Starlight Express/YMMV

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • Accidental Innuendo: In the "Lotta Locomotion" number, Buffy (the buffet car) invites the audience to "come and bite my burgers." Uh, okay, Buffy....
    • The full verse, for reference:

Buffy at your service, ever open wide.
My microwave is cooking to warm you from inside.
A lotta locomotion will do the trick--
Come and bite my burgers; I'm hot and cheap and quick.

  • Cargo Ship: Technically, all the relationships in the show. They are toy trains.
  • Cult Classic: The dedication exhibited by this show's small group of fans (when compared to the likes of The Phantom of the Opera, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Wizard of Oz, or even Cats) is of Rocky Horror-esque proportions.
  • Ensemble Darkhorse: Electra's components.
    • CB/Caboose also to an extent.
  • Germans Love This Musical
    • It's also worth noting that the show is far better known and more popular in the UK and Europe than it is in the US. It's a fairly obscure musical there.
  • High Octane Nightmare Fuel: C.B., once you figure out that he's a goddamn serial killer who hasn't ever been caught.
  • Spotlight-Stealing Squad: Pearl is a one-woman spotlight-stealer in most post-1992 productions.
  • This Is Your Premise on Drugs: Imagine Cinderella meeting The Little Engine That Could in an acid disco.
  • Unfortunate Implications: All the engines are male. Some of the show's detractors were hyperfocused on this discrepancy. (The all-male freight trucks, who seem to be more disadvantaged than either the engines or the coaches, mitigate the circumstances somewhat.)
    • It's worth noting that for a small time in the London show the swing for Electra was in fact female.
  • Visual Effects of Awesome: From the unique rollerskating to the innovative set design with race tracks laid out around the stage and the auditorium. All of this makes Starlight Express an unforgettable experience.
  • What Do You Mean It's for Kids?: Depending on the incarnation, Starlight Express includes hate-motivated beatings, a Serial Killer villain, Domestic Abuse, marital infidelity, a young woman singing a solo about her favorite sexual experience, a retired prostitute, a character who maintains an equal-opportunity harem, an ocean's worth of sexual innuendo in general, and references to smoking, alcohol, and drugs. The show manages to get away with all these elements because the characters are anthropomorphic toy trains. The Las Vegas version of the musical, which featured the main female characters in showgirl costumes, actually wasn't intended for kids, but attracted family audiences regardless.
  • What Do You Mean It Wasn't Made on Drugs?: Starlight Express attracts three main demographics: children, lovers of Camp, and stoners.
  • Why Would Anyone Take Him Back?: Dinah accepts Greaseball, who's cheated on her and is implied to beat her, back into her life at the first opportunity. (One might also think the same thing about Rusty accepting Pearl's apology...)