Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express, which features a cast of roller-skating actors playing an array of trains, officially opened June 30 at the specially designed Starlight Auditorium at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre—and the reviews are in. Find out what critics are saying below.
In the musical, as a child’s train set magically comes to life and the engines race to become the fastest in the world, Rusty the steam train has little hope of winning until he is inspired by the legend of the "Starlight Express." Luke Sheppard (& Juliet) directs the new production, which was previously extended through February 16, 2025.
A History of Immersive Theatre on Broadway
The cast is led by Jeevan Braich as Rusty, Kayna Montecillo as Pearl, Jade Marvin as Momma McCoy, Al Knott as Greaseball, Eve Humphrey as Dinah, and Tom Pigram as Electra.
Read the reviews below.
BroadwayWorld (Aliya Al-Hassan)
Culture Whisper (Teresa Guerreiro)
LondonTheatre1 (Terry Eastham)
London Theatre (Marianka Swain)
The New York Times (Houman Barekat)*
The Telegraph (Dominic Cavendish)
TimeOut London (Andrzej Lukowski)
West End Best Friend (Jenny Ell)
*This review may require creating a free account or a paid subscription.
Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.
The company also includes Jamie Addison, Jessie Angell, Ollie Augustin, Charles Butcher, Renz Cardenas, Catherine Cornwall, Jamie Cruttenden, Kelly Downing, Isaac Edwards, Asher Forth, Sam Gallacher, Lucy Glover, Pablo Gómez Jones, Scott Hayward, Lilianna Hendy, Dante Hutchinson, Lewis Kidd, Hannah Kiss, Oscar Kong, Emily Martinez, Deearna Mclean, Marianthe Panas, David Peter-Brown, Harrison Peterkin, RED, Bethany Rose-Lythgoe, Charlie Russell, Gary Sheridan, Jessica Vaux, Jaydon Vijn, Lara Vina Uzcatia, Sharon Wattis, and Ashlyn Weekes.
The young actors are Shaniyah Abrahams, Cristian Buttaci, Alexander Brooks, Barnaby Halliwell, Mimi Soetan, and Arabella Stanton.
With music by Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe, Starlight Express also has set design by Tim Hatley (Back to the Future), costume design by Gabriella Slade (Six), video design by Andrzej Goulding (Life of Pi), lighting design by Howard Hudson (& Juliet), sound design by Gareth Owen (MJ the Musical), new orchestrations by Matthew Brind with Lloyd Webber, musical supervision by Brind and David Wilson, and new choreography by Ashley Nottingham (Pacific Overtures) with Arlene Phillips as the creative dramaturg. Casting is by Pearson Casting.
After its London premiere, Starlight Express opened on Broadway March 15, 1987, playing 22 previews and 761 regular performances at the Gershwin. The musical was nominated for seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It won the Tony for John Napier's costume designs.
Songs include "AC/DC," "Make Up My Heart," "Light at the End of the Tunnel," and the title tune.
Visit StarlightExpressLondon.com.
Jade Marvin in Starlight Express
Al Knott in Starlight Express
Jeevan Braich and Jaydon Vijn in Starlight Express
Jeevan Braich and Jaydon Vijn in Starlight Express
Jeevan Braich and company of Starlight Express
Jeevan Braich in Starlight Express
