Starlight Express is the 1984
rollerskating musical by
Andrew Lloyd Webber. Five new songs were added and the show was redirected and re-choreographed in 1992. The
story, a variation of
The Little Engine that Could, shows how Rusty, the shy
steam engine, races against Greaseball, the flashy
diesel locomotive, to win the love of Pearl, the prettiest carriage in town. Rusty's Poppa convinces him to believe in the
Starlight, a
magical force that will give him confidence to win the race.
The score includes:
- Starlight Express
- Engine of Love
- Light at the End of the Tunnel
- Only You
- Rolling Stock
- Call Me Rusty
- A Lotta Locomotion
- Freight
- AC/DC
- Coda of Freight
- Crazy
- Make up My Heart
- The Blues
- Laughing Stock
- The Rap
- One Rock 'n' Roll Too Many
- Next Time You Fall in Love
- I Am the Starlight
- Right Place, Right Time
The elaborate train
costumes feature 22 types of
leather and weigh about fifty pounds each. The
cast rotates over 50 pairs of
rollerskates each performance. Like Webber's other musical,
Cats,
Starlight Express appears to be made for children, though the latter seems to make much more sense.