Starlight Express
Bochum, 12.August 2018, 14 Uhr
Now I’ve seen it, now I’m allowed to talk about it. ;) Good news: it’s not as plot-holey and confused as I thought. Bad news: this isn’t Starlight Express as we know it. The focus of the show has completely shifted.
Let’s start with the Foyer: they ripped out all the nice railway station stuff. We now have a generic modern theatre foyer with black walls and a red carpet. The windows in the ceiling are blocked, so it’s quite dark in there, and to emphasize their “star” theme, they inserted lights in the ceiling. The paintings are still there. Over all, the foyer is dark and well, generic. Reminds me a bit of Operettenhaus Hamburg when “Cats” played there for the first few years. Dark, red carpet, some pictures of the show.
The wonderful huge cast list is gone, and we had to walk all the way to the back wall to be able to read the screen showing the cast. Not too easy, because the souvenir shop is set up in the middle of the foyer, where that bar was, and basically makes it impossible to get anywhere easily if the foyer is packed. And the foyer was packed, the shows was nearly sold out. They even had lot of people up in the Rang. I haven’t seen the Rang open for years…
The auditorium is dark, too. Everything is painted black, so it takes quite a while for your eyes to adjust. There’s a net high up with more small lights mimicking stars. The circle with the model railways is still there, its rails are lightened, too, and there are three all-new trains circling it. From what I saw they represent Electra, Greaseball and Rusty, each with a random selection of coaches. Electra and Greasball go anticlockwise and Rusty goes clockwise.
When they pull the model trains up, their rails continue to be alight for most of the show, so you have three rings of light up in the ceiling among the stars.
Before the show starts, they do some minor projections on the main stage, mainly railway track patterns and a shadow-theatre version of a train going from right to left across the bowl. During the show, they have projections showing different locations. Actually, that’s quite nice. I especially liked the old-fashioned railway station platform hall. Nice steel patterns, Victorian windows… but the train yard with the crane in the background works just as well. It looks like a lot of thought went into those projections, to make sure that their size and perspective is just right.
We start with the classic overture, which got some more sentences added for Control like “but how are the trains to run without me”? And just as feared, Control stops the Overture with “Stop that boring music” - which I totally agree on is unforgivable. You can’t just go and stop your main theme by calling it “boring”, especially not when it’s about to reach its climax. But they do.
Control then begins to call the Engines forward, one by one and with Greaseball we go into “Rolling Stock” - really nice work, the tension builds, and the new sound system is really good. And I mean really good. Even I notice a big difference to what they did before and I am by no means an expert. The sound is much clearer, much sharper, more on the point. Really impressive.
By now we have the stage filled with six Engines, Greaseball and a bunch of people dressed in black Gang-costumes - and all the tension and power breaks apart because absolutely nothing happens. They skate around a bit, they form random clusters of people and they do the new all-purpose-movement we will get so see in almost every musical number of the show: several people form a random cluster and sway their upper torsos from one side to the other. After all, that’s easy to do and you can do it to every kind of music.
Let me insert some general thought on the staging of the show here: There is none. There’s almost no choreography left, and even if there is some, it’s rudimentary and sloppy. Most of the time it looks more like “improvise some movements you think might suit your character” and as much as I love character moments, you can’t carry a dance show on that. Most of the time, everyone just stands around randomly - there are not even clean lines or patterns. A random cluster here, some more people over there… there’s no logic in it and it looks confused and, well, random. People have a general idea of what they are supposed to be doing, and a general idea of where they are supposed to stand, but that’s it. I know I’m repeating myself, but well… random clusters.
“Crazy” is next, introducing Rusty who is pulling Dinah, Belle and Carrie. We got new lyrics, but I didn’t get much, and I don’t think it makes much of a difference. “come on, clap your hands” is gone, it’s just a general introduction - supported by Control who tells us that Rusty is the first engine he ever bought. From now on it’s clear that Control is not asleep and dreaming, but has gotten out of bed to continue playing. He’s not “in character” as in charge of the word championship, he’s a boy playing. Oh well.
Control then tells us that he bought a new carriage, she cost him three weeks of pocket money and “everyone show her respect” - Greaseball pulls Pearl in and she complains about him pushing her around. We get a cute “I’m Rusty. - I’m Pearl. - Hi.” Moment, then Carrie and Belle tell Pearl that she’d better know her place, for they rule the rails, and Dinah promises the scared new girl to protect her.
This leads to an argument between Dinah on one side and Greaseball and Coco on the other side about carriages having to get used to being pushed around or something like that which leads us into “Ich bin ich”.
Another insert: The scene is by no means a song of its own, more a song fragment. They are singing, I can’t quite remember which melody, but I guess it was “Ich bin ich” or “Clear my track” for both melodies are used excessively throughout the show for those new scenes, all of which are meant to get the message for the audience. For that’s what I meant when I said this is not Starlight Express as we know it.
To me, Starlight Express has always been a fun show. A colourful, powerful dance spectacle full of speed. Flawed, yes, but always fun. You might get a message from it - “Believe in yourself” or any other - but it was never its intention to educate the audience. It’s a show about the fastest engines of the world racing.
Now it’s a show about self-determination rights (I hope that’s the correct word). Pearl is introduced complaining that Greaseball pushes her around and Control demanding respect for her. Dinah argues with Greaseball and Coco about her right to decide for herself where she is going and when. Later on Pearl complains to Rusty about him expecting her to just follow when he tells her to come along…. That kind of thing. It’s all about females having the right to choose what to do. That’s where “Ich bin ich” comes from, and with this structure in mind the show really works quite well. It’s about how to have a healthy relationship.
Starlight Express originally was written for a bunch of small boys. This version was written for 11 year old girls. And I’m sure they’re going to love it.
Anyway, “Ich bin ich” - monotone song, almost no choreography, but you need to remember it well, for the music pops up constantly all through the show. And once it wormed itself into your head, you’ll never get it out again.
There’s a new fragementary duet for Pearl and Rusty, based on “He whistled at me”. We learn that Pearl likes old-fashioned whistling because it’s full of soul, but only if it’s soft and gentle. More hints about having respectful relationships. Rusty and Pearl agree on being friends, with him asking “More than friends?” and her saying “No”. Still, the scene is quite cute - until Control interrupts it and sends Rusty to get the Freight Train.
You would expect him now to pull in the Freight Cars, but they show up all by themselves in another random cluster and that’s basically how the whole song is staged. Random clusters, random pushing around and Rusty now and then separating freight cars and carriages and pushing them out on the lower track. They then skate around it, get back to the bowl and form another random cluster.
The only real line is the introduction of the Freight Cars. That’s basically the same as it always was, except for Caboose, who now tells us straight away that he makes a living crashing trains, using a jazzy version of “Mein Spiel”. Pay his price and you win - we later on learn that Greaseball pays him ten thousand and Electra has to offer twenty for Caboose to race with him in Heat four and make sure they win.
“AC/DC” has been slowed down and the new arrangement is sleeker and less 80th. The dominant drums are gone, which leaves a jazzy tone. Almost no choreography, but Electra shines in several colours. Killerwatt has white lights and Wrench has one small light attached to her crane, Joule and Volta don’t have lights and are almost none-existent because the lighting is spectacular but still quite dark.
And on a side note: Control told us he just bought Pearl and such, but Electra just… is suddenly there?
Even stranger, Control interrupts “AC/DC” on the second-to-last note, so there is no chance for Electra get any applause, for we start “Pumping Iron” right away. True to her opinion that Greaseball is “too greasy” Pearl doesn’t participate in the girl’s line up, strangely Dinah only participates in the first part, but hey! She’s doing part of the old choreography! In fact, “Pumping Iron” is the first song where we get real choreography - Greaseball just launches in the old steps they’ve done for years, with everyone staring, than Dinah starts to dance, too, then Belle and Carrie, and then Volta, Joule and Wrench join in. When we get to the instrumental break, all the Engines join in too, which completely kills Greaseball’s unique status, but… hey! Choreography!
And I think “Pumping Iron” was the first song without new lyrics.
The song ends with another random cluster, Control calls for people to choose their race partners. Everyone does, Greaseball hires Caboose to rig the race, Control reminds everyone that people who cheat are disqualified.
Another fragment for Rusty and Pearl (as said she complains to him about expecting her to just follow his orders), the lyrics make it once more very clear that he’s in love but she isn’t.
“Pearl welche Ehre” und “Hilf mir versteh’n” follow, the second one without any choreography, we’re lucky she skates around at bit and doesn’t just stand there motionless. Also, the characteristic poses of the carriages are gone - I missed that, too, especially during “Hilf mir versteh’n”.
The song got new lyrics - they’re okay, but no that different that they couldn’t have used the old ones.
Finally, we get to race. After all, with all this talk about respect and not treating carriages like property, we almost forgot what we are here for. The contestants used to arrive through the tunnel in the bowl, but now they just show up on the bowl between the piers. Looks less impressive. Every engine gets to sing some lines to the melody of “Clear my track”, to remind the audience who they are. Greaseball gets something along “I am the champion”, Electra “I am the future”… basically the stuff the actors used to call out to liven up the show, but now official and set to music. I liked the idea, but since everyone uses the same melody, it’s a bit monotone.
They bring the Main Bridge down to start the race, but the side flaps are gone. No box, just the bridge hanging randomly and low over the racers. Looks strange. Since the races lost their speed long ago and turned into random boxing matches I didn’t expect much and that’s the way it still is. Caboose doesn’t do much, but hey, he’s payed for that, so I guess he made a good deal. Control still comments the whole race to keep the audience from getting lost.
No Main Bridge to mark the finishing line, which was really disappointing, just the two Traxes waving their flags. Doesn’t look like much.
Since people don’t do much dancing any more, they don’t need to spend time backstage to recover, so those who are not racing occupy the stairs between the two tracks during the race to cheer their favourites and encourage the audience to do the same. It at least gives you a feeling that someone still cares about who is going to win.
It also enables Rusty to see Pearl race and to sing the first hint of the “Für immer”-melodie after she skated off with Electra after the race. And now it’s time for “Mama’s Blues”.
I didn’t care about the cast much, but I wanted to see Reva Rice, and I was lucky. She was on and she did a really good job. Of course she’s a great skater, and she sings well enough. She also plays her part really well, with a lot of heart and wisdom. Honestly, Mama is the least problem with the new show. Yes, a male voice is deeper and more powerful, especially during “Starlight Sequence” the difference shows, but apart from that… Mama works just as well as Papa. She’s just a bit kinder.
We also get new lyrics after the song when Mama and Rusty discuss him racing, for some unknown reason. “You can take a Rocky - or three. Or Flat Top, that works, too.”… I have to compliment Ms. Rice for her very clear diction. Very impressive, almost no accent.
Race Two, just like the first one - everyone gets to sing their lines, Main Bridge for the start but not the finish, lots of beating up people, Control constantly reminding Espresso and Coco to stop something…
Oh, Mama doesn’t get to sing “Clear my track” with her entrance but “I’ve got steam and that’s all I need”, to the melody of “Ich bin ich”. It might be there to emphasize the fact that she’s female, but Coco gets to sing “Clear my track”, so it’s not really well-thought…
“Laughing Stock” hasn’t changed, but with “Starlight Express” we are back to the old Bochum Version (that’s the NY one, right?). I wasn’t expecting that and Rusty actually had sung almost three lines before I noticed that it wasn’t the old London version. Surprise! I like that one better, so it was nice to hear it again - even though almost all the orchestration is gone. For both verses Rusty sings with almost no music to support him. Then, finally, with “Wenn es dich gibt, dann zeige mir…” some of it sets in. It’s slower than it used to be, too. And the stage is a lot darker. So in a way, the song feels… weak. But maybe that’s the intention. Show how alone and desperate Rusty is. If they thought about that. Not sure.
We got a new rap, but it’s based on old ones and as usual you can’t really understand a word they saying, as soon as more than one person is speaking. With rap lyrics, this might be an advantage, though. We even get some smaller bits of choreography, but where they used to have clean lines and exact spacing, it’s the usual random cluster mess. “Pearl was sagst dazu” got new lyrics with Dinah begging Pearl not to take Greaseball and Pearl assuring Dinah that she only wants to borrow him. She actually uses that word, “leihen”. Considering that Peal absolutely hated Greaseball in Act I - we remember, he pushed her around - that’s an amazing change of heart here.
On the effort side, they used the line “Ich höre den Rhythmus, bei dem ich mit muss” (I hear the rhythm I must follow) - “Rhythmus, bei dem man mit muss” is a common idiom, referring to music with a catchy rhythm, but also to things you just have to take part in. Like a good party, a nice event… so at least someone put some thoughts into the lyrics.
On the other hand, Pearl is pulled on stage together with the other three carriages, by Rusty. Which makes absolutely no sense at all, considering that she’s not in love with him and racing with Electra.
The scene is followed by “G.E.K.U.P.P.E.L.T.”, which should now be called “A.B.G.E.H.Ä.N.G.T.”, for that’s the word Dinah spells out now. Several other lines are new, but I think I heard them before, so they might be part of the recent changes, not the current one. The main change however is the mood of the song. It once was a song of despair and picking yourself up again - for Dinah was a completely different character. The Dinah we have now is a very strong, self-sufficient woman who constantly talks back to everyone, not afraid to speak her mind, almost up to being obnoxious and annoying. She has her opinions and she makes sure they are heard. Not to mention that she leads “Ich bin ich”, teaching Pearl the ways of a strong carriage. So I already dreaded “G.E.K.U.P.P.E.L.T.” for it was bound to ruin that portrayal. Well, it’s not the song that’s the problem.
You see, it doesn’t matter much whether you spell “gekuppelt” or “abgehängt” - but in the second word is an Umlaut. And with “ä” you can use a certain exaggerated way to pronounce it which turns the whole song into a farce. I guess it’s impossible to explain that to a non-native speaker, but with playing that single letter for laughs every time she uses it, the message is that the whole song is not to be taken seriously. Yes, Dinah is sad that Greaseball dumped her, but she’s just bringing up all the clichés that others might see now and expect her to apply to herself now, but she’s not doing that. The whole song is a mockery of those clichés and Dinah telling us she’s still going strong. The last lines about not taking Greaseball back are just meant that way.
No, the song is just fine.
But then we get a short scene after it, where Dinah tells Carrie and Belle that she is afraid of being alone. And that’s the real problem. The one line in this whole show that’s completely unforgivable, ruining a whole character and making all their new intentions fake and weak. Everything Dinah did and said so far was a lie, her whole character is mask she’s wearing - they need to get rid of that line as fast as possible. If you want strong carriages, fine. If you want one of your strongest carriages have a break down because she got dumped, that’s fine, too. After all, that’s a tough blow, it’s okay to take some time to go on. But “I’m afraid of being alone” is a general statement and it clashes with “I am me and that’s all I need” which just doesn’t work out.
Not to keep ranting at this for another paragraph, let me say a word about Carrie and Belle: there is nothing to say about them. They are there to fill the stage and that’s it. The main characteristic we get is that Belle repeatedly offers Dinah Schnaps during “A.B.G.E.H.Ä.N.G.T.” - which seems her way to deal with emotional distress. Alcohol. I’ll better not go any deeper here.
“Girls Rolling Stock” is cut, we get straight to Caboose, who renews his deal with Greaseball, then tries to make another deal with Electra - as far as I could tell, he fails - and then we get a version of “Mein Spiel” where at least some choreography survived. Not danced by Caboose, no, but he gets a packed stage with almost every side character (Components, Freight, Carrie, Belle, Engines….) dancing a mixture of old background choreography and some new upper torso moves, crowding around in an unorderly cluster. I had to remind myself that it’s no longer a secret that Caboose is the villain. He tells everyone in the first sentence he sings, so everyone knows about it already and everyone can be there listening to him bragging about it. I just wonder why Electra seemed surprised…
Third Race, just as the first two, everyone gets to sing a line, otherwise it looks almost the same as it’s done during the last years, just with a bit less beating up Ruhrgold. Afterwards we get the same two-part scene that’s in place for some years now, with additional beating up Rusty at the end.
“Nicht der rechte Zeitpunkt” is now called “Nie der rechte Zeitpunkt” (Never the right time), which is a slight difference, but a significant one in meaning. I’m not sure if the rest of the lyrics has been changed to something suitable hopeless, for I didn’t really understand much - having a female Rocky really causes a problem here, with the lighter voice added it gets difficult to understand a word they are saying. But hey again! Choreography! They dance! It’s a mixture of old steps and some new, but it’s a real choreography!
I’m glad the Rockies are back, for the Hip Hoppers never worked for me (we haven’t really lost them, for now we have Caboose doing their movements), but I liked the old costumes much better. They had cleaner lines, were more structured, and the colours were much brighter. For some reasons the colours now are muted and tinged with a light brown, as if the Rockies were covered in some kind of sand or sandy dust. Since much of the lighting is dark or extremely colourful, it makes the Rockies almost invisible now and then.
If I had a choice, I would choose not to talk about “Starlight Sequence”, but well… The laser is gone. The blue spotlight is gone. The major spots moving up with Rustys arms during “Ich selbst bin Starlight” are gone. Every single part of lighting which turned that scene impressive, emotional and epic is gone. All we got left are stars on the ground on the tracks (not in the bowl anymore), stars in the ceiling and later on a set of lighted drones circling Rusty in two loops. And a spot directed on Rusty’s chest where that new round thing on his chestplate reflects it like a disco ball. Oh, and some sort of podium which moves Rusty up to make it look like he is flying, circled by stars. What is it with flying? Why does every show need some sort of flying effect?
Anyway, the scene is as underwhelming as it can be, plus Mama is clearly visible between the piers while singing. Even without any lights, it couldn’t have gotten much worse.
“Rusty and Dustin” has new lyrics and the melody from “What’s wrong Pearl” - I guess we need to make sure that every song is changed somehow - but the meaning is the same.
Dinah uncouples Electra to the melody of “Ich bin ich”, being her old, strong self again. Whatever caused her change of heart and that she’s not afraid of being alone any more… Guess we’ll never know. Electra then calls on Caboose who demands adequate payment to team up with Electra.
Race Four isn’t much changed - at least I guess it is, for they had a slight problem with the Main Bridge, so only Pearl and Rusty could come down using it while everyone else had to use the ramp on the bowl. That in turn meant that Electra was nowhere near Pearl and couldn’t injure her and that Control’s audio track was at least 20 seconds ahead of the action, claiming that Rusty saved Pearl before she even got in danger.
At the end of the race, Greaseball, Electra and Caboose disappeared in the stage right-tunnel, and for “Ein Rock’n’Roll zuviel” they reappeared from the central tunnel… okay…
Rusty’s “Wo ist denn Pearl?” was turned into “Wo ist er hin?” (Where did he go?), sung by Mama, while she leads everyone off stage, to leave the stage empty for “Ein Rock’n’Roll zuviel”.
Now, someone must have reviewed the old original text, for we get some new lines here as well, including an almost literal translation of “come on, clap your hands - are you having a good time? No.” - which is fine with me, for it doesn’t really matter what they sing here, but “Clap your hands” was followed by the audience immediately doing exactly that. Well, Germans like to clap along, what did you expect? ;)
They clear off the wrecks and then Coco pulls Pearl on stage and tells her that she’s always just playing games and that not even Rusty deserves someone like that, before dumping Pearl and skating off. Coco, of all people, who hasn’t exchanged a word with Pearl for the whole show and whose only true character moment was arguing with Dinah about what carriages should do or not…
“Für immer” is still the worst love song Starlight ever had, but at least it makes some sense now, for the music has been embedded into the show in several places and compared to “Ich bin ich” it at least has some kind of melody and structure.
First to arrive and congratulate Rusty and Pearl are Carrie, Belle and Dinah, and we get to see Pearl apologize and Dinah forgiving Pearl in some non-verbal gestures. Greaseball apologizes to a Dinah standing impatiently over him. It’s a completely different mechanics between those two, for the whole show, with Dinah clearly being the superior part and him looking a bit like a wanna-be tough guy who’s just playing around as long as Dinah allows him to. In fact, general focus has been taken from both Electra and Greaseball and been given to Dinah. The only engine who profited from all the changes is Rusty. Because they tried to flesh out his relationship with Pearl and give the audience clear statements about it instead of having them guess about it.
Control then all of a sudden demands that everyone must obey him and Flat Tops answers him: “Shut up, Control.” As said, someone must have had a look into old lyrics… but then, in a show about people not being property…
Then we launch “Ein Licht ganz am Ende des Tunnels” and go straight into the “Mega Mix” and everyone is very happy that we have a strong last song and even the whole of the old choreography. At least some of the power and strength of the show is still there.
So, in a way, yes, the new show makes sense in a different way than we are used to. Apart from that one scene where they ruin Dinah’s character and with it their whole message, I’d even say the new show works better than the old patched-up version (within it’s new intention, of course). Pearl and Rusty gained a lot in character portrayal and Dinah did, too, though hers is a complete change from what she used to be. Carrie and Belle are characters on one level with Joule and Volta, merely there to fill the stage. Caboose has lost half of his character and him mentioning actual sums of money doesn’t really fit into a world of model trains. Greaseball lost his unique status as ladies’ man and champion and without him as a strong opponent, Electra is nothing more that a flashy show effect. The races have moved into the background and so have their contestants. A completely different show.
On a side note, I don’t mind any of the gender swaps. In fact, now having seen it and within in the demands and ideas of this show, I strongly advocate for making all the characters non-gender-specific. We need to keep Rusty and Greaseball male, and Pearl and Dinah female, for musical needs many people to come and see it to make the necessary money, but otherwise… I wouldn’t mind seeing a male Belle or all-female Engines. It doesn’t matter if Dustin is male or female. In fact, it would serve the show if we don’t care about the gender of the characters any more. Then all of the “carriages are not the engines’ property” message would be even more natural and stronger. For now all the carriages who are complaining are female, even though we have a female engine involved in the argument.
Now I’ve seen it, now I’m allowed to talk about it. ;) Good news: it’s not as plot-holey and confused as I thought. Bad news: this isn’t Starlight Express as we know it. The focus of the show has completely shifted.
Let’s start with the Foyer: they ripped out all the nice railway station stuff. We now have a generic modern theatre foyer with black walls and a red carpet. The windows in the ceiling are blocked, so it’s quite dark in there, and to emphasize their “star” theme, they inserted lights in the ceiling. The paintings are still there. Over all, the foyer is dark and well, generic. Reminds me a bit of Operettenhaus Hamburg when “Cats” played there for the first few years. Dark, red carpet, some pictures of the show.
The wonderful huge cast list is gone, and we had to walk all the way to the back wall to be able to read the screen showing the cast. Not too easy, because the souvenir shop is set up in the middle of the foyer, where that bar was, and basically makes it impossible to get anywhere easily if the foyer is packed. And the foyer was packed, the shows was nearly sold out. They even had lot of people up in the Rang. I haven’t seen the Rang open for years…
The auditorium is dark, too. Everything is painted black, so it takes quite a while for your eyes to adjust. There’s a net high up with more small lights mimicking stars. The circle with the model railways is still there, its rails are lightened, too, and there are three all-new trains circling it. From what I saw they represent Electra, Greaseball and Rusty, each with a random selection of coaches. Electra and Greasball go anticlockwise and Rusty goes clockwise.
When they pull the model trains up, their rails continue to be alight for most of the show, so you have three rings of light up in the ceiling among the stars.
Before the show starts, they do some minor projections on the main stage, mainly railway track patterns and a shadow-theatre version of a train going from right to left across the bowl. During the show, they have projections showing different locations. Actually, that’s quite nice. I especially liked the old-fashioned railway station platform hall. Nice steel patterns, Victorian windows… but the train yard with the crane in the background works just as well. It looks like a lot of thought went into those projections, to make sure that their size and perspective is just right.
We start with the classic overture, which got some more sentences added for Control like “but how are the trains to run without me”? And just as feared, Control stops the Overture with “Stop that boring music” - which I totally agree on is unforgivable. You can’t just go and stop your main theme by calling it “boring”, especially not when it’s about to reach its climax. But they do.
Control then begins to call the Engines forward, one by one and with Greaseball we go into “Rolling Stock” - really nice work, the tension builds, and the new sound system is really good. And I mean really good. Even I notice a big difference to what they did before and I am by no means an expert. The sound is much clearer, much sharper, more on the point. Really impressive.
By now we have the stage filled with six Engines, Greaseball and a bunch of people dressed in black Gang-costumes - and all the tension and power breaks apart because absolutely nothing happens. They skate around a bit, they form random clusters of people and they do the new all-purpose-movement we will get so see in almost every musical number of the show: several people form a random cluster and sway their upper torsos from one side to the other. After all, that’s easy to do and you can do it to every kind of music.
Let me insert some general thought on the staging of the show here: There is none. There’s almost no choreography left, and even if there is some, it’s rudimentary and sloppy. Most of the time it looks more like “improvise some movements you think might suit your character” and as much as I love character moments, you can’t carry a dance show on that. Most of the time, everyone just stands around randomly - there are not even clean lines or patterns. A random cluster here, some more people over there… there’s no logic in it and it looks confused and, well, random. People have a general idea of what they are supposed to be doing, and a general idea of where they are supposed to stand, but that’s it. I know I’m repeating myself, but well… random clusters.
“Crazy” is next, introducing Rusty who is pulling Dinah, Belle and Carrie. We got new lyrics, but I didn’t get much, and I don’t think it makes much of a difference. “come on, clap your hands” is gone, it’s just a general introduction - supported by Control who tells us that Rusty is the first engine he ever bought. From now on it’s clear that Control is not asleep and dreaming, but has gotten out of bed to continue playing. He’s not “in character” as in charge of the word championship, he’s a boy playing. Oh well.
Control then tells us that he bought a new carriage, she cost him three weeks of pocket money and “everyone show her respect” - Greaseball pulls Pearl in and she complains about him pushing her around. We get a cute “I’m Rusty. - I’m Pearl. - Hi.” Moment, then Carrie and Belle tell Pearl that she’d better know her place, for they rule the rails, and Dinah promises the scared new girl to protect her.
This leads to an argument between Dinah on one side and Greaseball and Coco on the other side about carriages having to get used to being pushed around or something like that which leads us into “Ich bin ich”.
Another insert: The scene is by no means a song of its own, more a song fragment. They are singing, I can’t quite remember which melody, but I guess it was “Ich bin ich” or “Clear my track” for both melodies are used excessively throughout the show for those new scenes, all of which are meant to get the message for the audience. For that’s what I meant when I said this is not Starlight Express as we know it.
To me, Starlight Express has always been a fun show. A colourful, powerful dance spectacle full of speed. Flawed, yes, but always fun. You might get a message from it - “Believe in yourself” or any other - but it was never its intention to educate the audience. It’s a show about the fastest engines of the world racing.
Now it’s a show about self-determination rights (I hope that’s the correct word). Pearl is introduced complaining that Greaseball pushes her around and Control demanding respect for her. Dinah argues with Greaseball and Coco about her right to decide for herself where she is going and when. Later on Pearl complains to Rusty about him expecting her to just follow when he tells her to come along…. That kind of thing. It’s all about females having the right to choose what to do. That’s where “Ich bin ich” comes from, and with this structure in mind the show really works quite well. It’s about how to have a healthy relationship.
Starlight Express originally was written for a bunch of small boys. This version was written for 11 year old girls. And I’m sure they’re going to love it.
Anyway, “Ich bin ich” - monotone song, almost no choreography, but you need to remember it well, for the music pops up constantly all through the show. And once it wormed itself into your head, you’ll never get it out again.
There’s a new fragementary duet for Pearl and Rusty, based on “He whistled at me”. We learn that Pearl likes old-fashioned whistling because it’s full of soul, but only if it’s soft and gentle. More hints about having respectful relationships. Rusty and Pearl agree on being friends, with him asking “More than friends?” and her saying “No”. Still, the scene is quite cute - until Control interrupts it and sends Rusty to get the Freight Train.
You would expect him now to pull in the Freight Cars, but they show up all by themselves in another random cluster and that’s basically how the whole song is staged. Random clusters, random pushing around and Rusty now and then separating freight cars and carriages and pushing them out on the lower track. They then skate around it, get back to the bowl and form another random cluster.
The only real line is the introduction of the Freight Cars. That’s basically the same as it always was, except for Caboose, who now tells us straight away that he makes a living crashing trains, using a jazzy version of “Mein Spiel”. Pay his price and you win - we later on learn that Greaseball pays him ten thousand and Electra has to offer twenty for Caboose to race with him in Heat four and make sure they win.
“AC/DC” has been slowed down and the new arrangement is sleeker and less 80th. The dominant drums are gone, which leaves a jazzy tone. Almost no choreography, but Electra shines in several colours. Killerwatt has white lights and Wrench has one small light attached to her crane, Joule and Volta don’t have lights and are almost none-existent because the lighting is spectacular but still quite dark.
And on a side note: Control told us he just bought Pearl and such, but Electra just… is suddenly there?
Even stranger, Control interrupts “AC/DC” on the second-to-last note, so there is no chance for Electra get any applause, for we start “Pumping Iron” right away. True to her opinion that Greaseball is “too greasy” Pearl doesn’t participate in the girl’s line up, strangely Dinah only participates in the first part, but hey! She’s doing part of the old choreography! In fact, “Pumping Iron” is the first song where we get real choreography - Greaseball just launches in the old steps they’ve done for years, with everyone staring, than Dinah starts to dance, too, then Belle and Carrie, and then Volta, Joule and Wrench join in. When we get to the instrumental break, all the Engines join in too, which completely kills Greaseball’s unique status, but… hey! Choreography!
And I think “Pumping Iron” was the first song without new lyrics.
The song ends with another random cluster, Control calls for people to choose their race partners. Everyone does, Greaseball hires Caboose to rig the race, Control reminds everyone that people who cheat are disqualified.
Another fragment for Rusty and Pearl (as said she complains to him about expecting her to just follow his orders), the lyrics make it once more very clear that he’s in love but she isn’t.
“Pearl welche Ehre” und “Hilf mir versteh’n” follow, the second one without any choreography, we’re lucky she skates around at bit and doesn’t just stand there motionless. Also, the characteristic poses of the carriages are gone - I missed that, too, especially during “Hilf mir versteh’n”.
The song got new lyrics - they’re okay, but no that different that they couldn’t have used the old ones.
Finally, we get to race. After all, with all this talk about respect and not treating carriages like property, we almost forgot what we are here for. The contestants used to arrive through the tunnel in the bowl, but now they just show up on the bowl between the piers. Looks less impressive. Every engine gets to sing some lines to the melody of “Clear my track”, to remind the audience who they are. Greaseball gets something along “I am the champion”, Electra “I am the future”… basically the stuff the actors used to call out to liven up the show, but now official and set to music. I liked the idea, but since everyone uses the same melody, it’s a bit monotone.
They bring the Main Bridge down to start the race, but the side flaps are gone. No box, just the bridge hanging randomly and low over the racers. Looks strange. Since the races lost their speed long ago and turned into random boxing matches I didn’t expect much and that’s the way it still is. Caboose doesn’t do much, but hey, he’s payed for that, so I guess he made a good deal. Control still comments the whole race to keep the audience from getting lost.
No Main Bridge to mark the finishing line, which was really disappointing, just the two Traxes waving their flags. Doesn’t look like much.
Since people don’t do much dancing any more, they don’t need to spend time backstage to recover, so those who are not racing occupy the stairs between the two tracks during the race to cheer their favourites and encourage the audience to do the same. It at least gives you a feeling that someone still cares about who is going to win.
It also enables Rusty to see Pearl race and to sing the first hint of the “Für immer”-melodie after she skated off with Electra after the race. And now it’s time for “Mama’s Blues”.
I didn’t care about the cast much, but I wanted to see Reva Rice, and I was lucky. She was on and she did a really good job. Of course she’s a great skater, and she sings well enough. She also plays her part really well, with a lot of heart and wisdom. Honestly, Mama is the least problem with the new show. Yes, a male voice is deeper and more powerful, especially during “Starlight Sequence” the difference shows, but apart from that… Mama works just as well as Papa. She’s just a bit kinder.
We also get new lyrics after the song when Mama and Rusty discuss him racing, for some unknown reason. “You can take a Rocky - or three. Or Flat Top, that works, too.”… I have to compliment Ms. Rice for her very clear diction. Very impressive, almost no accent.
Race Two, just like the first one - everyone gets to sing their lines, Main Bridge for the start but not the finish, lots of beating up people, Control constantly reminding Espresso and Coco to stop something…
Oh, Mama doesn’t get to sing “Clear my track” with her entrance but “I’ve got steam and that’s all I need”, to the melody of “Ich bin ich”. It might be there to emphasize the fact that she’s female, but Coco gets to sing “Clear my track”, so it’s not really well-thought…
“Laughing Stock” hasn’t changed, but with “Starlight Express” we are back to the old Bochum Version (that’s the NY one, right?). I wasn’t expecting that and Rusty actually had sung almost three lines before I noticed that it wasn’t the old London version. Surprise! I like that one better, so it was nice to hear it again - even though almost all the orchestration is gone. For both verses Rusty sings with almost no music to support him. Then, finally, with “Wenn es dich gibt, dann zeige mir…” some of it sets in. It’s slower than it used to be, too. And the stage is a lot darker. So in a way, the song feels… weak. But maybe that’s the intention. Show how alone and desperate Rusty is. If they thought about that. Not sure.
We got a new rap, but it’s based on old ones and as usual you can’t really understand a word they saying, as soon as more than one person is speaking. With rap lyrics, this might be an advantage, though. We even get some smaller bits of choreography, but where they used to have clean lines and exact spacing, it’s the usual random cluster mess. “Pearl was sagst dazu” got new lyrics with Dinah begging Pearl not to take Greaseball and Pearl assuring Dinah that she only wants to borrow him. She actually uses that word, “leihen”. Considering that Peal absolutely hated Greaseball in Act I - we remember, he pushed her around - that’s an amazing change of heart here.
On the effort side, they used the line “Ich höre den Rhythmus, bei dem ich mit muss” (I hear the rhythm I must follow) - “Rhythmus, bei dem man mit muss” is a common idiom, referring to music with a catchy rhythm, but also to things you just have to take part in. Like a good party, a nice event… so at least someone put some thoughts into the lyrics.
On the other hand, Pearl is pulled on stage together with the other three carriages, by Rusty. Which makes absolutely no sense at all, considering that she’s not in love with him and racing with Electra.
The scene is followed by “G.E.K.U.P.P.E.L.T.”, which should now be called “A.B.G.E.H.Ä.N.G.T.”, for that’s the word Dinah spells out now. Several other lines are new, but I think I heard them before, so they might be part of the recent changes, not the current one. The main change however is the mood of the song. It once was a song of despair and picking yourself up again - for Dinah was a completely different character. The Dinah we have now is a very strong, self-sufficient woman who constantly talks back to everyone, not afraid to speak her mind, almost up to being obnoxious and annoying. She has her opinions and she makes sure they are heard. Not to mention that she leads “Ich bin ich”, teaching Pearl the ways of a strong carriage. So I already dreaded “G.E.K.U.P.P.E.L.T.” for it was bound to ruin that portrayal. Well, it’s not the song that’s the problem.
You see, it doesn’t matter much whether you spell “gekuppelt” or “abgehängt” - but in the second word is an Umlaut. And with “ä” you can use a certain exaggerated way to pronounce it which turns the whole song into a farce. I guess it’s impossible to explain that to a non-native speaker, but with playing that single letter for laughs every time she uses it, the message is that the whole song is not to be taken seriously. Yes, Dinah is sad that Greaseball dumped her, but she’s just bringing up all the clichés that others might see now and expect her to apply to herself now, but she’s not doing that. The whole song is a mockery of those clichés and Dinah telling us she’s still going strong. The last lines about not taking Greaseball back are just meant that way.
No, the song is just fine.
But then we get a short scene after it, where Dinah tells Carrie and Belle that she is afraid of being alone. And that’s the real problem. The one line in this whole show that’s completely unforgivable, ruining a whole character and making all their new intentions fake and weak. Everything Dinah did and said so far was a lie, her whole character is mask she’s wearing - they need to get rid of that line as fast as possible. If you want strong carriages, fine. If you want one of your strongest carriages have a break down because she got dumped, that’s fine, too. After all, that’s a tough blow, it’s okay to take some time to go on. But “I’m afraid of being alone” is a general statement and it clashes with “I am me and that’s all I need” which just doesn’t work out.
Not to keep ranting at this for another paragraph, let me say a word about Carrie and Belle: there is nothing to say about them. They are there to fill the stage and that’s it. The main characteristic we get is that Belle repeatedly offers Dinah Schnaps during “A.B.G.E.H.Ä.N.G.T.” - which seems her way to deal with emotional distress. Alcohol. I’ll better not go any deeper here.
“Girls Rolling Stock” is cut, we get straight to Caboose, who renews his deal with Greaseball, then tries to make another deal with Electra - as far as I could tell, he fails - and then we get a version of “Mein Spiel” where at least some choreography survived. Not danced by Caboose, no, but he gets a packed stage with almost every side character (Components, Freight, Carrie, Belle, Engines….) dancing a mixture of old background choreography and some new upper torso moves, crowding around in an unorderly cluster. I had to remind myself that it’s no longer a secret that Caboose is the villain. He tells everyone in the first sentence he sings, so everyone knows about it already and everyone can be there listening to him bragging about it. I just wonder why Electra seemed surprised…
Third Race, just as the first two, everyone gets to sing a line, otherwise it looks almost the same as it’s done during the last years, just with a bit less beating up Ruhrgold. Afterwards we get the same two-part scene that’s in place for some years now, with additional beating up Rusty at the end.
“Nicht der rechte Zeitpunkt” is now called “Nie der rechte Zeitpunkt” (Never the right time), which is a slight difference, but a significant one in meaning. I’m not sure if the rest of the lyrics has been changed to something suitable hopeless, for I didn’t really understand much - having a female Rocky really causes a problem here, with the lighter voice added it gets difficult to understand a word they are saying. But hey again! Choreography! They dance! It’s a mixture of old steps and some new, but it’s a real choreography!
I’m glad the Rockies are back, for the Hip Hoppers never worked for me (we haven’t really lost them, for now we have Caboose doing their movements), but I liked the old costumes much better. They had cleaner lines, were more structured, and the colours were much brighter. For some reasons the colours now are muted and tinged with a light brown, as if the Rockies were covered in some kind of sand or sandy dust. Since much of the lighting is dark or extremely colourful, it makes the Rockies almost invisible now and then.
If I had a choice, I would choose not to talk about “Starlight Sequence”, but well… The laser is gone. The blue spotlight is gone. The major spots moving up with Rustys arms during “Ich selbst bin Starlight” are gone. Every single part of lighting which turned that scene impressive, emotional and epic is gone. All we got left are stars on the ground on the tracks (not in the bowl anymore), stars in the ceiling and later on a set of lighted drones circling Rusty in two loops. And a spot directed on Rusty’s chest where that new round thing on his chestplate reflects it like a disco ball. Oh, and some sort of podium which moves Rusty up to make it look like he is flying, circled by stars. What is it with flying? Why does every show need some sort of flying effect?
Anyway, the scene is as underwhelming as it can be, plus Mama is clearly visible between the piers while singing. Even without any lights, it couldn’t have gotten much worse.
“Rusty and Dustin” has new lyrics and the melody from “What’s wrong Pearl” - I guess we need to make sure that every song is changed somehow - but the meaning is the same.
Dinah uncouples Electra to the melody of “Ich bin ich”, being her old, strong self again. Whatever caused her change of heart and that she’s not afraid of being alone any more… Guess we’ll never know. Electra then calls on Caboose who demands adequate payment to team up with Electra.
Race Four isn’t much changed - at least I guess it is, for they had a slight problem with the Main Bridge, so only Pearl and Rusty could come down using it while everyone else had to use the ramp on the bowl. That in turn meant that Electra was nowhere near Pearl and couldn’t injure her and that Control’s audio track was at least 20 seconds ahead of the action, claiming that Rusty saved Pearl before she even got in danger.
At the end of the race, Greaseball, Electra and Caboose disappeared in the stage right-tunnel, and for “Ein Rock’n’Roll zuviel” they reappeared from the central tunnel… okay…
Rusty’s “Wo ist denn Pearl?” was turned into “Wo ist er hin?” (Where did he go?), sung by Mama, while she leads everyone off stage, to leave the stage empty for “Ein Rock’n’Roll zuviel”.
Now, someone must have reviewed the old original text, for we get some new lines here as well, including an almost literal translation of “come on, clap your hands - are you having a good time? No.” - which is fine with me, for it doesn’t really matter what they sing here, but “Clap your hands” was followed by the audience immediately doing exactly that. Well, Germans like to clap along, what did you expect? ;)
They clear off the wrecks and then Coco pulls Pearl on stage and tells her that she’s always just playing games and that not even Rusty deserves someone like that, before dumping Pearl and skating off. Coco, of all people, who hasn’t exchanged a word with Pearl for the whole show and whose only true character moment was arguing with Dinah about what carriages should do or not…
“Für immer” is still the worst love song Starlight ever had, but at least it makes some sense now, for the music has been embedded into the show in several places and compared to “Ich bin ich” it at least has some kind of melody and structure.
First to arrive and congratulate Rusty and Pearl are Carrie, Belle and Dinah, and we get to see Pearl apologize and Dinah forgiving Pearl in some non-verbal gestures. Greaseball apologizes to a Dinah standing impatiently over him. It’s a completely different mechanics between those two, for the whole show, with Dinah clearly being the superior part and him looking a bit like a wanna-be tough guy who’s just playing around as long as Dinah allows him to. In fact, general focus has been taken from both Electra and Greaseball and been given to Dinah. The only engine who profited from all the changes is Rusty. Because they tried to flesh out his relationship with Pearl and give the audience clear statements about it instead of having them guess about it.
Control then all of a sudden demands that everyone must obey him and Flat Tops answers him: “Shut up, Control.” As said, someone must have had a look into old lyrics… but then, in a show about people not being property…
Then we launch “Ein Licht ganz am Ende des Tunnels” and go straight into the “Mega Mix” and everyone is very happy that we have a strong last song and even the whole of the old choreography. At least some of the power and strength of the show is still there.
So, in a way, yes, the new show makes sense in a different way than we are used to. Apart from that one scene where they ruin Dinah’s character and with it their whole message, I’d even say the new show works better than the old patched-up version (within it’s new intention, of course). Pearl and Rusty gained a lot in character portrayal and Dinah did, too, though hers is a complete change from what she used to be. Carrie and Belle are characters on one level with Joule and Volta, merely there to fill the stage. Caboose has lost half of his character and him mentioning actual sums of money doesn’t really fit into a world of model trains. Greaseball lost his unique status as ladies’ man and champion and without him as a strong opponent, Electra is nothing more that a flashy show effect. The races have moved into the background and so have their contestants. A completely different show.
On a side note, I don’t mind any of the gender swaps. In fact, now having seen it and within in the demands and ideas of this show, I strongly advocate for making all the characters non-gender-specific. We need to keep Rusty and Greaseball male, and Pearl and Dinah female, for musical needs many people to come and see it to make the necessary money, but otherwise… I wouldn’t mind seeing a male Belle or all-female Engines. It doesn’t matter if Dustin is male or female. In fact, it would serve the show if we don’t care about the gender of the characters any more. Then all of the “carriages are not the engines’ property” message would be even more natural and stronger. For now all the carriages who are complaining are female, even though we have a female engine involved in the argument.