Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is undoubtedly Peterborough Operatic and Dramatic Society’s most ambitious project to date. As the old saying goes, ‘never work with children or animals’ or flying cars for that matter - but in this production PODS have chosen to do all three! They certainly know how to put on a show, so expectations were already high. But seven dogs? Twenty four children? And the most technically advanced show they have ever attempted? This was going to be a very big ask! 

PODS always offer a very warm welcome and superb hospitality on their Gala Evening and as we sipped Prosecco and orange juice whilst perusing the programme, it was lovely to see the front of house team dressed in Toot Sweets costumes as they offered programmes and all manner of confectionary, worthy of any Scrumptious sweet factory, to the arriving guests. We were shown to our seats and I was very pleased to hear an announcement from the Vulgarian spies Boris and Goran, regarding mobiles. I do wish more societies would do this, it heralds the start of the show and warns people in advance not to use their phones. They also announced that the live band would be led by Steve Hession, as they play so expertly, that many people would perhaps assume the tracks are recorded. Congratulations go to Steve and the band members for another superb performance. The sound they created was just brilliant and it is such a shame that the audience cannot see the band within the theatre space. 

The set, from Scenic Projects and Chitty Hire, led by production manager Rob Melhuish, was simply superb. Lighting (John Lawrence), sound (Grant Witton and Alan Glaves) and SFX were wonderful, with costumes from Charades and wardrobe lead Lucille Villamayor all looking immaculate. Wigs from Morley Creations were once again excellent and with everything coming together, the look and feel of the piece was exceptional and would not have looked out of place on the professional stage - in fact Chitty herself is off on the national touring production shortly! Plaudits must go to the whole of the backstage crew for the super smooth running of this technically demanding show, with a special mention for the 14 man pit crew who got Chitty flying in seconds every night, much to the delight of the audience who applauded each time as she rose into the air! 

The opening number depicted Chitty in her glory days, winning the 1910 Grand Prix, with crowds cheering her on. This ensemble piece wowed the audience in every way, the set, the costumes, the delightful use of projection of the old racing cars on a gauze in front of the performers, the singing, the harmonies, all fantastic - and this set the tone for what was to come. We were in for a great night of entertainment! 

In the role of Caractacus Potts is Charlie Villamayor Corbitt, playing his first big lead with the society. Although seemingly a little young for the role, Charlie turns out to be the perfect choice as he takes on the lead with a maturity beyond his years. Taking us from the sensitive father in Hushabye Mountain, to awkward entertainer in Me Ol’ Bamboo and finally to the gawky rag doll in Doll On A Music Box, Charlie shows us what a versatile young performer he is. This young man is capable of great things in the future as he continues to study his craft. 

Playing opposite Caractacus is the delightful Hannah Joy Ogden as Truly Scrumptious. With a crisp RP accent and beautiful characterisation Hannah once again showed us what a professional performer she is, her relationship with Caractacus starting out as mild disdain and ending in a marriage proposal. Her solo ‘Lovely, Lonely Man’ was beautiful and her characterisation as the doll on the music box, just perfection! A superb performance throughout. Making up the family is Grandpa Potts, portrayed by the ever-popular Calvin Lawrence. Often seen in PODS’ lead roles, Calvin can take us from misogynistic boss in 9 to 5, and suave swindler in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels to this bumbling old explorer in Chitty. Lovely physicality and movement from Calvin in his solo numbers, he personified this character perfectly and the accent was spot on. 

The other members of the Potts family are played by two teams of children, Jack Firkins and Alexander Dawkins as Jeremy and Sophia Oliver and Elsa Laing as Jemima. What fantastic young talent on that stage! The children in this show are on stage A LOT, they have so much dialogue to learn, not forgetting their choreography, stage direction, diction, song lyrics, facial expressions, physicality, the list goes on...... Huge congratulations to these talented young people - for some, their first taste of treading the boards - who showed us that there is plenty of talent just waiting in 

the wings to take on the adults in the years to come. I have no doubt that we will see more of all four of them in the future. 

Whilst we think about the children in this production I must also mention the two fantastic teams of young people making up the ensemble. Looking perfect in the roles of the sewer children, everyone played their part beautifully and there was some lovely singing and great dance moves from everybody in Teamwork. With super characterisation and facial expressions there are many rising stars there, heading for the top. Huge congratulations go to Team Lollipop and Team Gingerbread! 

Chitty’s comedy double act, Boris and Goran the Vulgarian spies, was the perfect pairing. Mark Harriss’ facial expressions and physicality (not to mention his lovely dress!) were a delight and this teamed with the sublime comic talent of Harvey Jones (is there nothing this talented young man can’t do?) gave us some of the funniest moments in the show, with their ‘Act English’ number bringing the house down! Played for laughs throughout, these two excelled in their roles - a great example of perfect casting. For me, the stars of the show. 

Back together again are another perfect PODS pairing with Philip Booty as Baron Bombhurst and Amanda Villamayor as his child-hating Baroness. Philip portrayed the immature Baron beautifully, with his love of children’s toys and his tantrum throwing antics working well against his wife’s domineering persona. Amanda made the perfect Baroness and their Chu-Chi Face duet was a delight, again with excellent movement in this number. A delight to watch every time they entered the stage. 

The Toymaker (Edward Smith) and the Childcatcher (George Lacey) both gave solid performances, with the gentle, tired old Toymaker being a great antidote to the nasty old Childcatcher, who I have no doubt terrified several younger audience members. The superb costume was enough, but teamed with the make up and growling vocals, I imagine that he may have been a little too much for some more sensitive children, particularly as he was chased through the audience by the sewer children. In this scene mayhem ensued as the baddies were pursued by the good guys through the auditorium and it had a distinctly panto-esque feel to it. 

Stand out moments for me were the big ensemble numbers, Toot Sweets, Me Ol’ Bamboo and The Bombie Samba, where the fantastic costumes and great sets made for a spectacular visual feast. Choreography throughout comes courtesy of Rob Bristow, assisted by Nikki Marsden, who between them always give the cast some amazingly ambitious moves for an amateur company. Thankfully PODS has the talent to pull them off - and Chitty was no exception, with great choreography executed by a talented team. When the cast all sang together, led by MD Steve Hession, they created a wonderful rich sound with beautiful harmonies and this, coupled with the ambitious choreography made for some wonderfully entertaining scenes. A talented ensemble cast all round but special mentions must go to two ladies of the ensemble who stand out and always pull focus with their never-failing, fabulously animated ‘Strictly’ show faces - plaudits go to Katharine Wootton and Joanne Powell. 

With direction from Rob Bristow, assisted by Hannah Joy Ogden and Jennie Dighton, PODS appear to have the perfect team leading the company, consistently turning out excellent work. With this production PODS have once again shown us the standards that amateur theatre can reach (but so rarely does) setting the bar for other societies and leading the way in the world of amateur theatre. This show rivalled anything to be seen on stage in Peterborough, and provided the perfect family night out for half term. Teamwork certainly did make the dream work in this fantasmagorical show!

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