Review: STARLIGHT EXPRESS at Starlight Express Theatre Bochum

 It's like visiting an old friend you haven't seen for ages, but it feels like yesterday since your last meeting. That is what it feels like to walk the streets in Bochum towards the STARLIGHT EXPRESS theatre, an institution in Germany's Ruhrpott. I have fond memories of the young boy back then, with close to no English skills, who was listening (far too loud) to the London cast recording vinyl in his parent's living room to the now grown-up lad I became. Once fascinated by the catchy tunes and, of course, the fact that all the actors were doing the show on skates, I am now more curious about the (very family-friendly show). First things first, STARLIGHT EXPRESS brought Bochum (fortune?) and fame. People from all over the world came to visit the city because of Andrew Lloyd Webber's evergreen. The show is still running at the theatre, which opened 36 years ago. It is a Musical Phenomenon and the only Train Station in Germany without any delays. The show has changed over the years, with new songs, some for the better and some for the Karaoke-Bars, new characters, costume updates, and far more comfortable roller skaters.

I got the chance to get a glimpse backstage, visiting the costume department and also stopping by the skate department, where I got my hands on some of the very first shoes and the latest versions used in the show. The Skate Department is comparable to a Formula 1 Garage; they are still trying to create even better, more comfortable skates, reinventing their reinventions, a fascinating room where much of the magic is rolling on.

 Same Same but different!

We still get to meet Rusty and Pearl, Greaseball, Electra, and all the others, as well as some new ones paired (watch out for Carrie and the details on her costume) with beloved old songs and new compositions.

The ladies' image in the show got a vital facelift with Coco, the female engine, joining the world championship, a new song for the coaches (I Am Me, apart from the flat title, an improving song), and roles that can be played by men or women ( e.g., Brexit, the train to nowhere).
If you have seen the show before 2018, you might be surprised by Electras and Pearl's new looks. While Pearl is less Barbie'ish and more classy, Electra is even more "electric" than before. His main entrance, still a show-stopper, is comparable to Velma Kelly's in Bob Fosse's CHICAGO, a spot-on, jaw-dropping, all-eyes-on-you appearance that every actor wants to get at least once in his lifetime.

Despite the changes, it still has the same frenzy atmosphere. It is a magical place where dreams might become a reality, an electrifying experience. A childhood memory reconfirmed, as livid and stirring as it was back then. STARLIGHT EXPRESS has something magical, something beyond the costumes and the roller-skater action (and far beyond the more than childish story), a lot of heart and originality, in other words, a lot of Starlight.

If you plan to see the show on a Thursday, get yourself tickets for the Skate Warm-Up. You will get an inside look and can follow the cast's warm-up procedere on the tracks, compared with some backstage secrets about the show. If you are looking for the ultimate Starlight Experience, get yourself in one of the 360-degree chairs. You will be surrounded by the show's action—it couldn't get any better than this.
The Fastest Musical in the Universe brought Bochum onto the Musical World Map when little to no one had heard about the German city; since then, audiences from all over the world have traveled to Bochum to see the singing trains—a (nother) record-breaking Phenomenon.

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