Chitty Chitty Bang Bang may have been written over 60 years ago, but this touring production, now showing over the Christmas period at The Opera House, demonstrates that there’s still plenty of miles left in the old banger.
This is quite a long show, especially for the younger audience members, but it rattles along at a cracking speed and the two hours 50 minutes (including the interval) passed in no time at all. The ensemble worked incredibly hard for this show, not only singing and dancing in a huge variety of costumes that meant numerous quick changes, but operating puppets, various models and constantly moving the large boxes which were repurposed to create all the different scenes including Potts’s laboratory, the sweet factory, a fairground, the Baron’s castle and the toy maker’s factory to name but a few.
Heading the cast was Adam Garcia as Caractacus Potts and although he gave a practiced and polished performance, it felt somewhat restrained in comparison to the rest of the cast with their exuberant and pantomimic portrayals of their characters.
Ellie Nunn made a delightful Truly Scrumptious who gave the role a 21st century makeover as a strong, independent woman. Unfortunately, there was no chemistry between the two leading actors, and it came as a bit of a surprise when Truly proposed to Potts in the finale scene and he said yes. Up until this point, he had looked decidedly uninterested, but maybe this was the fault of the script not giving time for their romantic inclinations to blossom.
Liam Fox played Grandpa Potts and when wearing the pith helmet, he not only looked like, but also sounded like Lionel Jeffries who played the role in the much-loved 1968 film. The Vivienne was excellent in the role of the Child Catcher, and I would have liked to have seen more of them, but alas the script didn’t allow for it.
The Vulgarian spies, Boris and Goran, played by Adam Stafford and Michael Joseph gave wonderfully OTT performances, but due to their ‘German’ accents and poor acoustics, I missed some of the gags. Also displaying their comedic talents were Martin Callaghan and Jenny Gayner as the Baron and Baroness of Vulgaria. Jenny is also an accomplished singer and dancer, and I loved her extravagant samba routine though it felt slightly out of place with the rest of the show. This number, along with a few others, were not in the original film.
The beauty of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is you don’t have to be young to enjoy it.
The two Potts children played by Charlie Banks and Lara Simon gave truly professional performances, holding their own with the adults with their dancing, singing and confident acting. The children supplied by the Barbara Jackson Theatre Arts Centre who played the children in hiding in the sewers of Vulgaria were excellent and their singing and dancing was also top-notch.
The star of the show, however, was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang herself, and she looked absolutely fantastic with her shiny aluminium bonnet and polished wood panelling. For the younger members of the audience, including my youngest granddaughter of six, it was absolutely magical when the car began to fly. It felt a bit odd that an inanimate object should get the loudest cheer at the end of the show but hats off to the technical team who make the car “fly” every night while on tour. It is some feat.
The beauty of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is you don’t have to be young to enjoy it. Older audience members can get all nostalgic watching this talented cast perform those old favourites like “Toot Sweets”, “Me Ol’ Bamboo”, “Truly Scrumptious”, “Hushabye Mountain” and “Doll on a Music Box”. Most the audience were on their feet during the finale and no doubt singing “fine four-fendered friend” as they drove home in their rather more modern counterparts. I know we were!
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is at the Winter Gardens Opera House until 29th December. Book here.
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