TOVE IREN SPISSOY GERHARDSE
@textThe setup of Andrew Lloyd Webber's triumphant musical 'Starlight Express' at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel, is a professional musical production almost as good as any London or New York production.
The musical has been showing since September 13, 1993, and is supposed to be shown nightly for the next four years.
The response has been just great, a woman at the Starlight Express ticket office said.
'Starlight Express' is a fun-filled celebration, through music and dance, of love and the triumph of individual spirit and achievement, the director Arlene Phillips said in a program.
'Starlight Express' is only one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's many masterpieces, which include 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,' 'Jesus Christ Superstar,' 'Evita,' 'Cats,' 'Requiem,' 'The Phantom of the Opera,' 'Aspects of Love,' and 'Sunset Boulevard.'
He is the first person to have three musicals running concurrently in New York and London -- a record he achieved three times, in 1982, 1988 and 1994.
He is also the first recipient of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers' Triple Play Award. According to a program, in January 1996, the London production of Cats became the longest running musical in West End and Broadway theater history.
'Starlight Express' is far from any ordinary musical. The story is about a little boy's dream in which his toy trains come to life for a spectacular race across America.
The 26 performers are dressed in costumes that weigh up to 45 pounds and are made of 22 different types of leather and which each costs between $10,000 and $20,000.
To make the performers really look like trains, all the performers are wearing roller skates. According to Starlight Fun Facts the show rotates 51 pairs of skates daily; among these are four different types of skates from England and the United States. The speed makes it exciting and never dull.
The stage, which is prepared for the roller skating, has extended back drops along both sides of the audience. This enhances the contact between the audience and the performers.
The sound and the lights are amazing; it is no wonder that it takes seven different computer systems to run the sound system.
The show uses 1,300 stationary lights, 2,500 stage floor lights, 44 miles of fiber optics and two lasers.
The story is about three major locomotives that race against each other to find out which is the fastest train in America. There is one electrical, one diesel, and then the poor steam locomotive.
The main theme of the musical is the steam train's low self-esteem and lack of personal merits. Steam trains are suddenly old fashioned and too slow compared to the new electrical and diesel trains.
Throughout the musical we get to hear some beautiful songs about the steam train's fight to get his self-esteem back.
Eventually the steam train, because he regains his faith in himself, and because he did not try to be anything he was not, wins back the girl and even wins the whole race.
The show was totally different from what I had expected. The roller skates and trains made it really special, different and exciting compared to regular theater.
The whole stage, with the amazing sound and light effects, was great.
The endurance of the performers was remarkable -- they acted, danced on roller coasters and sang at the same time!
Dawn Marie Church, who plays Pearl, has a powerful voice but the acting was sometimes too cute for this show. They all had beautiful voices, but the most impressive was the father, played by Lothair Eaton. His voice cast a spell upon the audience.
'Starlight Express' at the Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, is an amazing show you do not have to wait until you get to London or New York to see.
The tickets range from $32 to $52 and can be ordered over the phone at 1-800 STARLIGHT.