STARLIGHT EXPRESS
US Tour 2003-2004

"The Rap"
The Entire Company

Miscellaneous Information

Starlight Express opened in London on March 27, 1984 and closed on January 12, 2002 after an almost 18 year run in
the West End! It is second only to Cats (another Andrew Lloyd Webber show) as the longest running musical in British
theatre history. The show went on to achieve international success with additional productions on Broadway, in Las Vegas,
Japan, Australia, a North America tour and in Bochum, Germany where it is still playing after over 14 years!

In 1987 Starlight Express was nominated for 7 Tony Awards.  The show only won for John Napier's costume designs.


FUN FACTS:

• Although only 24 people appear on stage, another 50 are hard at work backstage making STARLIGHT EXPRESS
happen every night.

• The Las Vegas production was built on top of the stage where Elvis Presley performed at the Las Vegas Hilton.

• The ability to roller skate is not a prerequisite for either auditioning or being cast. New casts attend skate school prior to
opening in the show. Skate school runs for 4 weeks prior to 8 weeks of vocal staging and choreography rehearsals.

• An estimated 16 million people have seen the show worldwide and the estimated gross box office world-wide is $525
million.

• Melanie B., "Scary Spice," of The Spice Girls, trained in the Skate School for STARLIGHT EXPRESS in 1995.

• Andrea McArdle, Broadway’s original Little Orphan Annie in Annie, was also Broadway’s original Ashley in
STARLIGHT EXPRESS.

• Jane Krakowski of TV’s Ally McBeal was Broadway’s original Dinah.

• There are 500 light bulbs on the set, 360 stage lights and 400 fiber optic points of light on the back wall of the set to
create the star effect.

• The top speed recorded by a skater was 40 mph during a rehearsal.

• 20,000 pairs of skate laces, 25,000 skate wheels and 15,000 toe stops have been used since the production opened.

• The skaters have gone through 1,200,000 boxes of tissues and 12,000 gallon bottles of water.

• 2,000 pairs of false eyelashes, 8,000 tins of base make-up and 2,000 tubs of make-up remover have been applied.