UNITED KINGDOM: ROLLER SKATING MUSICAL "STARLIGHT EXPRESS" CELEBRATES FIFTEEN YEARS ON THE LONDON STAGE

Record ID: 704958

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: ROLLER SKATING MUSICAL "STARLIGHT EXPRESS" CELEBRATES FIFTEEN YEARS ON THE LONDON STAGE
  • Date: 25th March 1999
  • Summary: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (MARCH 25, 1999) (REUTERS) APOLLO VICTORIA THEATRE, VICTORIA LONDON GENERAL VIEWS AS FANS GET SET TO CELEBRATE STARLIGHT'S FIFTEENTH BIRTHDAY COMPOSER SIR ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER ARRIVES AT THEATRE WITH HIS CHILDREN STARLIGHT EXPRESS STAGE SHOW
  • Embargoed: 9th April 1999 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
  • Reuters ID: LVABAFW72EYT0VU2KQU0Q4GKKRED
  • Story Text: Andrew Lloyd Webber's skate-bound stage extravaganza "Starlight Express" has marked its fifteenth birthday on the London stage.
    Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's skate-bound stage extravaganza 'Starlight Express' has celebrated it's fifteenth year on the London Stage - making it Britain's second most popular stage musical ever - second only to another Lloyd Webber production - the twenty-year run of 'Cats.' Sir Andrew turned up at the special birthday celebration at London's Appollo Victoria theatre accompanied by US star Melanie Griffiths.
    The connection is a close one - Melanie's husband Antonio Banderas gave a stunning performance in the Madonna-movie version of 'Evita,' another Lloyd Webber smash hit - and rumours abound Banderas could play the title role in a forthcoming movie of 'The Phantom of the Opera.' Starlight Express has thrilled audiences around the world since its inception.Performed entirely on roller-skates, the cast whip around the audience at break-neck speed on 'rails' that arc around the theatre, portraying trains 'Electra,' 'Greaseball,' 'Poppa,' and the show's hero 'Rusty.' Sir Andrew says, "It has always been fun - and that's it! We've never had any other pretension for it.It's just a great show for kids and I suppose it shows I've always liked trains and that we all like trains.I did actually think when we re-did it the last time - I thought if we can get it to go and it gets the audience's reactions again at that point - it could actually go on for a long time."
    A revamp is planned this year - Choreographer Arlene Phillips is getting set to have the trains running to another 'schedule' - and a permanent production - in a specially built auditorium is to be set up in Germany.
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