05/03/2026
In about 10 hours, *Starlight Express* in London will take its final bow.
I first saw it during its original West End run in 1998. I went in with zero expectations, but for some reason—one I still can’t quite explain—I became completely obsessed. The music (I’ve always been a sucker for Andrew Lloyd Webber) was incredible, but it was more than that. If you went to sleepaway camp with me that summer, you probably heard me belting *“I Am the Starlight”* at least a hundred times.
Since I didn’t live anywhere near London, and the original run closed in 2002, I assumed my chance to ever see it again was gone. Sure, it’s been running continuously in Bochum, Germany since 1988—but that never felt like a realistic trip.
But then came one of those unexpected gifts of adulthood: a new production at Wembley Park Theatre in London. Suddenly, I found myself saying to my family, “What if we went to London for spring break…?”
And last year, we actually did it. Along with exploring London and all its incredible attractions, I got to return to this show that had lived in my memory for decades.
When the lights dimmed and the music began—*“When your goodnights have been said and you are lying in bed…”*—I was sitting there in that stunning theater, my son beside me, and the tears just started falling. Completely uncontrollable. Those are the moments that hit the deepest.
The show was amazing. And this time, I was a grown-up—I could buy all the merchandise I wanted without asking permission. But more importantly, I got to experience it again in a fresh, dynamic way, with the family I’ve built.
Maybe it’ll be another 27 years before I see it again. But if it is… I’ll be ready.
