I'll be honest. I was prepared for the fact that this was an Andrew Lloyd Webber, and excited by the fact that it was on roller skates. When I discovered it was all about trains and that the plot revolves around rivalries between diesel, electric and steam engines, I began to have second thoughts. When I entered the theatre and was presented with a video screen playing images of what looked like Thomas the Tank Engine, my heart sank; it seemed that my concerns were justified. To a certain extent, they were; if you go to this show expecting high-brow artistic merits, you'll be disappointed: there's no profundity, a predictable plot, and pretty painful lyrics. However, the glory of Starlight Express resides in the fact that it doesn't take itself seriously, and it doesn't pretend to offer any more than it gives; it is, quite simply, an excessive and entertaining extravaganza.

The entertainment comes in a vast array of impressive forms. In parts, it resembles a pop concert, with four miked and made-up girls in sparkling suits, gyrating and singing in unison, both on stage and on overhead video screens; in other parts, we switch to hip-hop, with break dancers and rappers swizzling and grunting away. Whilst at times we are treated to the blues, at others, along comes the full-on Lloyd Webber cheese; and, to top it all, every bit is conducted on roller skates. To be honest, this feat inspires as much anxiety as awe. Certainly at first, I had that feeling you get at the circus, when the ballerina is doing a one-handed handstand on the tightrope-walker's upstretched arm.it definitely adds an extra thrill. As the performers swerved precariously close to the edge of the stage, I felt relieved not to have front-row seats, however, they showed such extreme mastery that I soon found myself able to relax.

The space is mastered skillfully and the movement not just gratuitously showy but appropriately stylized, with an impressive amount of attention to detail. The show is an incredible achievement on both a creative and physical level; even when the performers are allowed a brief pause from the carefully-coordinated zooming and jumping, they have to maintain the level of poised rigidity fitting for a train. The roller skates aren't simply a gimmick, but suit the mood of the piece - what better tool could there be to facilitate the human portrayal of the swift, smooth movement of a train? The technical as well as the physical effects are wonderfully juicy: the lights are as glitzy and showy as the costumes, and the 3D videos (for which audience members are asked to pop on their "safety goggles") are as full of tricks as the skaters' showy moves.

The fact that the show has a tongue in cheek undertone allows the writers to get away with rhyming words like "traveling" and "with gravel in", and to base love songs upon the catchy refrain "He'll whistle at me". I joke not, it really is catchy. Starlight Express achieves exactly what it sets out to do. Yes, the laughs are cheap, but they don't set out to be anything more, so just make sure you're in the mood for some glorious escapism, bursting with colour and creativity. What a spectacle! It should be called Starlight Excess.

Holly Dickens , 10 March, 2005