Starlight Express - Troubadour

There was talk that the theatre was being closed down as the site is being redeveloped... Not sure when this is happening though.

Its still up in the air as originally supposed to be March before it got extended to June. Then again ALW said he wants to make a more permanent location like Bochum in England somewhere plus take Starlight on a World Tour but who knows what will happen.  

I hope it does such great business that it stays open for years! This show needs to stick around forever!

It's totally unique: a tourist attraction for the whole family; a "sports" spectacle with specially designed seating that gives unique perspectives on "the action" from multiple seating locations; a tender love story; a regression to the wonder of childhood, with the empowering casting of a child as controller of the action; a Lloyd Webber musical with fantastic numbers in eclectic styles like a variety show; a title number that mystically evokes the force in "Star Wars" but which promotes self-reliance, making this like a Disney ride with added soul and wisdom.

But what actually makes this the most impactful show in London is that it utilises the alchemic appeal of all the above qualities to inspire kids who see this with values that could save the planet and promote harmony. Sorry for sounding like a (sincere) Miss World contestant lol.

For me, it reminds me of the movie "Casablanca," in that so many people contributed to the creation of this (with Lloyd Webber's contribution the most pivotal) that it shouldn't be coherent, but instead it is like a perfect thing.

Some spoilers follow. . .

I saw the Apollo Victoria production in the late eighties, and got a visceral kick out of it, but that production was an empty husk compared to this version of the show.

I've seen this version twice, seen Hydra high five kids, heard kids ask about why "hydrogen is the future," heard parents explain that "coal and oil are dirty but hydrogen is clean."

At a time when our influential folk hero, Nigel Farage, is off addressing the "Climate change is a Sham" lobby in the US on behalf of his Clacton constituents, I just adore the impact this show has. The pivotal rhyme in Hydrogen's song, "It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when for Hydrogen," self-described as the "hero" of "Net Zero" (Farage's bete-noire lol), is a musical meme: it's so catchy and infectious that it's unforgettable!

And the climate change message is just one message embodied by this astonishing work: it's SO beautifully inclusive and so brilliantly eccentric and so heartwarmingly silly as well:-

Girl carriages love girl trains; Boy trains dress like Lady Gaga, talk like Julian Clary and advocate AC/DC; Girl trains like Greaseball project just as much power and charisma as the boy trains; a little black girl is just as likely to be in "control" as a little white boy; boy trains fall in love with girl carriages to gorgeous melodies like "I do" and "Whistle at me."

People are flooding out of this show, evidently exhilarated, on top of the fact that this show is influencing young minds (the future) to be tolerant, compassionate and to take care of the climate for future generations as well.

The eccentricity of Momma's song about the blues is so delicious, being a meta song about the blues itself rather than a plot thing, and which cheekily concludes that "sucking" will get you if "blowing" doesn't, and then hilariously gets just about the biggest reaction of any song in the show, magnified by Jade Marvin's uber-powerful blues/gospel vocals.

Both pairs of leads I've seen were utterly winning in my estimation, with the softer sweeter pairing of Scott Hayward and Ashlyn Weekes just as good as the more powerful pairing of Jeevan Braich and Kayna Montecillo.

I love Al Knott's powerful Greaseball, and Tom Pigram's camp Electra, and long may Jaydon Vijn's vibrant Hydra continue high-fiving young fans, giving them a lifelong love of theatre and a desire to keep the planet habitable for human life.

I could go on about how wonderful this show is forever but I'm getting off a real train now myself, so I'll just sign off with a quick "Woo woo!" 5 stars from me for something that is like nothing else, that is having a bigger impact than anything else.

I'd agree with all of the above. I've had some personal issues lately, plus with the world being the place it is right now this one of the few times in the last few months where I just completed invested and disappeared into my happy place.
In regards to the theatre being redeveloped, I read an interview with Andrew Lloyd Webber somewhere, and he said that the lease runs out in 2026, and that's when it is/was scheduled to be demolished. Whether or not starlight will affect or change that I don't know.

That was either a typo or my memories were fogged by the mists of time lol. Thanks, I fixed it.

actors having to sustain their notes for far longer as it'll take a full minute to do a circuit round the auditorium 😂

well this is going to be bad for my wallet...!

Seeing this Saturday matinee... FINALLY!!

I'm on Platform 1, is there much going on behind me that I'll miss?

Same here but glad that a couple of years is secured then. 

Having watched this again after seeing the first preview, my oh my have the creatives and cast worked their socks off to get this in excellent shape.

An absolute night and day difference (as expected) between the first preview and last night’s show. Everything felt cleaner, clearer and more importantly…faster!

It’s now easier to distinguish who’s who by the symbols on their costumes (which I don’t remember them having at the first preview). The score also sounded more cohesive and flowed much better.

I will also say that I think your enjoyment of this show does depend on where you sit. I was sat in the 1st class carriages this time, as opposed to Platform 2 last time. I felt way more engaged in the action this time around.

Enjoyed this more than I expected, knowing the Bochum production for 35+ years. Never seen a British production, missed all the tours. This worked for me in the context, all the changes somehow made sense. Great auditorium, mostly first cast at a weekday matinee. Don't know what some people expect, finding it not spectacular, but you can't please everyone. 4/5 easily.