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Just a little ask - does anyone know any fics where Rusty's rust causes him problems/is treated like a medical condition?? I think it's a really interesting concept but I can't find much on it rip. Anything would be appreciated!!

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80S/90S COACHES HELL YEA

Cvnt is their middle name

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Our fave dining coach <3333 og version!

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Does anyone know why Rusty sometimes has a hat and sometimes just doesn't?? Even if it's played by the same person? Or does he change it through the show?

Personally I love hat rusty but this has always confused me haha

dear parents, if your child is smiling at their phone it doesnt always mean they have a boyfriend/girlfriend maybe they're just looking at pictures of rusty the steam engine specifically when he's being played by kevin köhler

hes cute i want to kiss him (the character)

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Okay hear me out for a sec... The coaches but their costumes are based on different fashion time periods. Obviously still with short skirts so they can move but with aspects inspired by historical dresses - like imagine Pearl based off the Renaissance with a pink embroidered corset with tiny pearl embellishments?!?

And Dinah from the 1950s ofc, one of the coaches could be Tudor inspired?? Or Victorian or regency?? And their hair!!!!

Idk man I just love fashion history and seeing history-inspired-but-with-a-modern-twist garments.

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Somebody has been uploading kareoke for the london revamp but also the OLC and the new starlight express soundtrack and it's the BEST THING EVER I AM FOREVER IN YOUR DEBT

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Whenever I feel down I remember I can watch the Japan Australia stex tour promo song 'the train' which FREAKING SLAPS.

The choreo?? Vocals?? Costumes?? Pearl sitting at the side in a neck brace?? Perfection. (apart from Pearl rip her neck)

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If I had a nickel every time my sixth form MESSED UP the mock music exam by sending the wrong audio for the paper, i would have two nickels. Which isn't very much but INSANE how it's happened twice?!?

Exam started at 1. We waited for an hour in silence as they got the correct audio. Got out at 4.15, AN HOUR AFTER THE SCHOOL DAY FINISHES!!

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No comeback is the most valid crash out - bro literally said "losing's not my style so I can't show my face now" and "didn't win so I'll go" 😡😡

I love him

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ART DUMP !! ( DONT WORRY I WILL GET TO REQUESTS SOON)

slightly obsessed with bobby collins rusty lately hes just so cutie

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Thinking back to when I booked my tickets for Wembley stex revival, it was when they first announced the show and there was NO castlist, NO songlist or character list, NO physical set and I basically had no idea what I was paying for lmao.

Thank god it was worth it is all I can say

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I need fics of Thomas in America with Robert I'm BEGGING.

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Missing Dinah’s little country accent so bad rn just want it back 😔😔

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I JUST HAD SUCH A GOOD IDEA (in my eyes anyway lmao)

So my fave song from starlight express has always been Next Time You Fall in Love but obviously it's not in the show anymore and I understand why it was replaced BUT,,,

I had a vision of Pearl and Dinah singing a paragraph each and then the chorus together, like lamenting their love lives and then they see each other and hug and forgive!!?!! For pretty much straight after the final before Rusty comes along,, or possibly right before it when Dinah dumps Electra? Idk like it could be such a sweet moment and show solidarity between them??

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No cause this is literally perfect. I actually love the idea of make up my heart being act two, not 100% confident on Pearl being a selfish bitch though 😭 I think there is a part of her that is very naive and doesn't register the consequences of her actions. I like the idea of costume changes as well, something we've never really gotten in Starlight Express.

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 just 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:

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!

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

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 one being more Broadway (but I dislike the leggings, so different ones), and then, when she pairs with Electra, she changes to and 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.

Dinah and C.B. have a duet. It's the Broadway version of There's Me combined with That's Me. (Dinah singing 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 trains/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! 💋

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Tbh, it's a great view from anywhere! I sat in the second section of seats inside the track, on the second row. It's quite cool to be near the front because you can feel the wind as the actors skate past, and if you're lucky enough to have a small child in front of you, they'll come right up and interact with your section. Also I made direct eye contact with some of the cast during the show😱 might have been because I couldnt stop smiling though. The seats high up next to the stage look quite good aswell! So you're looking down on the action and also get them skating past you.

But honestly it's just a great view wherever you are.

for people who have been to the stex london revival , what seats would you recommend ?

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Thanks for offering haha, it's mostly the western classical topic that I just can't do, also my college screwed me over by not giving me a teacher for three months. Perks of being a 'loss making subject'.

Guess who's failing A-Level music!