[Sister Simplice]

When the show was revamped for the New SE version in 1993, was it ever said why Belle was removed from the show? I've been listening to her song, "Belle the Sleeping Car". The song has made me fall in love with her character and I think it's such a shame she got excluded from the New version.

[Belle]

I don't know of any official reason given - all the publicity was about "5 new songs!!!" and the 8 or so songs cut and two characters cut never got a mention...

But it was a logical progression. Originally, Belle raced with Rusty in Heat 2, and they got beaten by Electra, hence Rusty being so hopelessly depressed. Then Poppa and Dustin raced in heat 3 - that was when they had 3 trains per race, and the winner of each went through.

When they took StEx to Broadway they decided a total of 5 races was too many, so they changed it to having 4 engines in each race, and two heats. So Rusty no longer raced, meaning Belle no longer raced. Her entire contribution to the Broadway production was she came on, sang her song, and then went off again. Then she appeared for "Light at the End of the Tunnel". She didn't do the Rap/Silver Dollar, Uncoupled and Girl's Rolling Stock as she had in London. So it was really pretty pointless paying an actress for one song.

Also the "New" show is a lot shallower and faster than the OLC. Belle's Song is a slow number, and they want to get the show over and the audience out of the theatre as fast as possible!

[JamieHT]

What were the 5 new songs?

He'll Whistle At Me
Crazy
Make Up My Heart
The Rap
Next Time You Fall In Love

and the songs they got rid of?

He Whistled At Me
There's Me
Belle The Sleeping Car
The Rap
C.B.
No Comeback
Only He
Only You

is that right?!

[Belle]

Yup - pretty much. "No Comeback" was cut a few years earlier, and they messed about changing the format and adding in stuff that got cut, and a lot of the plot-carrying between song sections got cut out too, bits that aren't full songs but are sung sections.

Plus they added the Megamix.

[Angel-of-Music*]

the rap is still in it. so is only he.

[Belle]

"The Rap" has been re-written completely 3 times. The Rap that was introduced in 1993 was completely unlike The Rap from 1984. The Rap in the UK tour is very different again.

"Only He" was cut from London in around 1988 to be replaced by "Only You" - a duet version of the solo. This was scrapped in 1992 for "Next Time You Fall In Love".

After the UK tour had been running for a couple of weeks, "Next Time You Fall In Love" was replaced by the long duet version of "Only He".

The UK tour is very, VERY different to any of the stages of the London production.

[Angel-of-Music*]

ah well, i could've been right

[Mumsytype]

[Vice]

[Belle]

No - Rusty doesn't race. Without Pearl as his partner, he'd rather sit and sulk. As the races stand now -

Heat 1 - dead heat between Electra and Pearl, and Greaseball and Dinah
Heat 2 - won by Poppa and Dustin, second place Ruhrgold and Joule in Bochum.

Uphill Final - called off
Downhill Final - won by Rusty and Dustin (who saw that one coming?)

[Roller Boy]

I would love to see some of the original sheet music for Belle's song, and for the original caboose score.

[Belle]

[Roller Boy]

You have it on Belles domain? or in your flat?

[santtu]

It is a pity ALW didn't use the melody of "Belle The Sleeping Car" when he rewrote some of the show in 90s. I think the melody is gorgeous. Well, let's hope he'll do the same with it as he did with "The Ballad of Billy McCaw" which was cut from CATS - he re-used the melody as "Next time you fall in love" which, as we know, was added in STARLIGHT EXPRESS.