Starlight Express

Starlight Express is coming to the Sunderland Empire from 14 to 31 July 2027, as part of a brand-new world tour production. It's Andrew Lloyd Webber's steam-powered musical, with music by Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe.

The story follows Rusty, a beaten-up old steam train, and his friends, who bring a child's train set to life and race to become the world's fastest engine. If you've never seen it, the whole thing is performed on roller skates, with the cast playing trains on a track that runs through the theatre. It's a fair bit different from your usual night at the Empire.

It's been around for a long time, too. It first opened on Broadway in 1987 at the Gershwin Theatre, where it ran for 761 performances and picked up a Tony for John Napier's costumes. Since then, it's played more than 7,000 times in London, making it the West End's tenth longest-running show, and it's been running continuously in Bochum, Germany, since 1988, drawing over 20 million visitors. The London revival won the 2025 Olivier Award, and more than 30 million people worldwide have seen it. This is a new world tour production, so it's a fresh take on a show that's been running in various forms for nearly forty years.

It'll be at the Sunderland Empire from 14 to 31 July 2027, so you've got a few weeks to choose from across the run.