#Dustin the Big Hopper

[tabooi]

Starlight Express, Bochum 1989

[phopollo]

You guys ever think about how there's currently 2 productions of Starlight Express happening at the same time with two separate groups of characters who fill the same roles

Aofjsod this reminded me why so far I've only been drawing the 2024 cast, I did not pick a good style for my first time drawing the Bochum cast

Anyways, here's the separate drawings too that aren't all squished

[chipontherailroad]

Train to the coast? NAH! TRAINS ON THE COAST!

(This art makes absolutely no sense and I love it for that) ☀️🏐🚂🏖️

[stealthkragen]

aggregates are really great

[uselessjester]

I've never drawn Dustin before, but i guess he turned out alright

[cryptic-mythos]

AAAA I NEVER POSTED THIS

Underrated duo time!!!!

A little OOC but hey this was fun

[wonderful-magician]

Dustin and flat-top!

Two more people of the freight left guys....

[tabooiart]

STEX APPRECIATION MONTH DAY 14: DUSTIN

Favorite Actor(s): Gavin Ashbarry is the ONLY Dustin and I am not exaggerating.

Favorite Song/Scenes: Rusty And Dustin is such a cute scene eeeee. Also love how shy he is during his intro in Freight

Favorite Costume(s): Broadway and Japan/Aus since his makeup there is Not Scary as opposed to Bochum which for decades insisted on giving him the scariest makeup ever. At least the 2018 update fixed him <3

Favorite Ships/Friendships: I don't ship him with anyone since I see him as aro/ace! His closest friends are Rusty, Flat Top, and CB!!!

Headcanons: Dustin collects cool rocks he finds by the tracks on the freight routes. He keeps them lined up in his section of the shed :)

Unpopular Opinion: I don't think this is unpopular but oh my god they NEED to stop hiring the tiniest little twig men and sticking them in fat suits. I feel like especially the latest Bochum casts have been getting the guys with the thinnest faces ever it's so creepy. Just get some fat guys to play him Please.

[dinahdoeeyes]

My ideal production of Starlight Express.

I suppose I'll just get right into it. First the list of characters, then the songs (excluding little bits/non-songs like Taunting Rusty and the races), then the rest.

Cast:

Rusty

Pearl

Greaseball

Dinah

Electra

CB

Ashley

Buffy

Poppa

Belle, the Sleeping Car (called Memphis Belle)

Dustin

Flat-Top

The Rockies

Volta, Joule, Wrench, Purse, and Krupp

The original National Engines

Duvay and the Sleepers

Control

Setlist (* = will be addressed below):

Entry Of National Trains

Rolling Stock

Call Me Rusty

A Lotta Locomotion ('83 Workship version, but with Buffy added)

He Whistled At Me (Minus the Rusty/Pearl conversation)

*Dinah/Greaseball duet

Freight (With the girls bullying the boys)

AC/DC

Pumping Iron ("Trying to build my body, trying to lose my mind" and "Stretching my bullworker, heaving on my weights" switch spots because I just feel that it'd sound better that way.)

Sleepers moment

*Dinah solo

Hitching and Switching (probably original)

Crazy

*That was Unfair (extended)

That's Me/There's Me (duet)

Poppa's Blues

Belle's Song (Combo of OG & Broadway — especially "sniffing the coke")

Starlight Express

The Rap: Hey You

*Make Up My Heart

Pearl Twirl

U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D.

Girls' Rolling Stock

Wide Smile (Mostly the Broadway version, except he says the OG "...C.B." in the chorus instead of Broadway's "...the Red Caboose," until the ending after Electra & co leave.)

I Was Robbed

Right Place, Right Time

I Am The Starlight

Rusty and Dustin

*Dinah's Disco (extended)

No Comeback

One Rock & Roll Too Many

I Do and/or Only You (I really want "I Do," and it feels redundant to do both in a row, but I feel like "Only You" is important?)

*GreaseDinah reunion (extended)

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Starlight Express Megamix (of course)

Notes:

We are leaning hard into the 80's here! None of that trying to modernize StEx they've been doing since the 90's. It doesn't work, and the hyper-80's...ness is one of the best things about StEx!

This is about 60% the 1984 original, so keep that in mind.

Dinah & Greaseball look most like the original Dinah and Greaseball. (Though Dinah's hair looks like this. I'll get to her costumes below.) Greaseball looks completely like Jeff Shankley's GB.

Most of the costumes look like the Broadway versions.

However, Pearl gets 3 costumes; her pants outfit from the '84 previews (but with white pants), followed by her sleek Broadway dress outfit (w/ Electra), and then the fluffy dress outfit (w/ GB).

Dinah has 2 costumes; the first one being more Broadway (but I dislike the leggings, so different ones), and then, when she pairs with Electra, she changes to an outfit that is similar to her OG outfit.

C.B.'s look is very similar to the original, except his pants are black, and he has his later hat.

I want some of the choreography from the '83 workshop. ( x x x x )

Dinah & Greaseball banter a bit because "Incapable of feeding yourself, Greaseball?" Ohhh *chef's kiss* 2017 London Workshop did something right!

*Dinah & Greaseball get a couple's duet. It's a fun, cute, rock/80's pop mix song that touches on their love for each other and how they don't care about others' bullshit. ("Our Lips Are Sealed" kind of vibes, I suppose.)

Ashley and Duvay are sisters.

Greaseball pulls the girls during "Freight," like he originally did.

*Dinah gets a solo after "Pumping Iron" after the Sleepers talk their bullshit. It'd be about 3½ minutes long. If you've read my Dinah rants, you can get an idea of what it's about.

Greaseball, Bobo, and Espresso are part of the choreography during "Crazy" toward the end, racing around with Dinah, Ashley, and Buffy. (I promise this is FIRE in my head. Have faith. 🥺)

*Grease & Dinah have a longer argument before their breakup.

Dinah and C.B. have a duet. It's the Broadway version of There's Me combined with That's Me. (Dinah singing her solo part first.)

*Pearl sings "Make Up My Heart" about Rusty, Electra, and Greaseball. (Explanation here.)

*"U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D." is slower, sadder, and has more lyrics, like it was in the '83 workshop.

Buffy & Ashley are finally canon. It's Complicated™️, but they get it together by the end.

*"Dinah's Disco" is a bit longer, as is *Dinah & Greaseball's reunion/makeup.

Pearl is absolutely like original Pearl in this: A selfish bitch (who learns and gets better by the end); she is not "naive." ("Further from my vision" over "Sadder but no wiser.")

We actually acknowledge that Pearl is an asshole. But, like Greaseball, she learns and is working on herself by the end! 🙌🏽

Pearl apologizes to Dinah at the end. FINALLY. (During a break in LATEOTT.)

Control loves the trains/coaches/freight, and they love him. He's just a bossy little kid, but they're also actin' up. (I'm open to Control being a girl.)

Electra and the Components do come back.

I... think that's it. I hope didn't forget anything.

CHOO CHOO! 💋

[calocera]

EPIC rap battles of history…FREIGHT…versus…COACH

[tabooi]

Shout out to every single one of the original freight characters for having been written out of the show at least once now

[phopollo]

Burnout hit hard

Here's some self indulgent au doodle stuff that's helped me work through it a smidge

[rainbowratsstuff]

I'm going to restock the CB phone charms!

I want to add Rusty too and perhaps another train like BV who was suggested or Electra who was the second most popular on my original stex merch poll. But who do you think should be made alongside CB and Rusty? Or should I just make these two

Follow up question. I'm considering redrawing these guys (and making chibi versions of the new production). Do you think I should stick with these original ones to stay in the same style as the CB one or draw new ones in my updated style?

Something like this 👆

[dogsamadoodles]

Some Dustin and Flats cause I’ve been thinking about them a lot🤲

[gutsofgold]

Who peeled dustin bro

[thecoolguy24601]

Live footage of The Freight’s funeral (2024, colorized)