Spotlight on 'Starlight Express' with Jade Marvin

As part of a series celebrating some of the West End's longest-running shows, we speak to Jade Marvin, who stars as Momma in the hit Starlight Express revival, now playing at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre.

Summary

• Andrew Lloyd Webber and Richard Stilgoe's musical is about a group of trains coming to life
• Jade Marvin plays Momma
• Hit songs include "AC/DC"; “Light at the End of the Tunnel” and the title track "Starlight Express"

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Richard Stilgoe's 1984 musical Starlight Express was revived for London audiences in 2024, finding its home at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, which was transformed into The Starlight Auditorium. Complete with a specially engineered track, the venue is a thrilling, immersive opportunity to get up close to Lloyd Webber's famous trains.

Jade Marvin, who has remained in the cast as Momma since performances began in 2024, and recently won a Black British Theatre Award for the part, speaks to LondonTheatre.co.uk about skating too fast and the message audiences can take from each of the show's characters.

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Why do you think Starlight Express has lasted for so long in London?

This show is such a spectacle, the songs are iconic and there really is something for everyone. We’ve seen so many multi-generational families come and create special memories, as well as people who remember the show from the Apollo and UK tours and now love our revival version. All of the characters have huge individual fanbases and they come so often to cheer on their favourites. The fans really have made Starlight such a phenomenon!

What is the best audience reaction you have seen to Starlight Express?

The audiences every night are right there with us, cheering at every race and chanting ‘steam’ super loudly and we really see every smiling face in the audience, as it’s so immersive. The closing night for the original cast this June was electric. The audience was full of friends, family and die-hard fans who had been with us for the whole year and it was such a glorious celebration and supportive night.

What is your favourite moment in Starlight Express?

I’ve been lucky enough to watch the show twice and the whole starlight sequence is just magical, it really choked me up both times! I can’t believe I get to be a part of that magic for our audiences.

My favourite moment to perform is after "Momma's Blues" with the trucks going into race two with Hydra. All the different combinations of trucks we have are so cheeky and fun to play with and getting to race with all our Hydras, but especially Jaydon [Vijn], is just the best. We get to do lots of ‘huffing and puffing’ acting and it’s so fun whizzing around. I always get told off for going too fast!

What is a little-known secret about performing in Starlight Express?

I don’t want to spoil the magic but the Mommas do a whole costume change before the starlight sequence and then get back into their red Momma costume before their next entrance and so many people don’t even notice this because the lighting is so dark and the stars are so sparkly. Keep a look out next time you come! Also we don’t have visual monitors like a normal theatre, so our musical director and stage manager communicate with us via our in-ear monitors, giving us musical cues and telling us vital information throughout the show. We couldn’t do the show without them.

What do you hope audiences take away from Starlight Express?

I really hope people who watch realise how hard we’re working! By the end of the megamix, we are dripping with sweat but it’s so worth it to see all the beaming faces. One of the main themes of the show is believing in yourself and I hope people feel this in their hearts and stand a little taller, knowing that they can achieve much more than they think! Stand up for yourself like Dinah, go with confidence like Greaseball, know you have people in your corner who’ll support you like Momma, and even if you’re the underdog like Rusty, you can still be the winner!

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Photo credit: Jade Marvin in Starlight Express. (Photo by Pamela Raith)