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Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Birmingham Hippodrome ***** It’s a tough gig for the Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang stage production to escape the shadow of the iconic film, so it was with slight trepidation that I took my seat and the house lights dimmed. My kids accompanied me to the show and I was interested to see what they thought of it – not having the context of having watched the film. (Please don’t judge, there is a long list of classics I am making them trawl through – we will get to it, I promise!) Turns out, I needn’t have worried. As the familiar overture played out to the audience as the lights dimmed, both they (and I) involuntarily started clapping, it was almost like being hugged by your childhood. First off – I think the advantage of this production is that it is comfortable in its own skin. Yes, it doffs it’s cap to the film and the musical numbers and visual set pieces but it doesn’t shackle itself to it. Instead, it sits somewhere between the film and a panto and, to my mind, is all the better for it. It has a freedom and a joy which is purely its own. The staging is clever – with a mix of scenery, painted backdrops and puppetry. The floating toilet/ car chase scene was particularly clever and witty. The music and live orchestra, led by musical director Jessica Viner, are fantastic, giving the production it’s necessary oomph. Something that the film probably struggles with, in comparison, as the musical numbers are of fantastic quality.
Ore Oduba as Caractacus Potts. Picture: Phil Tragen Of those numbers, there are so many to choose from it is hard to pick your favourites, for me though it was all about the anticipation of certain songs ingrained in the memory bank and the enjoyment when they finally arrived. ‘Toot sweets’, ‘Lovely, lonely man’ and (of course) ‘Chitty chitty bang bang’ were obvious winners. However, I also enjoyed numbers which were only for the stage show – ‘Act English’ being a particular highlight. The cast has standout performances at every corner. It is not always the case with well known leads that they live up to their billing but no such issues befell them here. Strictly Come Dancing’s Ore Oduba has a gentle charisma as Caracactus Potts. Emmerdale’s Liam Fox was an excellent Grandpa Potts and Eastenders villain Janine - Charlie Brookes – made for a scene chewing child catcher. On this role, this is no disrespect to Charlie Brookes who was excellent, but I would have loved to have also experienced The Vivienne in that role. Having seen them in The Wizard of Oz I think they would have been spectacular! Liam Fox led a lovely tribute to them at the end of the performance and the programme notes also had a page in their honour – they are a great talent who is sadly missed but fondly remembered.
Emmerdale’s Liam Fox as Grandpa Potts You’d be forgiven for thinking that the rest of the cast would not be as good as the top of the bill but in reality they were just as good, if not better. Ellie Nunn was superb as Truly Scrumptious (what a voice!) whilst Martin Callaghan and Jenny Gayner hammed it up as the Baron and Baronness with more innuendo than an end of pier show. Special mention should go to both the child ensemble, who were very fierce but also to the two child leads Gracie Cochrane and Roshan Thomson as Jemima and Jeremy Potts. They brought amazing depth to their performances and really shone in their scenes. They have bright futures ahead of them. Stars of the show though were Adam Stafford and Michael Joseph as Boris and Goran respectively. They were absolute scene stealers and gave the show its heart as well as plenty of laughs. With wonderful comedic timing and fantastic chemistry – it was their performances that really shifted the production into top gear. Talking of top gear, this seems as good a time as any to talk about Chitty itself. Morgan Large, as set and costume designer has done an absolutely stonking job when it comes to the car. It not only looks fantastic but also had impressive special effects to allow it to fly. I have no idea how they achieve it and am not sure I want to know either. The show soars as high as the car and I am glad there is a good run for people to experience it. Tickets start at £26 but with two nights already sold out (and the rest of the dates with either last tickets status or limited availability) there is no time to waste if you want to start singing chitty-chitty-bang-bang and smiling uncontrollably. Buy your tickets HERE. In terms of accessible performances, there is a BSL Interpreted performance on Wed 5 Mar, 7pm, a captioned performance on Thu 6 Mar, 7pm and an audio described performance on Sat 8 Mar, 2pm Overall, this is just a really fun, really enjoyable, family night out. The kids loved it and now want to see the film – there isn’t really a higher seal of approval than that. Directed by Thom Southerland Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will be flying high to 09-03-25. Theo Clarke 04-03-25
On family shows we sometimes get a view from younger audience members, after all they are the next generation of theatregoers so their views are important. Here Hallam, aged 13, has a say. ***** Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was written by Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, and the musical is based on the MGM film of 1968. It focuses on Caractacus Potts, who was an eccentric inventor. He, and his two children, Jemima and Jeremy, renovate an old racing car, only to find that it has magical capabilities, which include being able to fly. This was a really good show that was fun and interesting to watch. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone of any age. Some stand outs for me were Adam Stafford (Boris), Michael Joseph (Goran), John Macaulay (The Toymaker), Jenny Gaynor (Baroness) and Ore Oduba (Caractacus Potts) who were ably supported by Liam Fox (Grandpa Potts) and Ellie Nunn (Truly Scrupmtious). I thought these actors really were very enjoyable to watch on stage. I thought the Child Catcher was played excellently by Charlie Brooks, but I would have liked her to have had more time on stage. She was an interesting character which I would have liked to have seen explored deeper. The set was used very well in different circumstances by recycling things. The use of the car becoming a windmill was very cool and I haven’t seen anything like it before and I appreciated this as it sets this apart from other theatre productions that I’ve seen. The car fitted well in the set and when Chitty Chitty Bang Bang flies it’s really cool and magical; it’s seamless and you can’t notice a thing that makes it fly, which adds to the experience of the performance. Hallam Clarke 04-03-25 |
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