dinahdoeeyes-archived

[dinahdoeeyes-archived]

I made some edits. I'll probably be reposting this over on my new blog! @dinahdoeeyes

My ideal production of Starlight Express.

I suppose I'll just get right into it. First the list of characters, then the songs (excluding little bits/non-songs like Taunting Rusty and the races), then the rest.

Cast:

Rusty

Pearl

Greaseball

Dinah

Electra

CB

Ashley

Buffy

Poppa

Belle, the Sleeping Car (called Memphis Belle)

Dustin

Flat-Top

The Rockies

Volta, Joule, Wrench, Purse, and Krupp

The original National Engines

Duvay and the Sleepers

Control

Setlist (* = will be addressed below):

Entry Of National Trains

Rolling Stock

Call Me Rusty

A Lotta Locomotion ('83 Workship version, but with Buffy added.)

He Whistled At Me (Minus the Rusty/Pearl conversation.)

*Dinah/Greaseball duet

Freight (With the girls bullying the boys.)

AC/DC

Pumping Iron ("Trying to build my body, trying to lose my mind" and "Stretching my bullworker, heaving on my weights" switch spots because I feel that it'd sound better that way.)

Sleepers moment

*Dinah solo

Hitching and Switching (probably original)

Crazy

*That was Unfair (extended)

That's Me/There's Me (duet)

Poppa's Blues

Belle's Song (Combo of OG & Broadway — especially "sniffing the coke.")

Starlight Express

The Rap: Hey You

*Make Up My Heart

Pearl Twirl

U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D.

Girls' Rolling Stock

Wide Smile (Mostly the Broadway version, except he says the OG "...C.B." in the chorus instead of Broadway's "...the Red Caboose," until the ending after Electra & co leave.)

I Was Robbed

Right Place, Right Time

I Am The Starlight

Rusty and Dustin

*Dinah's Disco (extended)

No Comeback

One Rock & Roll Too Many

I Do and/or Only You (I really want "I Do," and it feels redundant to do both in a row, but I feel like "Only You" is important?)

*GreaseDinah reunion (extended)

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Starlight Express Megamix (of course)

Notes:

This is about 60% the 1984 original, so keep that in mind.

We are leaning hard into the 80's here! None of that trying to modernize StEx they've been doing since the 90's. It doesn't work, and the hyper-80's...ness is one of the best things about StEx!

Dinah & Greaseball look most like the original Dinah and Greaseball. (Though Dinah's hair looks like this. I'll get to her costumes below.) Greaseball looks completely like Jeff Shankley's GB.

Most of the costumes look like the Broadway versions.

However, Pearl gets 3 costumes: Her pants outfit from the '84 previews (but with white pants), followed by her sleek Broadway dress outfit (w/ Electra), and then the fluffy dress outfit (w/ GB).

Dinah has 2 costumes. The first is more Broadway (but I dislike the leggings, so different ones), and then, when she pairs with Electra, she changes to an outfit that is similar to her OG outfit.

C.B.'s look is very similar to the original, except his pants are black, and he has his later hat.

I want some of the choreography from the '83 workshop. ( x x x x )

Dinah & Greaseball banter a bit because "Incapable of feeding yourself, Greaseball?" Ohhh *chef's kiss* 2017 London Workshop did something right!

*Dinah & Greaseball get a couple's duet. It's a fun, cute, rock/80's pop mix song that touches on their love for each other and how they don't care about others' bullshit. ("Our Lips Are Sealed" kind of vibes, I suppose.)

Ashley and Duvay are sisters.

Greaseball pulls the girls during "Freight," like he originally did.

*Dinah gets a solo after "Pumping Iron" after the Sleepers talk their bullshit. It'd be about 3½ minutes long. If you've read my Dinah rants, you can get an idea of what it's about.

Greaseball, Bobo, and Espresso are part of the choreography during "Crazy" toward the end, racing around with Dinah, Ashley, and Buffy. (I promise this is FIRE in my head. Have faith. 🥺)

*Grease & Dinah have a longer argument before their breakup, incorporating the melody of their breakup from the '83 workshop.

Dinah and C.B. have a duet. It's the Broadway version of There's Me combined with That's Me. (Dinah sings her solo part first.)

*Pearl sings "Make Up My Heart" about Rusty, Electra, and Greaseball. (Explanation here.)

*"U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D." is slower, sadder, and has more lyrics, like it was in the '83 workshop.

Buffy & Ashley are finally canon. It's Complicated™️, but they get it together by the end.

*"Dinah's Disco" is a bit longer, as is *Dinah & Greaseball's reunion/makeup.

Pearl is absolutely like original Pearl in this: A selfish bitch (who learns and gets better by the end); she is not "naive." ("Further from my vision" over "Sadder but no wiser.")

We actually acknowledge that Pearl is an asshole. But, like Greaseball, she learns and is working on herself by the end! 🙌🏽

Pearl apologizes to Dinah at the end. FINALLY. (During a break in LATEOTT.)

Control loves the engines/coaches/freight, and they love him. He's just a bossy little kid, but they're also actin' up. (I'm open to Control being a girl.)

Electra and the Components do come back.

I... think that's it. I hope didn't forget anything.

CHOO CHOO! 💋

[dinahdoeeyes-archived]

I'm over on @dinahdoeeyes now. This blog is now archived.

[dinahdoeeyes-archived]

Hey, don't want to be a bother but I can't see your main here on Tumblr. I can do it only in incognito mode on computer.

That's so odd! The other day, one of my moots couldn't see the Spotify playlists I posted in the post. And about a month ago, they actually unfollowed one of my other moots. Like, suddenly I wasn't following them. Not a bother at all! I messed about with my settings, maybe you can see it now?

[dinahdoeeyes-archived]

This user supports AO3

This user is anti-censorship

This user believes in “don’t like, don’t read”

This user believes in “ship and let ship”

This user believes that fiction tastes and preferences do not dictate moral character

[dinahdoeeyes-archived]

None of the pictures here are mine! Please go show some love ta the original photographers, if possible.

@scissorsisterredcaboose here ya go! More pics

[dinahdoeeyes-archived]

I honestly think the StEx fandom is confusing Original Dinah with later iterations of her when they call her "weak" and such. I'm not going to list everything here because I've already said everything there is to say on my StEx blog, but I will say this:

Go listen to "The Rap: Hey You" from 1984 vs. "The Rap: Check It Out, Can You Believe This?" from 1992. There you go.

[dinahdoeeyes-archived]

greaseball being too cool to hold her girlfriend's hand then immediately feeling bad about it

master: hitmewithyourbethshot

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I just realised no one during the course of starlight express actually wins based of speed, they literally all only win because everyone else crashes.

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i wanted to buy myself a charm hut im scared to figure out how thw wensite worked so heres the little drawijg i made :) olc greasedinah save me

[dinahdoeeyes-archived]

That was cheating 😱, what you did to him there! 😨 Wasn’t fair. 🙅🏻‍♀️

Hey, come on 🤷🏻‍♂️, we won! 🥇💪🏼 Quit ✋🏼 that kind of talk. 🤫 You… take care. 👋🏼😘

NO! 😤 I MUST SAY IT! 😤 I JUST WASN’T FAIR!! 😤🙅🏻‍♀️🙅🏻‍♀️🙅🏻‍♀️

Okay 🤷🏻‍♂️, that does it 🙄, I’m giving you air. 👋🏼😒 From now on 👇🏼, Miss America 👑👸🏻, go 👉🏼 preach at 🙏🏻🗣 someone ✨ new. ✨ You race 🏁 with me 💪🏼😏, you use my rules. 📃 You had your chance 💏👫, you blew it 😬, so we’re through! 🙅🏻‍♂️❌💋

Oh 🥺, Greaseball!!! 😭😭😭

…

Hi 👋🏼, C.B.!

Hi 👋🏻, G.B.! 😁 Heey, what a race! 🙌🏻 What a teeam! 🙌🏻👫

Shush! 🤫 Oh 🤦🏻‍♂️… You mean me & Dinah. 💏 Not 🙅🏻‍♂️ a team anymore ❌👫, C.B. 📻… She’s on her own. 🚶🏻‍♂️

…🥺 😔

[dinahdoeeyes-archived]

Michael Staniforth as CB (London Workshop 1983)

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Greasedinah ohhhh Greasedinah. Nobody does it like you

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Jennifer Schmitz as Pearl in Starlight Express On Ice (1997)

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Guysss, I’ll end up changing his design 50 more times but you’ll have to pry them outta my hands.

(Greaseball is my favourite character actually, he’s just intimidating to draw 😭)

[dinahdoeeyes-archived]

It's been 3 years today since I first discovered Starlight Express! 💖

I LOVE YOU, STEX! 💋🫶🏽

[dinahdoeeyes-archived]

You're right, and you should say it!

After watching the breakdown video idk man I'm just kinda sad abt the London production. Why is it so drastically changed 😔. Yes I know change is ok but like DANG WOW, that's a whole lotta change and a lot of my fave songs and characters are just gone 😔