Manchester Theatre News & Reviews

REVIEW - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is the perfect family show jam packed with nostalgia and fresh energy!

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On Tuesday, we went to the Palace Theatre, Manchester to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Read what our reviewer Karen Ryder had to say about this fun, family production...

When Chitty Chitty Bang Bang flies into town with such splendour, magic and wonderment, its hard to believe that the film which captured the hearts of children worldwide, is almost 60 years old! It is such a captivating tale of adventure, resilience, and far-fetched magical lands and creations, that it has continued to be passed down from generation to generation. It feeds our fascination with making the impossible possible, it wraps amazement round our hearts and provides possibly one of the most feared children’s characters ever, courtesy of The Childcatcher! It ignites our imaginations with inventions and new words, so when I discovered that this fantasmigorical flying car was soaring its way into town, I knew it would flutter its way into the hearts of dreamers everywhere.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang follows the story of the Potts family, dad, two children and Grandad, trying to survive life after their mother has passed away. A chaotic life reveals itself, one with an outlandish Grandad whose lust for adventure sees him full of stories, and the odd impromptu trip off to the likes of Alaska. A father whose creative focus is lost to his world of whirlwind inventions such as the accidental discovery of Toot sweets, or his hair cutting machine, whilst desperately trying to make enough money to ensure the children’s comfort. The children truanting school in favour of running wild through scrap yards and playing with the old bangor that once beat the Vulgarians in the Grand Prix, inventing holidays such as Eastermas as their excuse. So, when a chance encounter with the focused Truly Scrumptious presents itself, the children immediately love her and following a not so smooth first encounter with their dad, make it their mission to get them together. As he works to earn the money to buy their precious car from becoming scrap metal, they discover the Vulgarians are after the car too, and when Grandad Potts is mistakenly kidnapped and held hostage in the Vulgarian castle, Chitty steps up to help them on their rescue mission. But Vulgaria is eerily quiet. There are no children anywhere. So as Jemima and Jeremy must avoid the childcatcher, Caractacus must rescue Grandad, Chitty must remain uncaptured, and Truly must become a master of disguise with the help of the Toymaker, a new blended family is born, one that will go to the ends of the earth to protect each other. With the help of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, each and every one of them might just find the ending they never even knew they needed.

With a beautifully visual show, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will capture your hearts and imagination on every level. There are tender and beautiful moments with the likes of classics such as Hushabye Mountain, nestled against all singing, all dancing jazz hand spectaculars such as Me O’l Bamboo! The set and costumes designed by Morgan Large are wonderfully clever, an arch of metal housing whirring inventions dominates the stage, with a blueprint of inventions filling the backdrop. As different set pieces are wheeled on and off to represent the different inventions, each mesmerises us with its whirring, noise fuelled, smoke blasting expertise. The set itself is able to take us from the Vulgarian Grand Prix, to a scrap yard, the Potts home, the Scrumptious empire, a funfair, a flying night sky, Vulgaria, a toyshop and the vulgarian castle dungeons. Each move is masterfully taken with simplistic ease, meaning not a moment is lost to complicated set changes. For instance, we are taken to the fairground courtesy of some brilliantly designed costumes, so the cast themselves are a walking, dancing, singing fairground, eliminating the need for clunky set pieces. Instead, they shimmy around the stage wearing a helter skelter dress, a swinging chairs elaborate headpiece, or a carousel hoop dress! Genius!

Directed by Thom Southerland and adapted for the stage by Jeremy Sams, this Ian Fleming classic has remained true to its legions of adoring fans, whilst simultaneously sprinkling a fresh dose of magic upon its much loved wings, even offering up a few cheeky adult jokes that are so subtle they fly blissfully unawares over the heads of the innocent. A production that allows the cast to break the fourth wall, particularly the Vulgarians, adds another layer of humour and joy to the production, welcoming us in as a part of the action, keeping us on our toes. With clear villains and heroes, we understand our role as an audience too, able to play along by booing and cheering in all the right places, but the whole thing is done with such strength that it never feels cheesy, just welcoming. With iconic songs from the world class Sherman Brothers stirring up wonderous childhood memories and creating new ones for many children in the audience who were Chitty first timers, their legacy lives on and has been done justice with the outstanding talent of this cast and creative team.

Ore Oduba (Rocky Horror, Strictly Winner, Curtains) is fantasmigorically charming as Caractacus Potts and is fully at home during the big musical theatre numbers such as Me Ol’ Bamboo, where he shines, thrives and exudes happiness into the hearts of the audience. He performs tenderly with the children, creating a wonderful and authentic connection, extending this to the developing relationship between Caractacus and Truly as they navigate feuding, to friendship, and beyond.

Liam Fox (Emmerdale, Casualty, Aladdin) is wizard and smashing as Grandpa Potts, bringing us an eccentric, well lived character, with his plentiful tales rolling off the tongue perfectly. He is instantly loveable, and somehow creates the feeling of safety and stability, despite his tendency to roam off into adventure. His reprise of Hushabye Mountain is a gorgeous moment, a Grandad who oozes protective love and adoration for his Grandchildren, even if he can’t quite remember the words of their favourite soothing song. He will simply make them up!

Charlie Brooks (Ocean At The End Of The Lane, Eastenders, Lie With Me) is nightmarishly evil as The Childcatcher, making many adults recoil in fear as they heard the piercing cries of “Children! Children!” slice through the theatre. An incredibly detailed character driven performance, from the specific walk, the intonation of the voice, the jagged movements as she sniffed out the children, all meshed together to bring us one of the most terrifying children’s characters ever created! Charlie Brooks plays disturbed characters so well because she isn’t afraid to delve into the depths of looking deranged, unhinged, twisty, and tortured, and the result is always to die for!

Ellie Nunn (Identical, Posh, The Kill List) is truly scrumptious as, well – Truly Scrumptious. She wins over the female audience immediately with a brilliantly delivered line about female independence and capability, followed by a facial expression that says it all, immediately receiving a huge cheer! With a voice born to sing these songs full of nostalgia and purity, it is a wonderful performance.

Lara Simon and Charlie Banks are sweet as a thoroughbred as Jemima and Jeremy Potts, confidently guiding us through the story and most likely making all the children in the audience fall in love with theatre through their performances. They are so at ease, so natural, and so talented that they easily take on the hugely popular numbers and make them their own, beguiling us with their charm.

Martin Callaghan and Jenny Gayner are uncategorically brilliant as the Baron and Baroness. Their voices are used to fantastic comedic effect time and time and again, with a simple noise or inflection having the power to corpse us all. They clearly have so much fun working together and despite their villainous ways, made everyone love them. They had a childlike, innocent quality to their characters, beautifully clashing against double entendre a plenty, keeping the adults in the audience giggling away. This was expertly on display in their duet Chu-Chi-Face, where one moment they would be playing pat-a-cake, the next in some compromising positions. Jenny Gayner went on to wow us all alongside the ensemble cast in the most colourful and energetic rendition of The Bombie Samba, whilst Martin Callaghan’s rich and powerful voice took our breath away.

Adam Stafford and Michael Joseph are our fine fended friends as Boris and Goran, immediately becoming audience favourites with their daft duo antics, and doing their bests to make each other laugh as well as the audience. Again, their fabulous accents from Vulgaria are comedy gold alone, but their synchronicity with each other was exceptional. Everything they did had layers of daft, funny comedic twists that appealed to all ages, they never stopped finding the funny. This was perfectly present in their duet Act English, where their vocal gymnastics with accents, intonation and technique was exceptional. They delivered at such speed with expert ease that it deservedly received one of the biggest audience responses of the evening.

Of course, the star of the show is Chitty, and quite rightly so too. We first see her as an old upturned heap of junk, the backdrop to the children’s playground, but when she is restored and we see her in all her glory, the audience went wild! And you just couldn’t help it! Chitty makes you smile, and she certainly felt the love tonight. When she goes on to float, the rush is even greater, but nothing matches that moment we have all been waiting for, when Chitty takes flight against a starry night sky and no matter what your age, you once again believe in magic. It is a glorious moment that filled the theatre with thunderous applause, captivated smiles of unadulterated joy, and cheers of love and appreciation. Everyone spontaneously started clapping along to the wonderfully catchy and nostalgic song, all mesmerised by our fine four-fendered friend, joining us altogether in a rare moment of uncomplicated joy. They really go full out with the design of Chitty, not only making her fly, but turn 360 degrees and tilt at some dizzying angles too, hiding the magic of how it is done really well. Because of course, Chitty IS magic and can really fly!

I loved that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang served up a traditional musical formula, providing us with an Overture and an entr’acte, both of which thoroughly worked like a charm on the audience, instantaneously pulling us into the magic of the show, setting the scene, and wetting our appetites for what was to come, and with the entr’acte, what we had already enjoyed. This musical is jam packed with nostalgia for the adults in the audience and brought the musical to first timers with a fresh, energetic, colourful, charming and funny appeal. Doll On A Music box took me right back to my dance school days as I remember my dance friend performing it as her song and dance routine, and some part of my brain started remembering the intricate movements with endearment.

The show finished with the cast taking a moment to speak with us on a personal level, paying beautiful tribute and honour to James Lee Williams, professionally known as The Vivienne, who sadly passed in January this year, and who held the role of the Childcatcher. How they have all managed to carry on in such a professional way, continuing to spread the joy of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a credit to them all, and the best possibly mark of respect to their beloved friend. A Memoriam in the programme was a beautiful inclusion, ensuring that James Lee Williams remains a part of their tour and remains in the hearts of fans everywhere. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is an enchanting show that passes the M.O.T of our hearts every time. It will charm you, hold you, and keep you nestled safe in its magical mechanical heart. Chitty makes your soul takes flight and reminds us that perhaps the most magical thing of all is our chosen family, the ones who champion us on, no matter what.

WE SCORE THE CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG...