Belle's Domain

Belle's Domain is a homage to the most spectacular of 1980s Musical Theatre - Starlight Express and Cats.  Currently taking requests for photoset themes!

[24601orwhatever]

I WAS JOKING ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF A PEARL COSTUME CHANGE… BUTI WAS RIGHT .?? 🥹🥹 bye white Pearl hello pinkish gold Pearl..

[bellesdomain]

It's gonna be subtle under stage lighting, but what an improvement! It looks more deliberate peachy than stained and discoloured.

It's been done before - Marissa Dunlop and Jo Gibb had single colour peachy pink, but honestly, the single shade is the thing I don't like about their costumes.

Jo's Pearl is my favourite - apart from the single colour - having the open neckline isn't particularly revealing but the curved bar creating a sweetheart neckline is just cute! The London costumes pushed just a little more human, a little less train, than the Bochum costumes. Maybe it was just the shade that Marissa and Jo ended up with - it was quite a flat peach. I suspect a warmer pink would have veered into skintone range for these performers.

Marissa's 1999 Pearl costume was quite a departure from Cheryl McAvoy in 1998 - who looked much more like the Bochum design. I do much prefer the contrast of slightly darker leggings - a bit of contrast somewhere really helps the audience's eyes decipher what you're looking at, not just a bright blob!

[bellesdomain]

Hi Belle, kinda random but did Bochum ever use the 1 US tour version of the rap? I remember a few months ago a playlist with stex footage was posted and it had a 40 min video that included a version of the rap that sounded like it. The vid looked to be from the mid/ late 90s and engine of love was still there in full.

I know the new London version of the rap was added in 2003 but I don’t think it was that version because they kept saying “hey du” which parent the new stex lyrics, the lighting was also duller compared to the 2003 rap, like literally just the base yellow.

I can’t find the playlist anywhere so maybe I’m just imagining this lol

I'm gonna have to come back when I got more focus and energy to go through archive boxes, but, I think so? Yes? I have a 1992/1993 Bochum script (somewhere... we just been "sorting" and I now can't find the damn thing! looks so much neater tho!) and it has a version of The Rap that doesn't quite align with anything I know audio for, I need to find it to check how close it'd be to the 1st US Tour mix. It's definitely not anything recorded! I wish I had proper trip report from the first time I saw the show in 2001, I only remember bits and pieces, like staging for the Rap but not which version it was!

[bellesdomain]

Im sorry about my earlier post. If you dont mind me asking and you dont mind answering, what is your opinion on the whole olc greasedinah debacle?

I wont deny that their relationship is unhealthy and toxic, but i want to know your stance on it as well, if youre alright with that? /nf

Yeah, the Greaseball/Dinah relationship is actually the most dated and problematic element of the original show imo. Domestic Violence was just accepted in the past, an unfortunate unavoidable character flaw. So when it was written, it was a little old fashioned but not questionable - part of showing that Greaseball is an asshole. But fortunately this is one way our culture is improving! It's no longer acceptable, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen anymore.

The trouble is, Domestic Violence is a cycle... a spiral. When the victim breaks away, the abuser will love-bomb them, apologise, grovel, beg for forgiveness, swear they've changed, they're different... and then... old habits die hard. The abusive behaviours come back worse than ever once their victim has forgiven them and taken them back. Maybe the abuser can learn to change their behaviour with a lot of work, but the vast majority of the time, it's worse than before. When Dinah accepts Greaseball back, those who know how it goes see that she's only going to be abused more. The show doesn't give us nearly enough depth to write Greaseball actually changing and learning how to have a healthy respectful relationship, and 99.98% of lived experience says it's gonna go badly.

I wish they would be brave enough to change the ending of Dinah's story - she stays strong, and doesn't go back to him. It would be such a good example to teach people that you're strong enough to stand alone! Don't change anything up until the very end, instead of the "Greaseball you're hurt?!", restore the Buffy and Ashley "I love it when romance occurs on the railroad..." with lyric updates. Just have Dinah with the other coaches, looking on, but not interacting with Greaseball. She's made up her mind, he's not her problem anymore!

It's sometimes necessary to SHOW the bad shit from the bad guys. Character flaws are needed to tell the story, why is Greaseball so intimidating? because he's a bully. But that doesn't stop him being a super charismatic character! You can enjoy a character who is still a bastard, liking the character is not approving all their behaviour. Telling a good story needs to show us the bad stuff.

[bellesdomain]

hii!!!

i was wondering if u have any pictures of bobby collins as any of the characters, mayhaps??

honestly everything I have and more is on his page on the wiki - https://starlightexpressmusical.fandom.com/wiki/Bobby_Collins

This picture has a story though... sometimes I buy old programmes off Ebay, if I find one I don't think I already have... and one randomly had a few photographic negatives tucked into it. Not 35mm normal camera film, bigger, professional film. They were scratched up and battered, but seemed to be press photos? I guess whoever had them just tucked them into the programme because, related. I did my best with my normal scanner that had a backlight for scanning slides, but the results were not good... eventually, I sent them off to professionals to get them printed and restored, and this is the result! Completely unlabelled, provenance "it fell out of a programme bought on Ebay"!

[bellesdomain]

Have you considered moving the stex and cats wikis to an alternative site? Fandom might be the most unreadable site in the history of mankind

I know, the ads are awful! I was following the drama of the Minecraft wiki moving off Fandom - obviously several orders of magnitude bigger than our theatre world - and they had significant issues, primarily that due to the open license of fandom.com, they can keep everything that's already there, you can't get them to CLOSE the wiki just because the original editors want it closed. The community just has to *KNOW* the other address is the better one!

And that runs into one of the biggest advantages of using fandom.com wikis - the SEO is fantastic. Any search will take you to the wiki in the top results, it's super easy to find. Even if we move the wikis, those links to the old site will remain, and the new one will be far harder to find. Not such a problem for existing fans who love the shows enough to bookmark the wiki, but the majority of the visits are apparently new visitors. IDK how fandom tracks that, if it's logins or cookies, but both wikis are about 90% new hits.

The other advantage of the fandom.com hosting is the ease of use... comparatively, at least, for someone as mid-tier technical as me! It's got plenty of problems but they do seem to genuinely be fixing bugs.

If a genuinely better alternative comes up, I'd definitely be up for discussing moving the wikis - but it'd be a big job and need a whole lot of community involvement, so it would need to have a lot more pros than cons!

[bellesdomain]

okay I have two questions for you

1: do you know if there is any way of obtaining the sheet music for a whole lot of locomotion/nie genug and I do/für immer? I know that there is a music booklet that has I do in it it was released from last year, but I haven't been able to find archive of it, and I know that there has been rehearsal booklets that have been found online I was able to find one from bochum 1992 where it still had dein freund and one from london 1997, that had the new lyrics and plotline that cut C.B, but I'm looking for a more legal way of obtaining it. A friend and I want to rewrite of starlight 2013 to make it less sexist as we both really like that version of the show and miss it.

2: so the photo below it's currently a favorite of my friend, mainly because of how dynamic it looks, and I and I was wondering what cast this is from specifically who's playing Rusty and who's playing caboose

That photo is such a spoiler! I love it! It's Kapa Kitchen and Bernie Blanks, from Bochum 1989. They must have staged it to some degree for 1989 colour photography, but it does feel so dynamic, action packed!

I don't know how you'd get sheet music for Whole Lotta, not legally... Yeah there's the Piano/Vocal selections from Wembley that includes "I Do", that's simple enough, it's on Amazon or Ebay. But getting the dots for Whole Lotta is gonna need someone to leak a rehearsal score, and since 2012 they've been more aware of like - telling people NOT to break copyright and do that.

[bellesdomain]

Have you seen the new cats (jellicle ball)?

I am based in London, and no, I've not seen the Broadway revival... a couple of friends who are big fans of Cats LOVED it though!

I need to get on and book the new non-replica productions that are in my part of the world though!

[bellesdomain]

Hey just a quick question. I have a starlight express Germany ticket dilemma lol, I'm going at the end of August with my family for my 18th birthday but the person in charge of booking tickets, booked the front row of trackside but the centre where you have all the parkett seats in the view of the centre stage 😅 and we are now looking at upgrading the seats however unfortunately the front row of the spinny seats or the parkett pits 😅 are taken unfortunately.

So I'm just wondering, would I be better sitting with my family the second to fourth row back of the parkett spinny seats? Or am I better moving us to the part of track side closest to where Hash/Manga crashes?? This is on the assumption you've seen the German production but I'm just genuinely curious, I don't really have long to decide before both tickets are gone! And I'm also not allowed to go back for the evening show, or at least I haven't asked yet 🙈😅 any advice as to if I should go with the trackside manga crash area or a row or two back but still in the parkett I'd really appreciate it!

honestly there's not a bad seat in the theatre! Only some are quite over-priced :P Trackside is always good! This is quite an old seating plan from when they added the spinny chairs, I don't know if the price bands are still the same, but like - I wouldn't want to pay top price for halfway back in mittel-tribune, but I've sat there for the tech show at the open day and it's a great view! My fave value for money is the back row of the Parkett, because it's on a slope you're almost at track level and loads of action is *RIGHT THERE* behind you The spinny seats are honestly kinda distracting, I'm not a huge fan, though you do have tons of legroom!

I don't think you'd have a bad time with the original seats tbh, anything trackside is good, and the Parkett is well below stage level. Plus experiencing it with your family is important (unless you have someone who can. not. stop. talking...) You're not far back, and you don't have any restricted view the way you do from the closest to the stage.

Here's that central trackside view, pre-show, it's pretty awesome! Everything laid out in front of you. Only possible downside is for the finale when all the Parkett audience stands up, you're gonna have to stand up too!

This is near Hash Crash - amazing, but you do lose a little bit of upstage right, where you can see more clearly into the wings opposite, you lose as much on this side.

I don't think I've got any photos I've taken from inside Parkett, but your head is at knee-level at best so you're looking up at everyone - amazing to see close-up, but you can't keep track of what everyone's doing all around you.

So yeah, you don't really have a bad option, stay with the original seats, move - it's all a good view.

[condense-fanpage]

random question, but if they plan to tour with the Wembley script, do you think control will remain an onstage character?

I think it’s super unlikely as kids on international tours are uncommon and constantly recasting would be a pain.

[bellesdomain]

This is such an interesting point... Control is a BIG role for kids! They are so involved, it's not like little Cosette in Les Mis where you have one big song, or the Joseph kids where you can rehearse the kids separately to the adult performers...

Tours have used local casting as huge amounts of free publicity - the auditions, the winners, the friends and family buying plenty of tickets! But with a role like Control, that's so much rehearsal and training needed.

Touring with kids is possible - but so enormously complicated! Within the UK it's possible, but internationally? Can you imagine the logistics?

Third option - cheapest option - film Control. The kid only appears on the screens... TBH I think this could work really well, the kid appearing so much bigger, peering down at their toy trains, almost to scale for the toys! They'd only need to change some blocking. It's a decent balance between the audio only original staging, and having a real live Control onstage - video would make it much clearer that it's a child's dream, which some people seem to miss...

[bellesdomain]

Starlight fans - if you need a distraction - ridiculous looking game is coming! I adore Town to City, you can pet the kitties and build rolling fields of lavender, it's the most cozy chill game when you want to faff with details like putting exactly the right hanging baskets on the farm houses... IDK if this new game will hit that same vibe, I doubt there's as many styles of lanterns, but I'm looking forward to finding out!

[stex-discussions]

Which is the ‘best’ era of Starlight?

OG 1984 script

OG workshop

Broadway

New Starlight

Vegas

Japan/Aus

UK tour

Asia tour

Early Bochum

2000s-2018 Bochum

Post-2018 Bochum

Wembley Revival

Voting ended onMay 4

[bellesdomain]

I don't think any one production was *PERFECT*, but I think from the perspective of telling the story (and unlimited budget!) the Japan/Aus tour got the balance best. I don't know their races would have made total sense watching the show, but having the full Caboose sub-plot makes up for it! If the show doesn't have "There's Me", then it's not as good as it should be!

[bellesdomain]

Belle there STEX lost media of the London Production from 1991

https://youtu.be/zZcfbYBFnGI?si=8wEfeCx4jFZZVKPV

https://youtu.be/x-mYEtF1FXI?si=dp86Uj_A-_rr_I_t

I like how Gary Cordice commented "That's not Gary Cordice"!

I've always assumed people made bootlegs pretty much throughout the runs, but whether or not they traded or just kept for themselves, back in the pre-digital days, who knows. There's likely recordings out there of most years.

[bellesdomain]

Hi Belle..it’s me again.. I’m very curious to see if you have any not so seen photos of new stex era dinah!! She was so cutie patootie in that era!!! <333

Later London? I've got some great photos, but I don't know they're particularly rare? I've thrown them around the internet a lot!

Dinah and Electra, Linford Christie and her off Gladiators promoting a new edition of Trivial Persuit - of course!

Prince Edward hanging out with the cast...

Sean Maguire, apparently, with Anna Jane Casey as Dinah

Dinah skating at Eastbourne seafront!

I LOVED Helen Latham as Dinah! She was so cute and funny - she never *quite* mastered skating to the level of the other cast, but a clumsy Dinah works so well!

Dinah here let me take costume detail photos specifically - so thankful!

I just love the progression year by year - 1992, 1994 - 2001 The costumes developed year on year - not always successful but the experimentation let them keep things fresh and interesting and find improvements - like Buffy looked better with mid-brown gloves. Also love the complete random order of characters for photoshoots :P

[bellesdomain]

new "Call Me Rusty" image (I think)

Yeah! We've got a good few photos from that photoshoot, but not seen that particular shot before!

[bellesdomain]

I'm curious, you said that in OLC some parts of the race course were named after places in the US, but I didn't see anything like that in the reconstruction races (not like I've watched the whole reconstruction as of now XD). Could you give me some examples, please?/nm/nf

This is actually a pretty deep dive topic... all the parts of the track were named, but more for the production's benefit than telling the story to the audience. I can only remember one real name - "Rockville Alley", and while I know I was told the origin story, I can't remember! Other named sections that come to mind are more literal, S bend, Prompt Corner.

The Broadway production leant much heavier into US locations on the set, and Japan/Australia followed suit with replica scenery filling the spaces between the tracks.

The set background photos were used as the background for the production photos, very difficult to untangle the images!

I love the sense of scale, they're racing past a 4' tall palm tree :D

Imagine how amazing it would be to get hold of these photos, proper full scale hard copies where you could make out ALL the details!

I do find it interesting that they decided to go in the opposite direction for Bochum - rather than adding more detail and locations, really dialling up the model railway feel, they went minimalist and conceptual, industrial and let all the focus be on the performers. They flat-out dropped the concept of a "Race across America" for the German production, which was still definitely a feature in Japan.

I don't know, but I suspect that the model railway layout with areas of the track given geographical identities was something always intended, but the 1984 production didn't have the time or budget to really realise the concept. But by the time they took the show to Broadway in 1987, they could lean into it! And then an arena tour? Blank canvas! Absolutely ideal to make a model railway that runs the whole way across America! But they decided not to tell that part of the story in Germany, so, very different direction, much closer to the original.

[stex-actors-maxxing]

Actor maxxing: Day 4

Dustin Debreuil

Dustin - 1996-97 (Bochum)

Turnov - 1999-00 (London)

Swing - 2000-01 (London)

Greaseball - 2001-02 (London)

Electra - 2003-04 (US Tour)

[bellesdomain]

Dustin is still one of my top Greaseballs of all time - he just had SO MUCH FUN! Yeah he was an inconsiderate D.I.C.K but he was so charismatic and just didn't stop and think... didn't stop, didn't think, wasn't his style. He had a smile that made everyone swoon, and he smelled wonderful - I don't know what fragrance he used but you could smell Greaseball was coming in a surprisingly delightful way! I used to see the show from the Standing Room, at the back of the stalls, and Greaseball entered after AC/DC throught that space.

Dustin's Electra was "Tugger on Wheels" in a way that John Partridge's Electra absolutely wasn't! He was the most hetero Electra I ever seen, he suited Greaseball SO much better but he found an angle to make Electra work for him. But Greaseball, his Greaseball was the perfect later version of the character, the absurdly charismatic champion, thoughtless, inconsiderate but not intentionally abusive. The loveable, forgivable, super fun baddie.

His passing is one of the most tragic losses to Musical Theatre, and to everyone who knew him. I'm just a fan, but I was such a fan of his!

[bellesdomain]

hii!! I'm sure youve been asked this multiple times... but im making a caboose cosplay based off the 2006 bochum/broadway versions.. i was wondering if u have any photos of the chestplate/shoulder thing (back and front), the belt, and the gloves he has, as well as just the logos all ove rhim.... sorry if thats too much!!

I don't have much time right now, but check my previous posts with #cb the red caboose I think I've covered a lot of the details before... come back if you need more specifics!