A Fantasmagorical Machine!
Based on the book by Ian Fleming and the 1968 film of the same name, the stage production of Chitty originally played at the London Palladium in 2002, starring Micheal Ball as Potts, Brian Blessed as the Baron, Richard O'Brien as the Childcatcher and a young Carrie Hope Fletcher as Jemima Potts (well, one of the young actresses playing her anyway; Carrie returned to the show earlier this year, for a run playing Truly Scrumptious).
With music by Richard M and Robert B Sherman (who also did the songs for Mary Poppins and Disney's The Jungle Book among others), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang features an inventor, Caractacus Potts and his two children, Jeremy and Jemima. When they save an old racing car from the scraps, Potts decides to re-invent her, all the while not knowing that the Baron and Baroness Bomburst of Vulgaria also have their eyes on the car... What follows is a heart-warming, unforgettable adventure as Potts, the children and their new friend Truly Scrumptious set out to stop the Vulgarians from getting their hands on Chitty, who turns out to be no ordinary car....
Leading the cast was Salford-man Jason Manford as Potts. Last seen in The Producers, it was nice to see him in a role that was a little less manic, and he could provide some soft moments (Husabye Mountain made me cry - remember how hard it is for me to do that!), as well as some funny moments too. He was incredible lovable as the hapless inventor and he had an wonderful chemistry with the kids (there was a lovely little touch in adding Teamwork in right at the start, meaning, when it showed up again, there was more of a meaning to it), as well as with Truly Scrumptious. Speaking of Truly, played by Charlotte Wakefield (who took over from Carrie earlier this year and last seen in Oklahoma), this role suited her brillaintly, and it showed by giving the best vocal of the night, particularly during her solo, Lovely Lonely Man.
On to the villains, and if Truly Scrumptious was just that, then Jos Vantyler's Childcatcher was truly terrifying! I would not be surprised if a couple of the kids watching have nightmares about that guy, as he oozed creepiness and evil. As for the Baron and his wife, Phil Jupitus and Claire Sweeney were absolutely hilarious, Sweeney in particular dropping every last drop of energy and nautiness in numbers like Bombie Samba. I also HAVE to mention Sam Harrison and Scott Paige as the Vulagarian spies in their vaudevillian number Act English - one of the funniest things I've seen this year!
Of course, the star of the show was the car itself (it got an applause after its first appearance), and how they got it to fly really did make it magical, so I'm not going to give too much away; although there are two people in the creative team who I have to mention. Firstly is designer Simon Higlett, who, by keeping the Potts windmill an ever present part of the set kept the element that it could have been a story Potts told his kids - while at the same time, bringing us into this magical world the story was creating. The second is video designer Simon Wainwright, as I loved how the video was used throughout the story, particularly in scenes involving Chitty herself (and now is where I will stop myself for fear of spoiling the magic....).
There were a lot of families there, and this was great to see as this is a perfect family show. Although, bare in mind, like I said the Childcather is as creepy and frightening as you would expect him to be (perhaps even more so), and it does run longer than expected - but I hope that doesn't put you off too much because it is a wonderful production and well worth a watch, as we all need a little bit of adventure in our lives; and perhaps even more so after the shocking year that has been 2016.....
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