Starlight Express (1984 Original London Cast)
Between his megahitsCatsandThe Phantom of the Opera,Andrew Lloyd Webbercame up with one of his slightest efforts,Starlight Express. The composer admitted it was targeted at kids--centering on a set of trains and the plot ofThe Little Engine That Could--yet it lacks the charm of his other kids' show,Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. While the live staging was exciting, featuring costumed roller skaters racing around, over, and through the audience, the score is one of Lloyd Webber's least subtle demonstrations of his ability to compose in different musical styles--country ("U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D."), blues ("Poppa's Blues"), rock ("Rolling Stock"), funk ("C.B."), rap ("The Rap"), and the like. Of course, there are some catchy tunes plus one hit (the title tune), and Richard Stilgoe's lyrics are sometimes cutely clever and sometimes banal ("Starlight Express, you must confess, are you real, yes or no / Starlight Express, please answer 'yes,' I don't want you to go."). The show wasrevised and revived in 1992, switching some songs, removing the most obvious cold-war references, and adding one pop single ("Next Time You Fall in Love").--David Horiuchi