Swept up by skate show

I went with a slightly biased viewpoint, as a roller derby skater I could not wait to see how the performers would translate A-grade choreographer by Arlene Phillips onto eight wheels.

But after a while you begin to forget about the skates and view the performance as you would any other. And I wasn’t disappointed.

These are not roller skaters pushed onto the stage – but West End superstars who learnt the skill from scratch for the show. Which is probably why when one of the skaters lost a wheel mid-song I was completely oblivious – too wrapped up in the fantastic performances.

Where Starlight Express falls down is the plot. Basically there isn’t very much to it. Trains having a race, interspersed with the traditional Lloyd Webber underdog-championing-while-winning-the-girl sub-plot.

But if you let yourself get swept away by the magic of Starlight Express, that doesn’t matter.

There were some stand-out performances, particularly by Mykal Rand as Electra, whose spins and jumps had Torvill and Dean-like qualities, and Ruthie Stephens’ Dinah, who added comedy and spark.

Perhaps Starlight Express isn’t ideally suited to your most highbrow theatre goer, but if you want a night of escapist fun, it won’t let you down.

LINDSAY PANTRY