Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

This performance of this much loved musical by the very talented Young Hats members was truly memorable for all the right reasons.  All the young people taking part gave of their all the whole way through, playing to a very full house, who were right royally entertained.  The large cast made good use of the relatively small stage, some entrances and exits being taken through the auditorium of this delightful village hall.

It’s always so good to see youngsters obviously enjoying themselves on stage and this can only augur well for the future of amateur or even professional theatre.

The story of Chitty was well told and the car itself comprised five of the cast, one holding the steering wheel and the others with the wheels and of course wings appeared when the illusion of flying was required.  All very well done.

There are some lovely characters to play in the show and we start with the delightful Potts children - Alice Chadwick and Molly Bickley as Jeremy and Jemima.  The family was complete with Caractacus Potts, played by Owen Silver and Grandpa – Ted Rannie, both making their characters absolutely believable. Then along comes the charming Truly Scrumptious played by Darcey Hagues and eventually Jamie-Leigh Jenkins as the evil Child Catcher.

The Baron and Baroness were played by Oliver Jacquet and Zoe Brewer with great vivacity.  I shall remember the posturing and facial expressions of Oliver for a long time as he portrayed the extremely spoilt Baron!

The whole cast, whether playing parts large or small and all those in the chorus are to be congratulated on their performances and Director /Choreographer Joanna Stevens with the assistance of Linda and Chris Thompson (Linda also acting as Musical Director) must be very proud of their achievements in guiding these youngsters with their expertise.

These shows would never happen without all the unseen backstage work such as lighting and sound, wardrobe, scenery design, set construction, props, front of house and all the myriad jobs that have to be carried out by many talented people.

Herstmonceux and area are very lucky to be able to be entertained so well.

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