Test your knowledge of Starlight Express with this collection of fascinating trivia! How well do you know the musical that takes place on roller skates, where trains race at lightning speed? Discover interesting facts about its record-breaking performances, the unique set design, and the evolution of characters through various revivals. Dive into the world of Starlight Express and learn more about its journey from concept to a beloved long-running production.
International Productions
- The musical Starlight Express holds the Guinness World Record for the most visitors to a musical in a single theatre in Germany.
- Starlight Express has been performed continually at the purpose-built Starlight Express Theater in Bochum, Germany since June 12, 1988.
- In the revamped Starlight Express, the German lyrics of several songs were updated, and many costumes were redesigned based on new concepts.
- The revised Starlight Express introduced a British train named 'Brexit' and renamed the Japanese train to 'Manga' and the French train to 'Coco'.
- A cast recording was made for the Mexican production of Starlight Express, titled Expreso Astral, but was never released due to rights complications.
- 'Starlight Express on Ice' featured unique characters such as Canuck, the Canadian Engine, and Cesar, the Mexican Engine.
- In the 2024 London revival of 'Starlight Express,' several engines were replaced with new ones including Silver Bullet, Orange Flash, Golden Eagle, Blue Lightning, and Green Arrow.
- 1990 marked the release of 'The Train/Girls' Rolling Stock,' a multilingual cover involving Japanese and English.
Musical Composition
- In 1987, the song 'The Race is On' had multiple versions including a radio edit, an instrumental, and a dub version.
- Angelika Milster released 'Er Allein/Ich Bin Wie Ich Bin' in 1988, contributing to the collection of singles from Starlight Express.
- In 1984, four separate singles, including 'AC/DC/The C.B. Side' and 'Only You/Rolling Stock', were released from the musical.
- The song 'Engine of Love/Steaming' from Starlight Express was released in 1977.
- The second U.S. tour of Starlight Express introduced song revisions and a new number by David Yazbek, fundamentally altering the show's musical landscape.
- 1993 featured the single 'Next Time You Fall in Love/Make Up My Heart/Mega Mix.'
- In 2003, the musical saw a unique release titled 'Crazy/Starlight Express/Allein Im Licht der Sterne/Mega Mix/Starlight Express (Boy Band Version)'.
- The most recent single as of 2024 is 'Hydrogen/Crazy'.
- In the 2024 production, the character Rusty wins by using hydrogen to create steam, featured in the new number "Hydrogen".
- Throughout its run, Starlight Express has been revised multiple times, including changes to lyrics, songs, characters, and subplots, yet the core story has remained unchanged.
- The New Starlight Express' in 1992 marked a significant update with twelve songs removed and new songs added including 'Crazy' and 'Next Time You Fall in Love'.
Notable Tours
- The first U.K. tour of Starlight Express, called Starlight Express: The Third Dimension, opened in November 2004 and featured a tour through multiple European cities.
Production Facts
- Electra's entourage in 'Starlight Express' includes various thematic trucks such as Volta the Freezer Truck, Joule the Animal/Dynamite Truck, and Killerwatt the Security Truck.
- Starlight Express is unique among musicals because the actors perform entirely on roller skates.
- The idea for Starlight Express evolved from multiple creative projects--a Thomas the Tank Engine animated TV series, a novelty pop single, and an animated film version of Cinderella where the characters were locomotives.
- The 'Only You' single was re-released in 1992.
- The idea to use roller skates for Starlight Express was suggested by designer John Napier and choreographer Arlene Phillips to add a dynamic visual element to the show.
- Starlight Express began as a concert idea meant for schools, inspired by Lloyd Webber's earlier success with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
- In the original London production of Starlight Express, the character Rusty believes in the mythical force 'Starlight Express', which he feels will help him win the race.
- The character Rocky 4 was introduced in the Broadway and Bochum productions of 'Starlight Express' in 1987, coinciding with the release of the movie 'Rocky IV'.
- The freight truck characters in 'Starlight Express' have evolved over the years, with new characters such as Slick, Lumber, and Porter introduced in the 2024 London revival.
- The 2024 revival of Starlight Express in London features a new creative team including director Luke Sheppard and set designer Tim Hatley.
- The Las Vegas version of Starlight Express incorporated a 'Vegas Showgirl' makeover for the Coaches' costumes during its run.
- Starlight Express's Las Vegas 90-minute version had to cut several songs and trim many lyrics to fit its reduced run time while maintaining the integrity of the plot.
- The Las Vegas production of Starlight Express was the first permanent legitimate musical theater production in Las Vegas, running from 1993 to 1997.
- The set design for the original 'Starlight Express' featured innovative elements like a six-tonne steel bridge that tilted to connect different levels of the stage.
- 'Starlight Express' has been re-imagined many times since its original opening in 1984 to keep it modern and relevant for contemporary audiences.
- Starlight Express closed in London on January 12, 2002, after 7,409 performances, making it the ninth longest-running West End show.
- Significant changes were made for the Broadway production, including localizing the story to America and streamlining the plot by reducing the number of races.
- The Broadway version of Starlight Express ran from February 24, 1987, to January 8, 1989, at the Gershwin Theatre.
