Starlight Express is a 1984 musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. It tells the story of a young but obsolete steam engine, Rusty, who races in a championship against modern locomotives of diesel and electric engines in the hope of impressing a first-class observation car, Pearl. Famously, the actors perform on roller skates.
Starlight Express has its roots in three abandoned projects: an animated TV series based on The Railway Series (the book series that introduced Thomas the Tank Engine), a novelty pop single, and an animated film based on Cinderella.
Running for 7,409 performances in London, Starlight Express is the ninth-longest-running West End show. It is the most successful musical in Germany, where it has been performed in a purpose-built theatre since 1988, holding the Guinness World Record for most visitors to a musical in a single theatre.
Genre(s):
Soundtrack,
Musical