Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

After a special warm welcome with generous hospitality, extended to guests of Bilston Operatic Company on this opening night, I took to my seat which had a brilliant view of the stage. The theatre was packed, the age range of the audience members  indicative of the irresistible charm of this musical for so many, ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, we do (indeed) love you!’ And this production was a truly scrumptious production, a joy to watch; full of humour and whimsical fun, memorable cheery songs, and amazing visuals, and yes, Chitty really did fly!

The director, Tye Harris. achieved a wonderful, super slick production which had energy. The casting was spot on, with roles incredibly well rehearsed including the two children were fantastic upon the stage. Tye’s staging too, was remarkable, working with sophisticated scenery and props, the dance sequences and of course the car (which looked gorgeous). The cast was large, with so many oozing with talent which helped to ensure Simon Pugh’s production was polished and magical. There were some very clever theatrical touches, and the backstage crew did themselves proud. The set was used well and when the car created a reveal of its wings and first lifted into the air, it was impressive and delighted us all. The use of sound effects was quite prominent with various background effects and the lighting was appropriate for the show. The fluency of the scene changes is also one of the standouts in this production.

The orchestra performed marvellously under the musical direction of Gareth Howard. The musical numbers, both old and new, were full of energy and lively with many of the memorable songs enchanting and performed with vocal precision.

The choreographer, Martyn Davies, had clearly worked hard to execute some of the dance troupe numbers in this show, and the routine in ’Me Ol’ Bamboo,’ was a triumph as a showstopper and one of the highlights for me in Act 1. It had high energy, slick footwork, and exuded fun.

The costumes for cast members were amazing with elements of colour and texture that complimented the scenes.

This musical tells the story of an eccentric inventor, a widower, Caractacus Potts (Alec White) who with the help of his children, Jemima (Eden Owen/ Lara Maguire), and Jeremy (Oliver Rudge/Daniel Webley), sets about restoring an old race car, they discover the car has magical powers when trying to escape the vulgarian Baron Bomburst’s (Jon Ranwell ), goons, who are trying to steal the car as a birthday gift on command from the Baroness (Stacey Lovatt). After meeting Truly Scrumptious (Issy Checketts) who has a fondness for the children, they all end up chasing halfway across the world to save Grandpa Potts (Mike James), who was mistakenly kidnapped by the goons, Boris (Olly Derham) and Goran (Ben Evans). The baroness has a disdain for children, and this is personified in the child catcher (Nicholas Sullivan).

Alec White performed as Caractacus Potts with great confidence and charm. His interactions with the children were seamless and natural. His song and dance charisma as Caractacus Potts highlighted his musical talents. His rendition of Hushaby Mountain lived up to my high expectation of this song. Both he and Issy Checketts were fabulous key players, with Izzy giving a warm presence on stage. She was elegant and well voiced. Her depiction of a mechanical doll,’ Doll on a Music Box, ‘was superb.

The children were wonderful, played on the opening night by a bold Lara Maguire, as Jemima and Jeremy by Oliver Rudge, both scene stealers. They captured their roles excellently. Their love and astonishment of Chitty’s magic seemed so real. Well done to them, as well as the rest of the children’s cast, such hard work and dedication so young!  

Mike James perfectly embodied the character of Grandpa Potts with a hint of rascally demeanour. There were fantastic interactions between Baron Bomburst (Jon Ranwell) and Baroness Bomburst (Stacy Lovatt) with some hilarious moments. Stacy had great stage presence and a powerful voice, enough to ensure her character made an impact.

Olly Derham as Boris and Ben Evans as Govan formed a comical double act with impeccable timing as the dastardly, idiotic Vulgarian spies. Their expressions and sequenced physical comedy helped to ensure they made a delightfully ludicrous pair.

I loved Nicholas Sullivan’s vivid portrayal of The Child Catcher. His voice, his nimble, rhythmic movements about the stage and manner were wonderful in constructing the creepiness his character is known for, matched by his awesome costume and stunning makeup, which were perfect.

Ally Birkett was heartwarming in her role as a very kind toy maker. The remainder of the cast include Stephen Burton-Pye as Lord Scrumptious; Alan Chapman as Coggins; Paul Turner as Junkman; Sue Towler as Miss Phillips; Sarah Houghton as Violet; Lee Connelly as Sid and William Tyne as Turkey Farmer; all wonderful and who had worked hard with the rest of the ensemble too, to make this show sparkle the way it did.

Congratulations to the director, Tye Harris and producer, Simon Pugh and Gareth Howard the MD, and to the cast and all the crew for giving this show full throttle; with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the car, truly ’Phantasmagorical.’

Thank you for inviting me.

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