STARLIGHT EXPRESS
US Tour 2003-2004

Interview
For German click here

Greaseball & Dinah

Interview with Drue Williams (Greaseball) and his wife Louanne Madorma-Williams (Resident Director/Associate
Choreographer).  Carolyn Weaver and LondonStar did the interview.

When we were escorted backstage by Louanne Madorma-Williams (Resident Director/Associate Choreographer) we
chatted about the changes made to this production after it opened and the production that LondonStar had seen in
Houston, TX.  Louanne told us that Andrew Lloyd Webber saw the show in Houston and said nothing.  He went back to
the UK and then they get a call that he is changing the show.  So Webber revamped the whole show.   Please refer to
our review of the Houston, TX production and the new songs that were added to that version.  

LondonStar said he liked the Houston production and was sad that so many numbers were taken out.  Louanne said
she thought the latest version was better as it is trimmed down better.  The only thing they agreed on was that “Only
He” was taken out of the production and “Next Time You Fall In Love” was put in the show.  This has been an
argument with many “Starlight Express” fans.  Some like “Only He” and some, think “Next Time You Fall In Love” works
better in the show.   “Only He” was in the original London production and then when they revamped that production
“Next Time You Fall In Love” was put in the show.  It has stayed in until the current tour opened in Biloxi, MS on April 1,
2003.  They stopped the tour revamped the show and opened again, with the current version.

We arrived backstage for our interview with Louanne and her husband Drue Williams.  We tried not to keep them too
long, but since Drue is originally from the UK, he and LondonStar started chatting and eventually it was more like
friends chatting than an interview.  Most of our questions were related to Drue’s work in "Starlight Express" and about
this husband and wife team working together.

London Star (LS):  What did you think when you first saw the stage/set in London?

Drue: I had been on skates before and I thought great, what a fine looking set.  We found out later on, that most of
these people were dancers and singers.  They had not been on skates.  We had been rehearsing in large halls.   
Then when they brought us to the stage, they pulled the crew to one side and were told not to say to anyone in the
cast, "Oh my God how are we going to do it!"    Most of the cast especially the girls were scared.  I thought it was great
personally...laugh.

LS: You know the set took 2 weeks to destroy.  

Drue: That is just a shame.

I was at the first meeting in 1984.  They only had a few chairs on the stage.   There was nothing on the stage, just like
a normal theatre.  Took us 6 weeks to rehearse.   We had to get working.  We were just going to do a few numbers
and honestly people were freaking out.  The falls were hard.  If you fall on a flat stage it is bad enough, but send
someone down one of the bowels and they fall it is quite different.  I thought it was bloody funny!

LS: I remember one time when you dropped in the lyrics.  Were there other times when you changed the lyrics,
improvised?  

Drue: Oh man, oh yes I was into improvisations.

Louanne...I can answer that for you.  I was not even watching the show, and I hear a bump sound then, "she's trying
to kill me...she's trying to kill me!"  

Drue: I was poppin’ off!  We were supposed to stop, grab and lift.  She just skated and jumped at me, I went bam and
went back and she sat on top of me..."she's just trying to kill me, she's just trying to kill me!"  (laughter)

Sometimes you find, especially in the first year...you fall and you just go shit! It comes out in full effect.  

But, you are talking about changing words for the sake of it?  Normally you must get approval from the director.  You
are supposed to say the words the way it is written.  But sometimes you think it would sound better and make more
sense another way.  So you speak to the director before hand and they give it a try and we will see what we think,
then they say yes or nay.  Usually it is set in stone what you do.  It is Andrews’ piece and these people work to deliver
what he wrote.

Music-wise, sometimes with some of the melodies the head man will say I like that...on the whole you have to stick with
it otherwise you are going to have the show morphing off into some another direction.

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