evolved since, the piece holds a special place in my heart.

I saw this last Thursday and had a fun night out but actually there was as much frustration as exhilaration for me in this new production, due to missed opportunities and (in mind) poor conceptual choices. I think the ‘negativity’ here has more to do with disappointment than with a hostile view in regards to the material or the production.

What worked for me in this new version was the orchestrations, sound, lightning and general aesthetics of the set design. But my main concern with the set is that it just offers too little space to skate around, all those tight corners don’t make any sense at all and I think the front left and right first class sections should have made way for a wider stage. I get that they wanted as many seats “immersed” in the action as possible, but when more seats means less action and less speed then this is just not the way to go.
I think this is exactly what a ‘creative dramaturg’ who has overseen many, many international productions should have pointed out in the first place.

I thought that the theatre itself also somehow felt much smaller than for “Newsies”.

I was also massively put off by the costume design which for me looked like “Six” on accid (and make no sense within the concept of toy trains brought to life). In this respect, the inflatable arrows of Electra and entourage were the icing on the cake for me (they make no sense, are a distraction and even restrict the movement of the actors). Also, sometimes I had difficulty in differentiating the characters (e.g. Greaseball and Slick since they are both basically yellow).
The costume designer points out in the brochure that she was about the only one in the team who had never seen “Starlight Express” and I think it shows…

Although for me these are no massive improvements, I had no problem with the new/changed songs, revised lyrics and gender swaps. The show has been in constant change since the beginning, after all.
I do miss „A lotta locomotion”, it is one of my favourite songs, but I get that the lyrics are not suitable to today’s sensibilities (“Come and bite my burgers, I'm hot and cheap and quick”…).

I thought the cast was good, if not outstanding (with a few exceptions such as the actors playing Hydra/Hydrogen and Graseball, both of whom I think did a great job).

I have revisited the Bochum version two months ago in preparation for this and as others have said, the new production just does not hold up very well in comparison. (Although as a German it is very hard for me to listen to the German lyrics there as the translation is really, really bad and most of the cast have a heavy accent on top - so for me it was a joy to hear the English version at the Troubadour).

I have given this version 3 stars. Parts of the production were 4 stars for me, other parts 1 star.
I wish the production well (and if it turns a new generation to theatre lovers than all is accomplished!), I am glad to have seen it, but will most likely not go back to see it again.

A Lotta Locomotion has a lot of different versions to introduce the carriages.

This version would work well (with added, updated intros):

I know. I was always disappointed about that. It’s in the Megamix.

I'm happy to see a show now and then that is just great fun, and seeing my teenage daughters loving this reimagined version left me as far from hollow and empty as one can be. Of course, others are free to moan to their heart's content about what leaves them hollow and empty.

I know I can look it up but I'm being lazy. Anyone know when Ms Swift is at Wembley as I wouldn't want to travel there on a concert day.

Took advantage of the £29.50 single seats offer and have got a seat for next Wednesday matinee in the 1st Class Carriage section. I have a booking for mid July as it was the earliest I could get a decent seat when they went on sale but this offer was too good to miss so will see it again.
I initially tried on the LW Theatres site and got a seat in the platform but when I went to pay it had disappeared so tried the Starlight Express website and they also had the single seat offer so got a better seat which will give me a different view to my other visit.