Someone on reddit posted the auditorium design and it looks pretty cool.
I'm going to London in August to see Taylor Swift and chose this as my one West End (I know it's not in the West End) show to see while there, before her concert since it's right by Wembley and I am as excited to see Starlight as to see Taylor.
The arena looks SO cool.
I know nothing of note about the musical beyond the previously posted Family Guy clip (one of my favorites) and a documentary I watched about the super fans in Germany, and that the show is widely considered "bad."
But you know what?
I just want to see a fun show.
Broadway Star Joined: 8/7/10
Set photo and description of book and score updates here:
https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/starlight-express-reveals-huge-london-venue-and-new-number-for-revival_1604904/
Okay - now I’m REALLY happy I pulled the trigger and bought a ticket
veronicamae said: "I'm going to London in August to see Taylor Swift and chose this as my one West End (I know it's not in the West End) show to see while there, before her concert since it's right by Wembley and I am as excited to see Starlight as to see Taylor.
The arena looks SO cool.
I know nothing of note about the musical beyond the previously posted Family Guy clip (one of my favorites) and a documentary I watched about the super fans in Germany, and that the show is widely considered "bad."
But you know what?
I just want to see a fun show."
I went to first preview and it was MAGICAL! Yes all the starlight fans were there which added to the atmosphere and seeing the arena was unreal. Very modern. It didn’t feel like a revival. I hope to see it again when I come back to London in December to see what the final product is since I’m sure they’ll make changes through previews.
They did stop the show during act 1 due to an audience member health emergency. Paramedics was very quick! (Faster than the time I was at the OUTSIDERS and they stopped the show in act 2 before the fire scene.)
Note they open the bar/lobby 2 hours before curtain and they open the arena for seating roughly 30 mins before the show starts. It really is an experience and I hope it stays there a long time!
Looks low budget to me.
STARLIGHT EXPRESS Megamix
I think the costumes are perhaps intentionally less detailed and lack as much character as Napier’s designs but I doubt the production is actually low budget. Most of the budget went to the auditorium. Still looks like a lot of fun to me.
Costumes are quite detailed the closer you look and even technical.
The costume designer is Gabriella Slade, who won a Tony a few years ago for her costume designs at SIX.
Stand-by Joined: 11/17/11
The costumes and lighting look like SIX on roller skates. It looks like it would be a fun theme park show.
Has the show ever NOT looked like a theme park show?
Maybe in a few years Jamie Lloyd can “reimagine” it on an empty stage symbolizing an abandoned junkyard with a nude cast symbolizing trains stripped for parts and it’ll be hailed as “groundbreaking”.
As someone who saw and loved the original production, I have to say the look of this revival is really underwhelming comparatively. The original was probably the pinnacle of 80s musical theatre excess and the designs of the sets and costumes were absolutely extraordinary and overwhelming spectacle. This sort of looks like they threw some ramps through the flex seating at the Playstation Theatre. I don't even recognize most of the songs in the mega mix. I wish ALW hadn't felt the need to overwork the score so much.
Compared to the 90s revamped version that closed in the West End in 2002 there’s only three newer songs in this production but “I Do” and “I Am Me” have already been used in Bochum and previous productions and tours prior to this. The only song that’s actually new is “Hydrogen” and it’s barely even a song. It’s just recitative and one line repeated over and over.
Broadway Star Joined: 3/29/23
’Starlight Express’ London Revival Review
https://variety.com/2024/legit/reviews/starlight-express-review-andrew-lloyd-webber-roller-skating-musical-london-revival-1236057050/
Broadway Star Joined: 3/29/23
Was Starlight Express on the right track?
https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/was-starlight-express-on-the-right-track_1610122/
Broadway Star Joined: 3/29/23
Starlight Express – Andrew Lloyd Webber, Arlene Phillips, Jane Krakowski and more attend a star-studded opening night
https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/starlight-express-andrew-lloyd-webber-arlene-phillips-jane-krakowski-and-more-attend-a-star-studded-opening-night_1610428/
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/21/20
An album of highlights and another album of fewer highlights? Outrageous.
Swing Joined: 5/31/23
The costume are basically the Six queens on roller skates! Rather embarrassing! And why did Six win best costumes for just six outfits is beyond me!!!
I just can't wrap my head around this highlights album. This was a chance to finally record the complete score in English, at least as it exists today, but they didn't do it. And the 21 tracks they did record are only available on vinyl and digital? The CD is 16 tracks for no real reason. The 21 track digital and vinyl release is only an hour and five minutes of music. That would easily fit on one CD. If the end goal was to only offer a highlights CD so they wouldn't have to manufacture what I assume would have been a more expensive double disc set, they still could have recorded the full score for those who want it, and recorded and tracked it in such a way that a 16 track highlights CD would still have been possible.
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/21/20
MerchMan said: "The costume are basically the Six queens on roller skates! Rather embarrassing! And why did Six win best costumes for just six outfits is beyond me!!!"
It's "best costumes", not "most costumes" and it's hard to argue the costumes from Six haven't become iconic.
The songs "Hydrogen" and "Crazy" just popped up on YouTube Music as new releases.
MerchMan said: "The costume are basically the Six queens on roller skates! Rather embarrassing! And why did Six win best costumes for just six outfits is beyond me!!!"
If I remember correctly, there's at least seven outfits in Six. And the costumes in Six looked somewhat inspired by the original Starlight Express costumes anyway so to have the same designer turn around and design a Starlight Express revival is kind of expected and a little uninspired.
The album is out now. I’m enjoying it. I wish it had been a complete recording of the score but what’s here captures this new production nicely. It would have been nice if they had included the new version of “The Rap.” That’s the biggest omission of the main songs, but otherwise I’m enjoying what they did include.
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