Platform To Great Things

NEIL COOPER

'Woo woo," says James Gillan as he rollerskates into the upstairs bar of the Edinburgh Playhouse. "Woo woo." He's impersonating a train. This justifies why he's dressed like a cross between Casey Jones and a particularly camp extra from Mad Max, though it does not make the hardened gaggle of photographers gathered for the press call of the first UK tour of the new, improved, 21st-century version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express appear any

more impressed. James and the actress playing Buffy – "a sweet and simple snack car which offers something for everyone" – strike a pose. Side by side, all stiff-backed and teeth'n'smiles, the pair look for all the world like a science fiction Torville and Dean.

"Would it be possible to do something a bit more animated?" asks one of the photographers gamely.

"On a carpet on rollerskates? Not much, no," snaps James.

The day's running late due to the sartorial elaborateness of getting into Gillan's outfit, and the Glasgow-born actor is appearing live on Scottish TV in an hour to publicise the show. The lady from the Sun is hanging around, and, as we digest the contents of our Starlight Express "data files", songs from the show play tinnily out of a ghetto blaster.

Fact: the show's original lyrics were penned by sometime resident of Countdown's dictionary corner, Richard Stilgoe, while choreography is by Arlene Phillips, the woman behind Hot Gossip, the dance troupe that provided "the naughty bits" to Kenny Everett's TV show, but which in light of the hip-thrusting video to Eric Prydz's Call On Me would now probably look rather tame.

Fact: Starlight Express opened in London on March 27, 1984, and closed on January 12, 2002, after an almost 18-year run in the West End.

Fact: at the time, it was second only to Cats as the longest-running musical in British theatre history. Fact: Starlight Express has one of the most eye-poppingly ludicrous plots in theatre history.

A nine-year-old boy dreams of his model trains, each of which he invests with a personality. He then dreams up a competition, in which each engine pulls a piece of rolling stock along with it as it attempts a series of death-defying feats. As the engines couple and uncouple, with plucky underdogs competing against stronger and faster competition, a "powerful lesson about the human spirit" is learned. Think, then, Thomas the Tank Engine meets Wacky Races on the set of Rollerball.

 "And Cinderella," according to Gillan, dressed down in his civvies later on once the photographers have dispersed. "That's a really important side to it as well. I get letters every week from children who say they've been bullied at school and who relate to my character and say the show's given them encouragement to stand up to the bullies."

Gillan plays Rusty, a "shy, naive steam engine", who "fears modern technology has passed him by".

Gillan's first stint with Starlight Express was seven years ago, since when he's been nominated for an Olivier Award, played Peter Pan at the Royal Festival Hall opposite Richard Wilson's Hook, worn a frock for the young women's parts in two Shakespeares at The Globe under Mark Rylance, recorded an album of show tunes and last year played androgynous pop tart Marilyn in the Boy George musical, Taboo. Arch-narcissist that he is, the real Marilyn went to see Gillan in Taboo, and the pair met.

Beyond such showbiz flim-flammery, however, you suspect there's a serious actor just waiting for the right break. Gillan fell into acting after watching his big brother in youth theatre, which he eventually joined, partially to build confidence because of a serious stutter. The full-on thrill and pzazz of musical theatre may have been the initial attraction, but James has other ambitions.

"I'd love to do straight theatre parts," he says, "but because I've done loads of musicals, a lot of casting directors only see that about you and aren't really interested."

Even so, when he was only 22, Gillan was nominated for an Olivier award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the stage version of The Who's rock opera, Tommy.

"At that time," he admits, "I was running round chasing my own tail in search of work, and it all became too much for me.It came out of the blue and I couldn't get my head round it. It was too much too soon. I could probably deal with it a lot better now, but it ain't gonna happen now, is it? I've had my fun." He's only half-joking when he says this, but, rather than chase the bright lights some more, Gillan seems quite content to wait and see what comes his way. Indeed, long term, the fame train is one Gillan can see himself jumping off from.

"One day," he singsongs, before rushing off to the taxi that will take him to the TV studio, "I'd like to give it all up, move back to Scotland, live in the country and do crafts or pot jam."

Woo woo, indeed.

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