Starlight Express - Troubadour

[showtoones]

Is the best place to see this show from the first class carriage seating? It's odd because two of the middle rows in the first class carriages are premium and the last row in not premium but there doesn't seem to be a difference view wise, or is there?

Money is of course an issue, but if it wasn't, where would one want to sit?

[ceebee]

Jun 13, 2024 18:28:59 GMT showtoones said:

Is the best place to see this show from the first class carriage seating? It's odd because two of the middle rows in the first class carriages are premium and the last row in not premium but there doesn't seem to be a difference view wise, or is there?

Money is of course an issue, but if it wasn't, where would one want to sit?

the first class carriages are raked - you step down from track level so the frontbrows are lower. I think this show is possibly best seen from trackside above or front row of the main sections. There's plenty happening though and the first class seats are right in the thick of it all.

[TheOneOnTheLeft]

I think the two outermost seats in row K Locomotive section are an absolute bargain at GBP 29.50 (but are already taken for most of the coming performances). I sat in K2 tonight, had a clear (if sideways) view and felt close to the action.

[d'James]

How does one get to the Observation Bar?

[Phantom of London]

Jun 13, 2024 21:58:48 GMT TheOneOnTheLeft said:

I think the two outermost seats in row K Locomotive section are an absolute bargain at GBP 29.50 (but are already taken for most of the coming performances). I sat in K2 tonight, had a clear (if sideways) view and felt close to the action.

That is where I sat and as you alluded to, it is also trackside.

[fiyerorocher]

The lyrics in this are truly dire, aren't they. So much repetition and asinine rhyming. I understand that 'freight is great' is supposed to be laughable, but when the rest of your show is comparable, the joke falls a little flat. The music itself does make up for it, though. There are some really nice melodies.

I think my main problem with this production is that is lacks energy, and if anything should feel energetic, Starlight Express should. This is absolutely not a reflection of the skills of the cast, who I thought did an excellent job. Great vocals combined with skating cannot be easy - the actor playing Hydra was especially good at making the skating just look effortless. I'm not sure what the root of the problem actually is. I know people have mentioned the skating being too slow, which I get, but I'd rather they skate slower and safer than risk a lot of injuries. There must be another way to up the energy, but they haven't found it. Multiple people scrolling through social media feeds instead of watching the show last night. The atmosphere was just a little flat.

[anita]

Why do away with so many of the characters we loved & replace with others? The only stunts are performed by the people on scooters. Glad to see CB's song back in [but of course sung by a different character & different words]. Sitting near me was a young man making notes.- He was from the "Health & Safety" people. Surprised no barriers for races. I wonder how long it will be before someone ends up with a skater ontop of them.

[greatauntedna]

Jun 14, 2024 9:06:37 GMT fiyerorocher said:

The lyrics in this are truly dire, aren't they. So much repetition and asinine rhyming. I understand that 'freight is great' is supposed to be laughable, but when the rest of your show is comparable, the joke falls a little flat. The music itself does make up for it, though.

Heh I was watching the video on YouTube from 1999 last night and thought that, they mock them for “freight is great” but most of the songs are like that. I don’t think they mock them in the same way now, not specifically about how simple that phrase is.

[max]

Jun 14, 2024 9:06:37 GMT fiyerorocher said:

The lyrics in this are truly dire, aren't they. So much repetition and asinine rhyming. I understand that 'freight is great' is supposed to be laughable, but when the rest of your show is comparable, the joke falls a little flat. The music itself does make up for it, though. There are some really nice melodies.

I think my main problem with this production is that is lacks energy, and if anything should feel energetic, Starlight Express should. This is absolutely not a reflection of the skills of the cast, who I thought did an excellent job. Great vocals combined with skating cannot be easy - the actor playing Hydra was especially good at making the skating just look effortless. I'm not sure what the root of the problem actually is. I know people have mentioned the skating being too slow, which I get, but I'd rather they skate slower and safer than risk a lot of injuries. There must be another way to up the energy, but they haven't found it. Multiple people scrolling through social media feeds instead of watching the show last night. The atmosphere was just a little flat.

Unless you skate fast, and with some risk, I think skating is actually less dynamic a performance art than dancing. Even looking back at old videos, a pumping strong arm action (from Greaseball etc) moves  the whole body, making you look wobbly more than strong. I guess you can lock your skates, but looking knock-kneed isn't exactly 'it' either.  The original production seemed set in a sort of urban dustbowl, and (though it wasn't quite specific) you could imagine it on the edge of the mean streets in a tough part of New York, with all the costumes drawing from real life.  Some bumps and wobbles worked okay with the idea of the characters negotiating terrain. This new version seems to take it into some sort of Space Sci Fi which implies that everything should be smoothly intergalactic and superpowered.  They've made it a much tougher illusion to attain.

[d'James]

The shop worked briefly for me then. Couldn’t add anything to my basket. The t-shirt seemed cheaper online.

[fiyerorocher]

Jun 14, 2024 11:36:55 GMT max said:

Jun 14, 2024 9:06:37 GMT fiyerorocher said:

The lyrics in this are truly dire, aren't they. So much repetition and asinine rhyming. I understand that 'freight is great' is supposed to be laughable, but when the rest of your show is comparable, the joke falls a little flat. The music itself does make up for it, though. There are some really nice melodies.

I think my main problem with this production is that is lacks energy, and if anything should feel energetic, Starlight Express should. This is absolutely not a reflection of the skills of the cast, who I thought did an excellent job. Great vocals combined with skating cannot be easy - the actor playing Hydra was especially good at making the skating just look effortless. I'm not sure what the root of the problem actually is. I know people have mentioned the skating being too slow, which I get, but I'd rather they skate slower and safer than risk a lot of injuries. There must be another way to up the energy, but they haven't found it. Multiple people scrolling through social media feeds instead of watching the show last night. The atmosphere was just a little flat.

Unless you skate fast, and with some risk, I think skating is actually less dynamic a performance art than dancing. Even looking back at old videos, a pumping strong arm action (from Greaseball etc) moves  the whole body, making you look wobbly more than strong. I guess you can lock your skates, but looking knock-kneed isn't exactly 'it' either.  The original production seemed set in a sort of urban dustbowl, and (though it wasn't quite specific) you could imagine it on the edge of the mean streets in a tough part of New York, with all the costumes drawing from real life.  Some bumps and wobbles worked okay with the idea of the characters negotiating terrain. This new version seems to take it into some sort of Space Sci Fi which implies that everything should be smoothly intergalactic and superpowered.  They've made it a much tougher illusion to attain.

I'm not sure it's the skating itself that needs to change at all. They're all doing a very good job and I honestly couldn't fault them. Skating uphill multiple times looked exhausting. But the show itself is lacking something to bring that energy. I don't know exactly what, but it didn't have much of an atmosphere last night (YMMV based on where you're sat, for sure) and the multiple phone scrollers suggests it wasn't holding audience attention. Something is just lacking right now.

[d'James]

I think what they should do is give everyone a random badge when they come in. Each badge should have a logo of a different engine on it. That way people have someone to back when the show starts. Otherwise they’re just colours (which are very difficult to tell apart) as they skate around. Before, people could be invested in the countries, but now there is no reason to root for any of them apart from Rusty, Electra and Greaseball.

(I’m stealing this idea from Eurobeat.)

[digne]

I didn't expect much - I saw this in '95 or so in the West End as a teen and it didn't really leave a lasting impression, except for the spectacle of the skating. When I saw it at the Other Palace workshop a few years ago, I thought it was a bit boring in parts, and there wasn't a single stand out song for me.

But with the dynamic pricing, I picked up a single first class carriage seat for £29 a few days ago and had a really good time. Being right inside the action was a lot of fun, and for the first time I actually found myself caring about the characters.

I didn't care much about the Rhusty and Pearl romance they tried to sell us, but I fell in love with Greaseball who was really charismatic up close, and I adored Electra. But my surprise favorite was Hydrogen - his storyline was the most interesting to me, and I loved that little story arc about him getting to prove himself and Rhusty converting to hydrogen steam. If anything, I felt like he would have deserved a little bit more of the spotlight at the very end, instead of it all wrapping up with Rhusty and Pearl's rather shallow lovestory.

The first class carriage seat I had last night is usually priced £195, and that absolutely wouldn't have been worth it for me. But for £29, being right inside the action made this a wonderful spectacle that positively surprised me with its changes.

[greatauntedna]

Jun 9, 2024 11:01:58 GMT greatauntedna said:

Jun 9, 2024 6:51:32 GMT danb said:

It deserves to be a massive success.

Why though? I mean it is the most garish thing in the world. It didn’t make me a fan last night. Very slick, great cast, some catchy songs. But it’s a relic!

I saw it a second time last night thanks to benj, in row C on Platform 2.

I am a fan now. You have to put aside that two thirds of the lyrics are banal. I think the two main issues are that all the slow emotional songs that are meant to get you swept up in the story are too twee for that, and the races don’t feel fast enough.

I love the race theme after listening to it for 6 days, but it is quite repetitive and ploddy so it doesn’t help. It does ramp up as things heat up in each race, but I think it still needs more, somehow.

Well also, maybe the Starlight Express as an idea needs some more build up, unless I missed that? It’s my least favourite aspect of the show really, aside from the catchiness of the song. It falls flat, I think maybe Rusty should be more obsessed by the idea of it.

Rolling Stock and Freight are the two bangers I think.

I saw it in W7 on Saturday and C41 last night. Both great but it was so much better in C41. I thought the atmosphere was electric last night! (Didn’t intend that pun) Hydra, Greaseball, Tassita and Slick are my favourites.

I think the same Control was on as on Saturday? I think she’s great and really adds something to it.

I don’t think the galacticness means the performers have to be perfect, it’s not that big a component of the show. I mean we’re watching human trains, so there’s a suspension of disbelief to start with. It just daft spectacle, but I could be wrong and earlier productions had more gravitas?

Thanks so much benj!

[ceebee]

Hydra, Greaseball and Slick get my votes too. Al Knott is (to me) faultless as Greaseball - charismatic and cool. Hydra is on another level for skating. This show is so daft yet so likeable. Can't wait to go again on Sunday.

[Jon]

I was reading about Starlight Express in Bochum and the reason it's there in the first place was because it was the only place in then West Germany where they could get government funding to build the theatre and set and I personally believe that the success it had there was prompted other parts of Germany to start building new theatres after reunification.

[viserys]

Almost true. But the "era of the mega musical" had already begun two years earlier with Cats in Hamburg that attracted tourists like a honeypot attracts flies. Bochum was indeed the only city willing to fork out so much to have a brand-new theatre built in the hope to attract tourists to the Ruhr Valley in similar style.

But the idea of "plonk a theatre anywhere and they will come" failed pretty quickly afterwards - Les Miserables in Duisburg failed dismally, as did Sunset Boulevard in Niedernhausen directly beside the exit of a busy motorway near Frankfurt. But yea, quite a few theatres were built and some have now stood empty for years, got repurposed or are being used for a handful of tours and concerts every year.

I was there for the "pioneer years" and remember them fondly, but they didn't last long, less than ten years in total.

[mrbarnaby]

Jun 14, 2024 13:09:25 GMT digne said:

I didn't expect much - I saw this in '95 or so in the West End as a teen and it didn't really leave a lasting impression, except for the spectacle of the skating. When I saw it at the Other Palace workshop a few years ago, I thought it was a bit boring in parts, and there wasn't a single stand out song for me.

But with the dynamic pricing, I picked up a single first class carriage seat for £29 a few days ago and had a really good time. Being right inside the action was a lot of fun, and for the first time I actually found myself caring about the characters.

I didn't care much about the Rhusty and Pearl romance they tried to sell us, but I fell in love with Greaseball who was really charismatic up close, and I adored Electra. But my surprise favorite was Hydrogen - his storyline was the most interesting to me, and I loved that little story arc about him getting to prove himself and Rhusty converting to hydrogen steam. If anything, I felt like he would have deserved a little bit more of the spotlight at the very end, instead of it all wrapping up with Rhusty and Pearl's rather shallow lovestory.

The first class carriage seat I had last night is usually priced £195, and that absolutely wouldn't have been worth it for me. But for £29, being right inside the action made this a wonderful spectacle that positively surprised me with its changes.

Why are you calling him Rhusty?

[danb]

Shhh, it’s quirky 😂

[ceebee]

Because 'h'... is ghreat... 'h'... is ghreat... we carry wheight... cos we are fhreight... 'h'... is ghreat...

[mrbarnaby]

Is it Rhusty and Phearl in this production?

[bobbievanhusen]

Who cares how it's spelt, we all know exactly who he meant...

Considering the show was loosely based around the Cinderella story, they Should have included a big transformation scene or at least some sort of costume reveal for his conversion to Hydrogen. The smoke jets are blasting, the music swells and Rusty is still looking the same.

[Being Alive]

The show is loosely based around Cinderella?!

I'd literally never have got that in a million years - but tbh I had very little idea what was happening at all 😂

[d'James]

One second the plot is too simple, the next, people don’t know what’s going on…

[Being Alive]

I never said it would as too simple - I just had no idea what was going on 😂 what even is the Starlight Express? What is a jellicle cat? We will never know...