STARLIGHT EXPRESS
Music by:
Andrew Lloyd Webber
("Cats", "The Phantom of the Opera", "Jesus Christ Superstar",
"Evita", “The Beautiful Game”)
First performance March 1984, London, Apollo Victoria Theatre
Broadway premiere March 1987, New York, Gershwin Theatre
German premiere June 1988, Bochum, Starlight Express-Theater
German Text: Sabine Grohmann, Wolfgang Adenberg
Directed by: Trevor Nunn
Choreography and Musical Staging: Arlene Phillips
Sound: Martin Levan
Lightning: David Hersey
Design and Costumes: John Napier
STARLIGHT EXPRESS GmbH
Stadionring 24 – D-44791 Bochum
More information at: www.mehr.de
Tickets at www.eintrittskarten.de .
Starlight Express Bochum
German Text: Sabine Grohmann, Wolfgang Adenberg
Directed by: Dion McHugh
Choreography and Musical Staging: Arlene Phillips
Musical Director: Phil Edwards
Instruments: David Cullen
Sound: Martin Levan
Assistence: Sue Jenkinson
Lightning: David Hersey
Assistence: Rick Belzer, Douglas Cox
Design and Costumes: John Napier
Designingenieur: Mike Barnett
Music and Sound revision 2008:
Sound and Music Consultant: Nigel Wright
Additional Music Services: Graham Hurman
Additional Sound Mixing: Robin Sellars
Pro Tools Editor: Paul Chandler
Keyboard Programming: Dave Rose
Score Preparation/Copyist: Mark Cumberland
With best thanks to Phil Edwards for his dedicated work on the revision
STARLIGHT EXPRESS GmbH
Stadionring 24 – D-44791 Bochum
More information at: www.mehr.de
Tickets at www.eintrittskarten.de .
STARLIGHT EXPRESS
The Most Rapid Musical on Roller Skates
Ready, steady, go! Flags fall, lights flash, helmets shine. The old steam engine
“Papa” starts the race with “Dustin”, the coal car. The brake car “Caboose” takes a
sharp turn at 40 mph closely followed by “Hashamoto”, the Japanese Express,
dashing down the 280 metre circuit through the auditorium on roller skates. Night
after night the audience in Bochum can experience the thrilling race of the
STARLIGHT EXPRESS.
STARLIGHT EXPRESS in Bochum is the most successful musical in the world. Since
its opening on June 12th, 1988 almost 14,5 million people have seen the train race
championships and there’s no end in sight! Even the shows on the New York
Broadway and the London Westend can’t keep up with this record attendance.
People from all over Germany and nearby countries come to see Andrew Lloyd
Webber’s masterpiece. 26 singers and dancers in fancy costumes bring the all-time
favourite childhood dream to life. A total of 40 cast members combine acting,
dancing, singing and of course skating to an energetic life-show.
The production costs of STARLIGHT EXPRESS totalled 20 million US$. Unique
lightning effects and fascinating stage techniques contribute a crucial part to the
immense success of this impressive musical. Round 1.700 people can witness up to
glistening stars in the STARLIGHT EXPRESS – Theater every night. The technical
main attraction is a nine ton hydraulic bridge hovering above the stage. It links
different stage levels on which singers and dancers can perform.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s STARLIGHT EXPRESS is a perfect combination of
wonderful, timeless music, acrobatic skate action and exceptional stage techniques.
STARLIGHT EXPRESS GmbH
Stadionring 24 – D-44791 Bochum
More information at: www.mehr.de
Tickets at www.eintrittskarten.de .
The history of
STARLIGHT EXPRESS
The musical, created by the English composer-legend Andrew Lloyd Webber,
celebrated its first German performance on June 12th, 1988. Webber, whose first
musical was “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat” in 1971, has
brought numerous productions to stage: “Evita”, “Jesus Christ Superstar”, “Cats”,
“The Phantom of the Opera” and “Aspects of Love” are just a selection of his works.
But not only Andrew Lloyd Webber, who wrote the wonderful music, was responsible
for the emerge of STARLIGHT EXPRESS. Also Richard Stilgoe (lyrics) and Trevor
Nunn (direction) as well as Arlene Philipps, who directed respectively choreographed
the dance numbers, contributed a great part to its success.
The STARLIGHT EXPRESS – Theatre in Bochum, which was built especially for the
show, is located centrally near the motorway A40 and was completed in record time.
Construction began in December 1986 and was finished in January 1988. The set
design as well as the constructive drawings of the machinery were available in
September 1987. The installation of the decoration in the hall took merely four
months, from January to April 1988. On June 12th, 1988 STARLIGHT EXPRESS
finally had its premiere and has been running nonstop, seven times a week, since
then. Performances are daily – except for Mondays and Tuesdays – at 8.00 pm (6.30
pm on Wednesdays, 7 pm on Sundays), Saturdays additionally at 3 pm and Sundays
additionally at 2 pm.
The ensemble of STARLIGHT EXPRESS is international. The actors come from
England, America, Germany, the Netherlands and other countries – the musical
accomplishes a mixture of a lot of different nationalities.
The 26 roles, exclusively played by singers and dancers on roller skates, are casted
multiply, so the whole cast makes up more than 40 persons. The production employs
more than 150 people backstage, counting cast and orchestra, plus 160 in the front
of the house.
STARLIGHT EXPRESS GmbH
Stadionring 24 – D-44791 Bochum
More information at: www.mehr.de
Tickets at www.eintrittskarten.de .
The World Championship
of Railway Engines
STARLIGHT EXPRESS tells a child’s dream: It’s bedtime. The mother advises her
son to put his trains away. But in his dream the game proceeds: The engines and
carriages adopt human characteristics. They are friendly and arrogant, brave and
deceitful. They love and suffer, lose and win.
All types of trains pull into an imaginery station to registrate for the International
Trainrace Championship. The rules are clear-cut: Only those are allowed to take off
who have a partner coupled.
The young steam engine “Rusty” – charming, but technically outdated – is in deep
doubt of having a chance to win the competition. His lack of self-confidence stays no
secret to the lady carriages, so they are much more interested in the rocking-androlling diesel train “Greaseball”, who is confident of victory. A strong rival for both,
“Rusty” and “Greaseball”, is the hypermodern electric engine “Electra”. “Pearl”, the
first class carriage, abandons “Rusty” to hook up with the promising challenger.
The conflicts between the locomotives increase and the brake car “Caboose” even
makes it worse – he manipulates the engines to decide who will be the winner.
But in spite of all those barricades, “Rusty” remains defiant – the legendary
STARLIGHT EXPRESS gives him courage and self-confidence. With this newly
gained believe, “Rusty” is ready to win the race and to conquer “Pearl’s” heart.
To the beats of blues, jazz, rock’n’roll, country, rap and disco the engines hold
thrilling races on f race tracks, which directly lead to the auditorium.
A breathtaking combination of music and dance, unique choreography, fancy
costumes and make-up, dreamlike lightning, laser-effects and the fascinating stage
technique – all this is STARLIGHT EXPRESS.
STARLIGHT EXPRESS GmbH
Stadionring 24 – D-44791 Bochum
More information at: www.mehr.de
Tickets at www.eintrittskarten.de .
The Technics
The musical STARLIGHT EXPRESS doesn’t just owe its success to the popular
music of Andrew Lloyd Webber or the artistic achievements of the actresses and
actors. Over and over again the audience is impressed by the extraordinary technical
gimmicks with which the story is being staged.
Centrepiece of the stage techniques is the Main Bridge, a hydraulically directed nine
ton bridge, which is completely mobile and floats above the 1,100 m² stage. With its
changing positions, it provides a continuously varying set design. Additionally the
three different levels – with a vertical height of 7,50 m – are connected by a hydraulic
brink and a three part rising podium. The skate race track has a total length of 280 m
and extends right through the auditorium.
The STARLIGHT EXPRESS – Theatre has also set standards in the field of lightning.
More than 800 stationary spot-lights are installed and 11 tele-scans deflect the light
through movable mirrors. 840 fluorescent tubes mark the railway sleepers. Due to a
perfect combination of lasers and fog a cloudy firmament is animated, when “Rusty”
meets the legendary STARLIGHT EXPRESS.
Sounds are provided by 110 loudspeakers, divided in eight groups. Furthermore
there are 26 wireless microphones with 60 extra channels for the orchestra and choir.
The orchestra is placed under the stage in the basement.
STARLIGHT EXPRESS GmbH
Stadionring 24 – D-44791 Bochum
More information at: www.mehr.de
Tickets at www.eintrittskarten.de .
Technical Data
THEATRE
Number of seats
Stage area
Total area
Skating tracks total length
Barriers lowered by electrical motors
Difference in height between the levels
round 1.700
1.100 sqm
4.800 sqm
280 m
105 m
7,5 m
Technical Stage Data
(Stage machinery and its control)
12 vertically movable gates
1 movable wedge
1 swivel seasaw
1 profile bridge in 3 parts
1 4-way synchronic, independently movable main bridge
pneumatic
hydraulic
hydraulic
hydraulic
hydraulic
Eight tons of steel were used to construct the sophisticated bridges, tracks and
tunnels on the stage and in the auditorium of the STARLIGHT EXPRESS - Theatre.
Lighting Data
Fluorescent tubes (train tracks)
Spots
Computer programmed movable telescans
RGBY-Laser
STARLIGHT EXPRESS GmbH
Stadionring 24 – D-44791 Bochum
More information at: www.mehr.de
Tickets at www.eintrittskarten.de .
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