STARLIGHT EXPRESS A musical in 2 acts: Based on an idea by Andrew Lloyd Webber; lyrics by Richard Stilgoe; music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Apollo Victoria Theatre, London - 19 March, 1984 Gershwin Theatre, New York - 15 March, 1987 (761 perfs) SYNOPSIS: When the children are asleep, their toys play, especially the engines and carriages of the train set. They race across the set in a series of contests. There's the macho Pacific Daylight (better known as Greaseball), the fastest diesel, in contrast to Rusty, the little steam engine who merely works in the sidings. From France there's Bobo (Sudest), Italy offers Espresso (Settobello), and then there are the APT and entries from Russia, Japan and, at the last minute, the electrically powered super engine, Electra (AC/DC). They vie for superiority along with the best cars, trucks and cabooses. Rusty pulls the three boxcars, Rocky I, II and III. No chance for Rusty, it seems, with the smoking car, Ashley, Buffy the restaurant car, or the brand-new Pearl. Just to make his job more difficult, there's a two-timing guard's van called CB, who does all he can to sabotage Rusty and leave the way clear for Electra and Greaseball. One by one the bigger, more powerful, locos come to grief. Rusty's Poppa wins an eliminator, but Rusty, with the help of the Starlight Express (his guiding star in the sky), must take over. He defeats Electra, and finally Pearl realises that Rusty is her engine. Greaseball may have a future - converted to steam and with Dinah in tow! There's a light at the end of the tunnel, and old-fashioned steam has beaten the new technologies. STORY Act 1 The reigning champion – a diesel engine from the USA called Greaseball – enters with his cavalcade train of several other diesel engines and three freight trucks. They boast of diesel’s supremacy (“Rolling Stock”). Next, a steam engine called Rusty enters. Greaseball mocks Rusty, who replies that he will win the championship, despite steam being obsolete compared to diesel (“Call Me Rusty”). Control intervenes and orders Rusty to collect a passenger train from the marshalling yard. He returns with four coaches that make up the passenger train: a dining car called Dinah, a smoking car called Ashley, a buffet car called Buffy, and an observation car called Pearl. Control sends Rusty away to fetch a freight train as the coaches introduce themselves to the audience (“A Lotta Locomotion”). Greaseball returns. He boasts again, this time to the coaches (“Pumping Iron”). Rusty returns with the six trucks that make up the freight train: three boxcars called Rocky 1, Rocky 2 and Rocky 3, a brick truck called Flat-Top, an aggregate hopper called Dustin and a brake truck called C.B.. They introduce themselves to the audience and argue with the coaches over whether it is preferable to carry people or cargo (“Freight”). Control declares entries for the championship open. Six trains arrive to challenge Greaseball: Bobo, the French Sud-Est, Espresso, the Italian Settebello, Weltschaft, the German Class 103, Turnov, the TransSiberian Express from Russia, Hashamoto, the Japanese Shinkansen Bullet Train, and the City of Milton Keynes, the Advanced Passenger Train from Great Britain. Entries are about to close when a surprise entry – an electric engine called Electra – arrives. Accompanied by his train of five components – an armaments truck called Krupp, a repair truck called Wrench, a money truck called Purse, a freezer truck called Volta and an animal truck called Joule – Electra declares that electricity is the future of the railways (“AC/DC”). Greaseball and Electra square up to each other as the entrants form a parade to celebrate the race (“Coda of Freight”). Control announces the rules of the championship: the trains will compete in pairs, with an engine pulling a
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