If you’ve ever wondered what Thomas the Tank Engine’s fever dreams look like; boy, do I have a show for you. In the realm of musical theatre, few shows are as audaciously unique as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express. This high-octane extravaganza, which has thundered back onto the London stage at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, is a blend of trains, roller skates, and ‘80s excess that manages to be both a relic of its time and a dazzling spectacle for modern audiences.

The plot, such as it is, follows the classic underdog story of Rusty, a plucky steam engine vying for the affections of glamorous first-class coach, Pearl. Rusty must compete against the muscular diesel engine Greaseball and the electrifying Electra in a series of high-stakes races. If this sounds like ‘The Little Engine That Could’ on steroids, you’re not far off. The show takes place within the imagination of a child named Control, orchestrating the action like a pint-sized puppet master with a train set.

Director Luke Sheppard has given this 40-year-old musical a fresh coat of paint, and – wow – does it shine. The production design by Tim Hatley is jaw-dropping. The Troubadour has been transformed into a futuristic railway wonderland, with tracks snaking through the audience and around the auditorium. It’s less a stage and more a theme park ride, with the added thrill that, at any moment, a bedazzled actor on roller skates will come hurtling past your head.

The cast deserves a standing ovation simply for not careening into each other and the audience. They’ve been immaculately trained (sorry! I had to engineer at least one pun in. I’ll stay on track now, before this review runs out of steam.)

Jeevan Braich as Rusty brings a touching vulnerability, managing to emote effectively while balancing on eight wheels. His journey from self-doubt to determination is surprisingly affecting, given that he’s playing a sentient locomotive. Kayna Montecillo’s Pearl glides through her performance with grace, though one might wish for more depth to her character beyond ‘pretty train seeks fastest engine’. The villains of the piece, Greaseball and Electra, played by Al Knott and Tom Pigram respectively, chew the scenery with gleeful abandon. Knott’s Greaseball is all swagger and biceps, while Pigram’s Electra crackles with androgynous energy. The ensemble deserves special mention: singing, dancing, acting and roller skating with seemingly effortless skill.

The choreography, a modernised take on Arlene Phillips’ original work, is a thrilling mix of grace and danger. It’s a constant, beautifully coordinated, near-miss pile-up. Gabriella Slade’s costume design is gloriously over-the-top, with each character instantly recognisable despite bearing little resemblance to actual rolling stock. Lasers, strobes, and projections transform the space into everything from a neon-drenched racetrack to a star-filled sky. It’s like being inside a giant pinball machine designed by someone who really, really likes trains.

Lloyd Webber’s score, with lyrics by Richard Stilgoe, remains a curious mix of earworm melodies and bewildering choices. For every soaring ballad like ‘Only He’, there’s a head-scratching number about AC/DC current. The music has been given a contemporary polish, but it still feels charmingly dated.

Character development in Starlight Express is about as deep as a puddle on a train platform, but that’s not really the point. Rusty’s journey from underdog to hero is predictable but satisfying, while Pearl’s eventual realisation that it’s what’s inside that counts is sweet, if simplistic. The show has made efforts to update its representation, with the introduction of Hydra, a hydrogen-powered train, adding a modern environmental theme. The pacing is relentless, mirroring the high-speed races at its core. There’s barely a moment to catch your breath between the spectacular set pieces and musical numbers. It’s exhilarating. The show winks at its own absurdity while fully committing to its conceit, creating a uniquely immersive experience that’s hard to compare to anything else in the West End.

Is Starlight Express high art? Absolutely not. Is it a profound exploration of the human condition? Only if you believe that the human condition involves a lot more roller skating than most of us experience. But is it an unabashedly joyful, visually stunning piece of entertainment that will leave you grinning like a child who’s just been given the keys to a toy store? Without a doubt. In a theatrical landscape often dominated by serious adaptations and jukebox musicals, there’s something refreshing about a show that’s so unapologetically itself. 

Starlight Express is playing at the Troubador Theatre, Wembley, until 8 June 2025