Dustin is the Big Hopper in the musical Starlight Express

Starlight Express

Starlight Express is a rock musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber , Richard Stilgoe and Arlene Phillips , with later revisions by Don Black and David Yazbek . The story follows a child's dream in which his toy train set comes to life; famously the actors perform wearing roller skates...

. He is a gentle, kind-hearted soul who is very shy and very sensitive, especially about his weight. His closest friend is Flat-Top

Flat-Top the Brick Truck

Flat-Top is the brick truck from the musical Starlight Express. Often played as a punk, Flat-Top tries his hardest to be seen as the rebel without a cause. Still, underneath it all, he's actually a sweet and caring kind of guy. He idolizes Greaseball but doesn't see how mean Greaseball is until he...

 but he is also close to Rusty

Rusty the Steam Engine

Rusty is a fictional character from the musical Starlight Express. He is the protagonist of the musical. Rusty is a steam engine, relegated to the sidings, who dreams of winning the Championship Engine of the World races. He is roundly mocked for this ambition, as steam is old fashioned, and...

 and the rest of the freight yard residents - the Rockies and Poppa. When Poppa decides to race in heat three, Dustin is desperate to race with him. Sadly, it was too much for Poppa due to Dustin's weight but when he races with Rusty for the downhill final, they win!

Musical Numbers

Although not a singing role, Dustin plays a key part in Starlight Express. His only solo lines are during Freight, plus dialogue scenes after Poppa's Blues and the Starlight Sequence. He also guides everyone to find Rusty after he disappears, having won the final race together.

Costume

Dustin's role in the freight train is as a hopper

Hopper car

A hopper car is a type of railroad freight car used to transport loose bulk commodities such as coal, ore, grain, track ballast, and the like. The name originated from the coke manufacturing industry which is part of the steel industry ....

. He carries coal in his capacious body, as is seen through his open shirt front. He wears sturdy work clothes- faded check shirt and trousers held up with braces. His helmet is reminiscent of a safety helmet, the "safety first" ethic suits his character. His large shoulders are a direct copy of the shape of a coal hopper, one of the most literal designs in Starlight Express.

Dustin's outfit was redesigned for Starlight on Ice. He becomes more extreme with no waistline discernible, a very large, clownish figure.

Actors

London

• Gary Love
• Drue Williams
• Geoffrey Stevens
• Nick Lloyd
• Greg Ellis
  Greg Ellis (actor)
  Greg Ellis is an English actor known for his TV, movie, and video game voice over work. He has appeared in films such as the Pirates of the Caribbean series, the 2009 Star Trek film , Titanic, Beowulf, To End All Wars, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith...
  
  
• Danny Metcalfe
• Gary Noakes
• George Canning
• Mark Davis
• Graham Martin
• Jason Capewell
• Carl Sanderson
• Dale Branston

Broadway

• Michael Scott Gregory

Japan/Australia

• Geoffrey Stevens

Bochum

• Gary Noakes
• Glenn Neate
• Ramon Visser
• Nick Lloyd
• Jesse Adams
• Steven Dry
• Yilmaz Aktepe
• Chris A Mellon
• Matthew Cutts
• Dustin Dubreuil
• Jem Brent
• Ralf Schaedler
• Matthew Wing
• Robbie Frier
• Ken Anthony Nelson
• Alexander Wengel
• Stuart Tayler
• Dario Mazzoli
• Jamie Capewell
• Marlon Moore

First US Tour

• Anthony Marciona

Japan Tour

• Earl R Rhimer

Las Vegas

• Richard H. Blake
  Richard H. Blake
  Richard H. Blake is an American musical actor.One of his earliest stints on Broadway was taking over the role of Roger Davis in Rent. In 2001, Richard Blake took over the role of Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever, a musical adaptation of the film of the same name, having previously starred in...
  
  
• Tom Gamblin
• Tony Tripoli
• Mikael Petersson

Mexico

• Martin Munoz

On Ice

• Scott Irvine

Second US tour

• Scott Bolt

UK Tour

• Gavin Ashbarry

New Zealand Tour

• Gavin Ashbarry