Tonight for one month only Starlight Express rolled into Edinburgh 's Playhouse Theatre, thankfully this was one train ride that wasn't delayed or cancelled.

Starlight Express is an international phenomenon, touring worldwide and playing for over 18 years in London before it closed, revamping for the 21 st Century with Starlight Express The 3 rd Dimension, the first UK touring production of this highly popular musical. It's a typical boy meets girl, boy loses girl, and boy wins back girls heart with a feat of courage against all odds story. Yet this does stand out from your run of the mill musical due to the fact that the action takes place entirely on roller skates in a set resembling a skating park. This is all highly entertaining watching the energetic cast put themselves through a series of flips and twists expertly choreographed by Arlene Philips. Yet any good musical is always remembered primarily for the quality of the songs and Starlight Express has them in abundance. Taking in Rock and Roll, Rap, Country and Pop along the way the audience clapped and cheered along with every number. Standout numbers being Rolling Stock sung brilliantly by Tom Kanavan and the bluesy Poppa Blues performed with a beautifully smoky voice by Gavin Ashbarry.

The only let down in this fine performance was the 3 rd Dimension aspect. Replacing the original race, the cast whizzing past the audience at breakneck speed, with a 30 second 3D video clip which although entertaining was not as exhilarating as seeing a number of actors racing past in a blur of brightly coloured costumes. Theatre has always been there to entertain and this show certainly does that with its big songs, bright costumes and superb skating.