Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

This show was indeed a magical journey from beginning to end and I loved every minute of it.  As ever, under the lively baton of Audbrey Sanderson our journey was off to a wonderful start; the orchestra were slick, lively and sympathetically supported everyone on stage, never overpowering the vocals of both soloists and chorus. Under the professional approach of Kevin Knox the stage, manager the whole show flowed effortlessly from beginning to end. I went back stage at the end and couldn’t quite believe their set up. This theatre has very limited wing space and access to the stage is through a limited corridor leading into a back room. Everywhere was packed with set and props as well as the car and its hydraulic system for flying it. Kevin and his crew worked tirelessly throughout the whole run of the show including the interval and achieved miracles. I would never have believed the ‘Chitty’ could be so effective on this stage. Congratulations to Kevin and crew, yes…..miracles can be achieved!  The appreciation was certainly very evident when the ‘Chitty’ car flew and in the scene ‘Doll on a Music Box’. S.V.G. went the whole way and regardless of expense, hired in set and props which were excellent and created such a spectacle on stage. Costumes so important in this show were also spared no expense, adding vibrant colour and perfection for all on stage to create such an authentic look. I am picky about shoes on stage and lovely the whole cast in cream character shoes!!! The make-up team led by Jennifer Greenwood also deserves a mention as it was subtle but where demanded was extremely creative.  With Marc on sound which never faltered, Jimmy efficient and as always competent in the box and Kirk on the gorgeous lighting plot the show ran smoothly and to perfection.

So what about the cast……with superb casting and the chorus being well rehearsed, enthusiastic and generating the feel good factor in every sense on stage; everything was wonderful to engage in. The ‘Darcys’ namely Jennifer, Denise, Emma and Fiona deserve praise for their hard work to rehearse the cast and produce slick and interesting routines, well done to them. In particular the ‘Bombie Samba’ led by ‘Baroness Bomburst’ Diane Renner was one of the best routines I have seen this company do and I loved it. Vibrant, colourful, exciting and I just wanted to get up and join in.

I went two nights so I could see both of the girls playing ‘Gemina Potts’ respectively Lily Cornish and Erin Hook and they are certainly stars of the future and were delightful in every aspect of their performances. ‘Jeremy Potts’ Matthew McIver Scott….well I only know him as a quiet, lovely young lad and I was blown away by his stage presence and performance. His diction was superb, acting perfect and a clear singing voice, a huge star in the making for future productions. ‘Charactacus Potts’ Stuart Faed; a part made for Stuart, he was amazing. He was warm, funny, and awkward when needed and danced his socks off especially in ‘Me Ol’ Bamboo’. I think “Hushaby Mountain’ must have brought a tear to everyone’s eye. It was so poignant.  ‘Truly Scrumptious’ Hannah Bass was just stunning just perfect for the role. Lovely singing and acting and she produced a perfect Truly and worked so well with the children and her costumes enhanced what a lovely young lady she is.  For me the highlight of the showing was her portrayal of the ‘Doll’ in ‘Doll on a Music Box’. It was breath-taking and so beautifully done’. You could have heard a pin drop in the audience. Bill Shardlow was wonderful as ‘Grandpa Potts’. His portrayal of the character brought out his versatility on stage in acting, accent, dancing and vocals and he milked the comedy aspect to perfection. I loved his physical interpretation of the role!

Diane Renner never fails to deliver the goods. In this role as ‘Baroness Bomburst’ she was without doubt in her element and her whole persona was excellent. Her rapport with the ‘Baron’ was superb and her vocals were brilliant to say the least. ‘Baron Bomburst, Johnny Scott was hilarious and we would expect nothing less from this very funny man. Together they created the perfect duo and were such fun to watch. Morgan Flannigan as ‘The Child Catcher’ was sinister and terrifying and his acting and movement were superb. Morgan is always able to command the stage in whatever role he plays. ‘Boris’ Nicola Hastie and ‘Goran’ Matty Forster worked so well together as the comedy due and were hilarious. Good singing voices made their duet memorable and well done indeed to Nicola especially for her debut singing solo. A nice cameo role for Callum Harley as ‘The Toymaker/Mr.Coggins’ and he made it his own in a lovely gentle manner.

I had a thoroughly magical evening, loved the production which most certainly was an astounding coup for S.V.G and their superb team work.  This really was a ‘Truly Scrumptious’ evening of entertainment and a credit to the amateur stage.  Well done to all involved!

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