CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG

CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG
Tavistock Musical Theatre Company
Performed at Tavistock Town Hall
As seen by Nina Jarram, NODA SW District 3 Representative on Sunday 9 th
November 2025
Directed by Julian J Bennett
Choreographed by Patti Stott
Musical Direction from Rosemary Fox

The ensemble greeted the audience welcoming us to the 1910 Grand Prix as they
entered the auditorium with energy. All the characters were cleverly established
using split scenes making an inclusive opening number, vocally powerful and
colourful. Over accentuated English plummy accents were portrayed against over-
the-top Vulgarian accents. The fourth wall was well and truly down in pantomime
style as there were some nice touches such as the telephone being sourced from
under a member of the audience's chair.
There was excellent chemistry amongst our key characters. A very charismatic Potts
was personable and instantly likeable. The Potts children were portrayed by two very
confident young performers finely tuning their art among experienced performers.
Their trio with Grandpa Potts was utterly delightful and the difference in ages proved
that they were a match for their more experienced counterpart. The actor playing
Grandpa Potts was obviously not performing in his first rodeo and he gave us some
lovely nuances through his comedic portrayal of this dithery old man.
Again, we were treated to some pantomime and Brechtian touches where the actor
playing Potts interacted with the stage crew thanking them for bringing his chair on
stage. This shouldn't have worked in a naturalistic musical setting, but he served to
tie all the aspects of production together in a way that didn't;t distract from the story
telling. The family dog was operated as a puppet which is proving popular in stage
reinventions such as Wizard of Oz and Annie. This was another successful example
of steering away from naturalistic stage conventions without losing the impact of the
narrative. Having a more mature actor playing Potts provided us with a more worldly
interpretation of this loving if not slightly desperate father played almost effortlessly
and with perfect fluidity. His lines were delivered as though he was making them up.
A real natural actor convincing and believable.

The projections used for the scene changes and to set the mood were excellent and
really worked well in this compromised performance space. A lot of time and energy
had evidently gone into the creation of this excellent digital media design and it

certainly helped with scene transition timings and the need for extra bodies on and
off stage.
The actors playing the two Vulgarian spies certainly made their mark reminding me
of the two gangsters in Kiss Me Kate. Some added libretti here and there (and don't
call me Sue) nodded towards the company';s (frustrated?) lack of pantomime
opportunity this year and we were treated to some great energy and physicality. The
actor playing Potts however delivered a perfectly naturalistic demonstration of how to
act through song in his rendition of Hushabye Mountain. A beautiful vibrato setting
off a heartfelt classic of the show.
The ensemble proved that they are the glue of any show during a perfectly acted
fairground scene during which Potts attempted to showcase his hair cutting
invention. Spot on facial expressions and reactions were spot on even if the
invention and its intended suggested prop didn't quite hit the mark.

The actor playing Potts then proved the earning of his triple threat badge by nailing
Me Ole Bamboo dance alongside his fellow dance troupe competently using the
sticks to depict the lyric in this well-choreographed showstopper. There was some
simple, yet effective choreography used in response to the cosy performance area
although we enjoyed a perfectly executed waltz in Toot Sweets.
The Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car reveal was superb proving that you don't have to
throw lots of money at a special effect to be successful. The use of vocal sound
scaping and percussive SFX worked very well. Along with the projection depicting
the car's journey through sea and sky, visiting sand dunes accompanied by two
beautiful young voices and clever lighting, this flying; masterpiece was spectacular
amidst a simple concept.
As the curtain arose on Act 2, we had a further glimpse in to our frustrated
pantomime Director with slapstick addition of rubber ducks and learner plates on the
spy's heads. The panto stock characters are all evident in this classic musical, the
baddies, the goodies, the sidekicks and it is clear that the players; experience in
performing this seasonal art form made sure that this artistic intent worked. This was
a very well-directed piece with all performers investing in the Director;s vision.
The strong ensemble once again proved their worth with their over-the-top reactions
to the word ‘children’ as the actors competently playing the Baron and Baroness
played their roles with gravitas and shameless parody. I simply adored the Vulgarian
inventors with their array of beards and impressive selection of nuances. Well done
to the costume department for thinking outside of the box with this one. It gave each
actor the opportunity to develop their character, and they certainly did that.

There was a lovely, understated performance from the Toy Maker keeping the
energy of the narrative flowing and a welcome distraction from the mostly
exaggerated characters within the plot. There was an impressive entrance from the

Childcatcher with a full-size cage as he crept down the aisle looking for the banned
children. As per the film’s portrayal, he was tall, slim with a long prosthetic nose, all
the physical attributes we expect from this nemesis of childhood. Having been
chucked in to the back of the cage, the Potts children were wheeled back down the
aisle screaming helplessly out to the audience for salvation.
One of many Act 2 highlights was the Chu Chi Face duet between the Baron and
Baroness where the actors, one resplendent in a basque, executed some cheeky
choreography in a slapstick fest of sauce. The discovery of the urchins treated us to
some impactful vocals, a real powerful and positive number once again keeping the
audience under the spell of the intended narrative. This aural spectacular was then
matched with visuals as a sea of purple and pink washed the stage with perfectly
sourced costumes which matched the aesthetically pleasing Samba/Rhumba dance
extravaganza.
The music throughout was spot on throughout the production with percussion being
used expertly to its full extent and competently executed accentuating the ridiculous.
The dynamics were just right to support the vocals with the correct balance. There
was a lovely interaction between the Musical Director and the Baroness as she
attempted to hit a very high note once again proving that the fourth wall does not
need to be continuously erect during a musical.
The interpretation of Doll on a Music Box was beautiful and the actor playing Truly
Scrumptious executed this superbly and sensitively. This enchanted performance
was juxtaposed by Potts' more manic contribution to the duet but cemented the
perfect chemistry between them throughout.
An indication of an excellent performance is when the projector fails to deliver at the
end of a fast-paced production, but you are so engrossed in the show and invested
in the performances that it does not have a negative impact at all. In fact, the
ensemble pulled together and gave more if in fact that was at all possible. Thank you
for such an enjoyable experience. Alongside being thoroughly entertained, I enjoyed
the feeling of community and ensuring that every performer is seen. This was a very
well-produced show.
PLEASE NOTE: Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what he sees at the
performance in question. The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance
and it is
inevitable that his assessment will be affected by that knowledge.
The N.O.D.A. Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in
particular the performance viewed. It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only
be objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed. Any criticisms
expressed may not have been valid at other performances, and are only made to encourage higher
standards in Amateur Theatre.
It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and
encouraged you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer
will prove helpful in improving future productions.

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