Starlight Express

Starlight Express tells the story of a child`s train set magically coming to life, with the various engines competing to become the “Fastest Engine in the World”. The underdog steam train, Rusty, battles against arch-rivals Greaseball and Electra, with little chance of winning until he is inspired by the legend of the Starlight Express, ultimately taking the title, and winning the heart of first–class coach, Pearl.  The opening scene with the Voice of Control (Isabella Pirt) into “Entry of the National Trains” and “Rolling Stock” set the tone of the show with assured dialogue, singing and skating throughout.

Greaseball (Andrew McMinn) performed with the swagger, arrogance and over-inflated ego required for the role. Electra, played by Harry Douglas-Brown gave a very confident performance, great movement and great skating, although I sometimes found it hard to understand what was being sung, due to the distortion added to the sound to create Electra`s voice. The two characters could almost be “Ugly Sister” roles to Rusty`s “Cinderella”. Andrew White played Rusty with just the right level of vulnerability - great acting, great voice with skating to match, showing all of these in his scenes with Poppa (Jack McNicholas) and Pearl.

The four carriages, Duvay (Evie Askew), Buffy (Becca Milligan), Dinah (Chloe Steadman) and Pearl (Amelia Crawford) looked and sounded great, and in their opening number, `worked it` with the cohesiveness of  a slick girl-band, with each character coming into their own as the show progressed. Chloe Steadman`s U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D. was for me, one of the highlights of the show.

Amelia Crawford captured the part of Pearl to perfection, commanding the stage with her flawless acting, singing and dancing, and all this whilst effortlessly skating! Wow, just Wow! Every single nuance of the character played out to the full without ever over doing it. Wonderful vocals in her numbers “He`ll whistle at me”, “Make Up My Heart” and “I do” with Andrew White, which both sang beautifully, enhancing the belief in the relationship between the two.

The race scenes were realised by using a pre-recorded racing track, projected onto a screen, with the performers giving clear impression of racing in front of the screen leaving the audience in no doubt as to who`d been placed where.

This was a great all round ensemble piece, with good cameo roles throughout- Red Caboose (Owen O`Donnell), Flat Top (Isaac Wallace Fillingham) and Dustin (Daniel Dixon) singing well and bringing their characters to life, plus the three Hip Hoppers (Emily Jardine, Leah Stephenson, Bethany Goodall) whose energy never flagged- in fact not one member did even throughout the “Mega-mix”/bows at the end of the show, which had the audience clapping and joining in, creating a real feel good atmosphere.

Every member of the cast played their part, adding their own little detail and individuality to roles clearly defined by the excellent costumes and stunning make-up.  The set, whilst simple in design, was perfect for the production-raised staging, with a ramp either side and stage extending over the orchestra pit-enhanced throughout the production by the lighting. Music was provided by backing track, which must have been a Godsend to rehearse with, but is not without its` flaws- on a few occasions, the next track starting before the audience applause had begun to fade, a consequence of this being that the first lines of the next song were missed and may have been detrimental to the story telling.

Productions of this quality don`t happen overnight, they require time, planning and dedication, not just from the cast, but also the production team. Director Tony McGee, Musical Director Liz Condron and Choreographer Natasha McKenzie must be congratulated for their hard work and dedication to what must at times, have caused one or two anxious moments throughout rehearsals and production week.

Well done to the company and all concerned for a very fine ‘Starlight Express’, and thanks to everyone for their hospitality.
 

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