Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

“Chitty” , the stage musical, is based on the 1968 film with music and lyrics by Richard & Robert Sherman and book by Jeremy Sams. The Sherman brothers added 6 new songs for the April 2002 premier in the West End and the show was choreographed by Gillian Lynne and starred Michael Ball as Caractacus Potts. The flying car holds the Guinness World Record for the most expensive stage prop. costing £750,000

With “Chitty’ starting life as a film using special effects to create a car which drives, floats and flies, a stage production was always going to be a big ask and the car was always going to be the “star” of the show. Using suitable projections on the cyc which completely covered the back of the stage, a set is not really necessary. All the projections were very well chosen – the moving country roads, choppy seas and cloudy skies made it really look as if the car was moving and was most effective. Props were swiftly set and removed when necessary and there were some good ‘inventions’ such as the breakfast making and the hair cutting machine. The toy shop, tiered cake, music box and jack-in-a-box were nicely painted but I would have liked the child-catcher’s cage to be disguised as a ‘sweet shop’ to persuade the children to climb in. Lighting was well designed but the follow spot often left some people in the dark (it wasn’t very fair to expect Sam to take on its operation without practice or experience!) When the show began I thought that principal’s voices were not going to be audible but, either the sound improved or my ears atuned, as thereafter I heard the majority of the dialogue. I know that my choice of front row seats can make the band a bit loud but that’s my fault! I like the leg room!! Costumes, sourced by Rosemary Kelly, were all suitable for the piece and hair/wigs also mostly authentic. Ensemble costumes for 

“Toot Sweets” and “Bombie Samba” were particularly effective.

Fusion’s cast were all fully engaged and obviously enjoying the fantasmagorical adventure! Caractacus Potts was pleasantly played by Rory Jeffers although not his usual type of stage character. He had a very good rapport with ‘his’ children Jemima (Matilda Gibson) and Jeremy (Daniel Boylan), who both gave mature and engaging performances. My favourite musical moments were his singing of “Hushabye Mountain” and “You Two” – the latter is the one I have had on my brain ever since!! Abi Dynan was a delightful Truly Scrumptious, showing a number of different facets to her characterisation. Standing out was her depiction of the doll on the music box, which was beautifully played. Grandpa Potts (Stefan McVeigh) was not quite eccentric enough but an endearing character nevertheless. Baron and Baroness Bomburst were played by Jordan Kelly and Megan Husband with gusto! Just avoiding the mistake of becoming pantomime figures, they revelled in their comedic opportunities and gave the audience plenty to laugh at. The other comedy characters – Evan Keating and Rory Maguire as Goran and Boris – were also popular as they often popped up in different ‘disguises’, frequently with slap stick as well as funny lines! In sharp contrast, the Child Catcher played by Theo Traynor was extremely scary, aided by the excellent makeup and prosthetic nose he wore. It’s a small role but one that can make a big impact.

The cameo roles of Mr Coggins and the Toymaker were taken by Paddy Adair, who added honest and believable character to them both, while Lord Scrumptious (Jake Spence) was suitably upper-class and supercilious. All other small parts were well covered and the Ensemble’s singing and dancing added lots of sparkle to the show. All were well rehearsed and full of energy – the boys’ rendition of “The Roses of Success” was hilarious! Of course the younger children (especially the ‘tinies’) provided the ahh factor in their role as the captured children of Vulgaria and they made a most convincing noise when they attacked and took over the Baron’s birthday party!

In his first show in the MD’s position, Matthew Milford did a good job controlling his 11 piece band and directing the onstage vocals. Sitting just behind him, I saw that he found much of the music too catchy to sit still and was conducting with his whole body! New to the company, James Huish directed a pleasing show with everything an audience could expect. He elicited excellent performances from his young cast and kept the pace going so that interest was always held. Choreographer Jillian Liggett has successfully worked with Fusion for a few years now and, as always, encouraged a high standard among her cast.

Being selected to be one of a limited number of amateur groups to do “Chitty” was an honour and they rose to the challenge with success. I think they enjoyed performing as much as the audience enjoyed watching. I was delighted to bring the Noda National President with me to this fun filled show and want to thank everyone involved, on and off stage.

 

Sheelagh Hobart

Noda Regional Representative for Ireland

 

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