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Starlight ExpressA Review by Greg Ziglar
True, most of this show is pure eye-candy from the designer, John Napier. There are night skies glowing with stars. There are train races with characters costumed as engines, cabooses, and boxcars. There are beautifully choreographed pieces so huge and dense that it’s hard to figure out just where to look at any one point in time. There are moments when you might catch a glimpse of a character roller skating up a ramp and flipping upside down into complete oblivion. But it’s a sumptuous buffet of eye candy, worth every optic calorie.
Ah, but the voices explode at each and every tune. Franklyn Warfield’s Rusty, the hero of the story, sings the title song so beautifully and poignantly that it almost hurts. However, the true show-stopping number here is “Poppa’s Blues”, sang by Dennis LeGree, who gives us a truly majestic and enthralling performance.
You’ll leave humming one of numerous tunes, most likely “There’s A Light at the End of the Tunnel.” Or, maybe, just maybe, you’ll be singing “F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C” Starlight Express played for an incredible 18 years in London, but this production playing in Dallas at the Music Hall at Fair Park ends August 17th. Race right over or you may be “S-O-R-R-R-Y”! |
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TM
Out of
nowhere, hidden deep within this stupendous production, is a little number
called “U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D.” This itty-bitty country tune whisks us from
state-of-the-art technology to state-of-the-heart musicology. Katie O’Toole
as Dinah sings it magnificently. Suddenly, the heart of the show breaks
through the pyrotechnics, and the impact is breathtaking.
Also true, the
music here is nothing more than bubble and fun and full of humor, and pretty
much covers every musical genre. This might be Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most
frivolous concoction, as the score here is simply effervescent compared to
such other Webber affairs as Phantom of the Opera and Sunset Boulevard. But
it’s memorable, and it entertains. 
What we have here
are great sets, great costumes, great voices, memorable tunes, and a
heartfelt story in the middle of it all. What more can one ask from a
musical? 