[Alie]

Anyone know if the cast has been announced yet for when the tour restarts next year? Purely because I'm nosey. *g*

[Belle]

Aren't we all!

So far -

Rusty - Oliver Rhoe Thornton
Greaseball - Tom Kanavan
Electra - Mykal Rand
Poppa - is being cast... might be Rob Grose, if they have any sense!

Pearl - Miria Parvin
Dinah - Lucy Jane Adcock
Ashley -
Buffy -

Rocky/Hopper 1 -
2 -
3 -
Flat-top -
Dustin -Gavin Ashbarry
Caboose -

Wrench -
Joule -
Volta - Rebecca Lisewski
Purse -
Krupp???? PLEASE???

Ruhrgold -
Turnov -
Nintendo - Adam Ellis
Princey -
Trax -

Also -
Tim Driesen
Andrew Millar
Jamie Capewell
James Marshall
Tony Andrade.

But this is all, of course, rumour and hear-say, but as it's mostly heard from past cast members, I should hope it's fairly reliable. This is what is/was being planned - but plans might well change before contracts are signed and rehearsals start.

[Alie]

*laughs* Thanks, Belle.

Aaaah, I want to see it again now.

[Belle]

Will update the post above - Dinah is apparently Lucy Jane Adcock, a Lainey.... Seems she's recently been a swing in Fame, tour of Beauty and the Beast, and Tonight's The Night...

[Belle]

http://www.bellesdomain.co.uk/castuk06.html

Here we have it, the cast list only three days after they start! The wonders of modern technology, eh...

[MademoiselleMusicals]

Here's a review I did when I saw SLExpress in January.


I went to see the matinee performance and although I had the best seat in the house (with the exception of ' Mum can you pass the coke?' in a really good solo and 'What does U-N--C-O-U--P-L-E-D spell?' and the mum thinking she was a brilliant human being cos she knew that London is the only city in the world that does not have the chandelier fall due to health in safety in Phantom of the Opera. Well duh any true musical theatre fan would know that) SL Express exceeded my expectations of the costume and makeup.

Thats what I was most looking forward too as my Nan nan who saw it in London years & years with American students ago, said was fab.

However it is not the best piece of musical theatre that I have seen. It was only 2 hours with a interval and I was like 'What already?' when it ended. The use of 3D film is just wrong. Theatre is live and it should be about the talent. I 100% believe that.

I was lovng Michael Samuels (Poppa), Tom Kanvan (Greaseball) and Miria Parvin (Pearl) who i personally thought was the best female lead. I couldn't stand Lucy - Jane Abcock who played Dinah. They were stars!

Best songs : Poppa's Blues ACT 1, One Rock 'n' Roll Too Many & Light At The End of the Tunnel BOTH ACT II.

I have nothing but utter admiration for the cast who have to skate WHILST singing so controlling their breath must be so hard. Good on them for leading the healthy lifestyle!

Musically speaking I think it is one of AL Webbers worst works along with Joseph. It's a really cute idea to write a musical for your children about steam trains coming to life (again like Phantom which he based on Sarah Brightman) but for me it's a no no. This show for me for overrated and I wouldn't go and see it again. It's a bit like Marmite you either love it or hate it - in my case I hated it (apart from costume + make up)

[Belle]

It's such a shame that the tour is the only production in the UK. It's very flawed. The cast are wonderful, in my opinion, I'm definitely a fan of Miria Parvin as Pearl! And Mykal Rand as Electra is amazing.
But this tour has so much material cut or altered, I quite agree it's absurdly short, and unbalanced - act two is so much shorter than act 1, the secondary chracters are given no stage time - did you ever find out anything about Ashley, Buffy or Caboose watching the tour?
The 3D films don't work for me - literally, I can't see the 3D effect, and artistically the substitution of film for the races means that you lose the energy and excitement of the races, which should be a peak in the show becomes a trough in the energy. I accept there's no way of staging the races in touring theatres, which suggests to me that StEx shouldn't be touring theatres!
Starlight is a show that unashamedly relies heavily on spectacle and scale. The tour lacks that scale. It's a shame they didn't compensate for lack of scale by increasing the amount of story-telling and characterisation in the show!

[Jordan]

[MademoiselleMusicals]

[Belle]

I take it you saw the show in Torquay? I think they've been using the same set for all venues this year, significantly cut down from last year's tour. There's just nowhere for them to go, no room to skate, which is a real problem in a show that's all about movement!
The recorded voice of Control is a young girl, trust me, she sounds better than Control did in later London, voiced by an adult woman! It's meant to be the voice of the child playing with the trainset, who falls asleep and dreams the whole story. But I don't think this comes across well.

[MademoiselleMusicals]

Yes I did lol The Princess Theatre! Have you seen a show there? I have been in 1 show there 'Abba Mania.' So embarrasing..

[MademoiselleMusicals]

Belle, by the way I am called Belle on Thestage forums lol. Weird lol! Love your website by the way!

[Pawzxx]

I'm away to see stex for the first time when it comes to Glasgow next month. Just wanna know, does it make a fun night out? (Trying to talk my pal into coming wiv me lol)

[Sister Robert Anne]

It does! I went to see it in Woking and I enjoyed it so much that tonight I'm going to Norwich to watch it again!

[Belle]

The StEx tour's biggest selling point is that it is absolutely FUN. Not much of plot, coherence, small on the scale of the show... but a lot of great performances and it's played for fun.

[Sister Robert Anne]

That's true. I always regret that I wasn't in the UK when the full show was on the WE.

[Pawzxx]

I can't wait to go see it, sounds great!

[Jeronemy]

I wish there would be a new US touring cast! -poutx10-

[EmmaW]

If you get the chance to see the tour go!!!
Granted the regional theatres don't have the space for the full spectacle of the skating and personally, I don't like the 3d films but the show is still fantastic. Yes I feel they have cut a bit too much but the performances of each and everyone of the cast is great.
Mykal Rand, Tom Kanavan, Miria Parvin, Oliver Thornton, Michael Samuels.
You don't get any better than them.
Nobody can be disappointed by it. So great we went 3 times and have already booked for the final performance of the tour.

[Pawzxx]

Me and a mate are off to see it 2morrow, got seats in the middle front row (thank god for the young scot card!) can't wait!!

I'll tell you about it 2morrow if anyones interested lol? (or you might just hear it anyway cos I'll be soo totally flabbergasted my fingers will type by themselves!)

[Belle]

there's a much busier StEx forum on my site - http://belles.proboards26.com/index.cgi

sign up and tell us how it went!