Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

The sets for YAOS shows are always worth seeing and the set for this production was no exception.  The company had spared no expense when hiring in the scenery for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and it was evident by the truly sumptuous and professional sets that ran all through the show.  Scene changes were managed professionally and swiftly and sometimes whilst the action was still taking place, though this was never intrusive or distracted from the show.  This gave a very smooth and polished West End Style to the production, which flowed constantly.

The props, as with the set, were superb and everything looked fantastic.  Of course the audience were all waiting so see the car and it did not disappoint.  It drove around the stage and even flew.  An amazing prop which elevated the show to a different level.  I also really liked the mini outhouse as it flew across the stage. 

The costumes were very good and matched the production well, particularly impressive were the Baron, the Childcatcher, Caractacus and Truly’s.  Hair and Makeup were similarly great, with everything as it should be and nothing looking out of place.  Everything came together well to produce the perfect overall effect.

I see several productions at the Octagon and I am always impressed by the quality of the lighting and this production was no different, however I am not always as impressed with the inconsistent quality of the sound, and again, unfortunately, this production was no different.  For the vast majority of the show the sound was decent, however there was the odd occasion when it was very difficult to hear what was being said/sung.  This was most notable in a couple of the jokes from Boris and Goran and in the song Posh.  This was a real shame as it is my favourite song in the show and I could hardly hear the words Steve Williams was singing.  I don’t believe that this was down to Steve – but to issues with the microphone and sound levels.

The choreography was good and made excellent use of the stage where needed, everyone seemed to know the moves and looked to be having a great time performing them.  YAOS always produce visually impressive group numbers and although there wasn’t too many in this show the ones there were, were up to their usual high standard.  I especially liked the dances for ‘Toot Sweets’ and ‘Teamwork’.  The dance for “Doll on a Music Box” was very well planned and expertly executed by both especially Jennifer Holland-Brewer’s portrayal of Truly as a doll with wonderful mechanical movements.

The quality of the singing for this production was of a very high standard, and all of the main principles have shown in many other productions that they are fully capable of carrying a note and it was a pleasure to have them all singing together in this show. What was especially lovely in this production was that we had three duos that sang together throughout the show, Nick Harris and Jennifer, Steve Harland-Brassington and Kirstine Champion and finally Luke Whitchurch and Nick Toop, these groups complimented each other well with some lovely harmonies. 

The cast for this production was outstanding and Jeremy Tustin must have been incredibly grateful, as everybody had their character’s spot on and were always acting, even when they were in group scenes and not necessarily in view.  This may seem like an obvious thing but you would be surprised by the amount of productions I see where background actors are not focussed or ‘in character’.  As usual, with one of these youth heavy productions, the youngsters easily held their own against their more experienced counterparts and it is easy to imagine them being YAOS stars of the future. The adult cast were just exceptional and it is incredibly hard for me to pick out anyone for individual praise, which I often like to do, as everyone was at the top of their game.  Nick and Jennifer were very likeable leads and this counterbalanced Steve and Kirstine’s very campy, over the top (and slightly sexy?) Baron and Baroness.  Audience favourites had to be Luke and Nick as Boris and Goran, these guys were incredibly funny and had the audience in stitches.  I don’t think these characters are in the film but I am really glad they were in the show as their moments of absurdity (and the silliness of the Baron and Baroness) really lightened the proceedings and stopped things from becoming sickly sweet.  Luke is a fantastic performer who I have always been impressed with when I have seen him in other shows.  Therefore, it was a real surprise to me to read that this is one of the first times he has attempted a comical role.  I do hope it is not the last because he definitely has a flair for comedy that I would love to see again.

Overall this was another high quality production from YAOS and it was clear that the money was well spent.  Amazing cast, fantastic sets and exceptional flying cars, meant that this production would not have looked out of place on a professional stage.  I do not mind admitting that I dislike the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with a passion and was therefore apprehensive about seeing this show, however I really enjoyed your production and loved every minute of it.  Well done to you all, and I am so pleased to see that the show had so many sell out nights, you deserved them for all the hard work you must have put in to make such a fabulous production.

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