Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Pendle Hippodrome Theatre Company took a very bold decision to mount this technically challenging show which, if audience numbers are to be the measure of success, was a fine achievement. This musical is of course a stage version of the popular 1968 film (a firm favourite of my childhood) and treats the source material with an appropriately frothy and light hearted touch. All the famous tunes are present - along with the titular automobile - and audiences come to the show expecting to have their nostalgia receptors tickled. The Hippodrome team didn’t disappoint on this score and gave a packed house the evening they had expected.

It’s often said the car is the real star of the show in ‘Chitty…’ and although there may be more than a grain of truth in such an assertion, the car on its own can’t carry a show, nor can it manage to be anything other than a four-wheeled prop without great technical support. Fortunately, the Hippodrome team pulled out all the stops to ensure that the car did its bit on stage and that, perhaps more importantly, scene changes and every other technical manoeuvre went swimmingly to make for an effortless staging: full marks here. This is a show which demands a great deal from the technical crew and the Hippodrome team came up trumps. Amateur productions of this show perhaps inevitably have to lean into an almost pantomime approach to the very familiar material - at least, that’s what happened here - as the show’s ‘USP’ (please excuse the expression dear reader) is the prospect of seeing a flying car ‘live, before your very eyes!’ which is something that is unlikely to be able to be replicated on the amateur stage. Unfortunately, what inevitably ensues is a kind of colourful karaoke version of a film which old and young alike can bathe in in a nostalgic glow.

Dear reader, I’m sure you don’t need me to go through the plot of the show and detail every scene and incident. Let us instead adopt a different approach, where we look at the show as a whole. It has to be said that this production was both technically accomplished, yet at the same time, lost much when it came to performances from a cast who should have known - and have in the past, done - better. Pendle Hippodrome has a roster of talented regulars who were obviously keen to give of their best but unfortunately, too many here decided to embrace a strangely panto aesthetic and deliver sub par performances as a result. I think a firmer directorial hand on the wheel could have helped to shape a more nuanced and intelligent reading of the piece. 

At the opening, the strangely fudgy Hippodrome sound would have left me bereft of what was happening had I not already had a working knowledge of the show but things soon picked up sound-wise. It didn’t matter so much though, as the audience was happy to bounce along to the jollity of the tunes. As there were many parents with children in the auditorium, nobody seemed to mind as they knew what was coming anyway. The staging was pleasant enough however and offered the viewing public a bright and shiny viewing experience. 

Josh Hindle - a favourite of the North West stage - gave us a rather bland version of Caractacus Potts, who nevertheless came to life when delivering the musical numbers. Josh has a fine musical theatre voice and excelled in the musical numbers but drooped a little when having to plod through the script and step into character. He nailed all of his musical numbers however and was a firm favourite with the audience. Liz Rowell was a delicious Truly Scrumptious and brought a lovely motherly touch and a comforting stage presence to her role, with fine vocals which soared around the auditorium. Jeremy and Jemima Potts were played in fine style by James Newton and Heidi Grimshaw (alas, as this was a two team production, I didn’t get to see Axel Westhead and Felicity Moore in the same roles but I’m told they were equally as good) with Jeremy in particular showing that he really knows how to deliver a thoughtful performance on stage. Both young performers did a great job and managed to do so without a trace of ‘stage school sentimentality’ - fine work! Eric Beardsworth was a treat as Grandpa Potts: straightforward, confident and down to earth as always in the role he was born to play. Great work here Eric!

Moving on to the supporting character roles in the show, a few names really stood out from the crowd. Kieron Gardner as Lord Scrumptious was a revelation and made much of his limited time on stage: impressive work here Kieron. Likewise, Ryan Collett as the Toymaker added a great deal to the production with a wonderfully nuanced performance which was much better than the show deserved. Fiona Thompson was a treat as Violet (when isn’t the sight of Fiona Thompson on stage not a a treat?!) and Catherine Cox shone in another small role as Miss Philips. The talented James Bateman was rather wasted with a two minute turn on stage as the Child Catcher but left his mark nevertheless. These smaller character roles were the standout performances of the evening for me. 

We now turn to the characters in the show who turned up the dial on their pantomime amps to eleven… Damian Marsh and Jessica Sanderson as the Baron and Baroness gave us a couple of hiss-worthy villains to nobody’s edification: one of the failings of the script is to introduce the mischievous Baron far too early in the evening and thus skew the character’s relevance in the narrative. Stevan Manley and David Hulme as Vulgarian spies Boris and Goran also leaned rather too much into a panto reading of their roles and ended up coming across as a pair of ‘Ugly Sisters’ without the drag. All four performances gave the impression of a director who had let them get on with it however they liked and as a result, there was more than a faint whiff of a quartet of talented performers pleasing themselves rather more than the audience. 

The rest of the reliable Pendle team did stirling work as minor characters - some of whom were co-opted into thanklessly lugging the car about - and thus offered strong support. Big production numbers were choreographed in fine style by Vicky Royle who really made sure her cast were well drilled and her use of the stage was admirable, with great stage pictures and energetic routines which really impressed. Snazzy costumes and a fine orchestra under the always reliable baton of Lisa Manley were also in evidence.

Penelope Hatfield deserves a special mention as stage manager: a show such as this depends for its impact upon how well the scenery, props and scene changes can be managed efficiently on stage. This was done seamlessly and a good looking, well oiled production was the result. Back projection was used to good effect for the most part and a difficult technical feat was carried off really well. Technically, this was a production which worked really well within the obvious constraints of attempting such a mammoth undertaking on the amateur stage. 

In a nutshell, this production looked and sounded great: Impressive staging; pin sharp choreography; some fine vocal performances; impressive costumes; a nifty lighting plot from Adam Horsfield; a car which moved about a bit… who could ask for more? Letting the side down a bit was the uneven directorial approach to the casting and characterisations: rather more effort seemed to have been made with the technical aspects of the show than the characters inhabiting the stage, which was a shame. Nevertheless, this was a polished production which pleased a packed house and had the audience cheering to the rafters. My thanks as always go to the talented team at the Hippodrome and for the wonderful welcome always afforded by the front of house team and the friendly folk of Colne. Good luck with your future productions and I look forward to the next one.

 

 

 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.