ONE of the few criticisms of the Roald Dahl and Ken Hughes 1968 screenplay of Ian Flemings children’s fantasy Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, with music added by the Sherman brothers, was that it was too long at, 2 hours 25 minutes. This new production, which draws a long tour to a close when, after leaving the Bristol Hippodrome, it goes to Plymouth’s Theatre Royal between 6th and 10th May, runs for 2 hours 40 minutes including an intermission, which indicates that whilst the emphases may have changed in some cases, all the Dahl and Hughes screenplay can be seen between the boisterously-staged musical numbers. With flashy costumes and vibrant choreography by Karen Bruce, (well known for her TV work on Strictly, Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway etc), the ensemble numbers are some of the best in the show.
The support they give to Ore Oduba’s Caractacus Potts, winner if the 14th Strictly Come Dancing, in Me Ol’ Bamboo, and the lithe Jenny Gayner, Baroness Bomburst, in The Bombie Samba, turned these lesser- known numbers into two of the most memorable presentations of the evening.
Ellie Nunn had to rely far more on her own musical talents to convey the character of Truly Scrumptious. In a show where spectacular or unusual costumes were the norm, it seemed a strange choice to dress the show’s attractive leading lady in, with the exception of the doll’s costume in On the Music Box, a series of breeches and a trouser suit.
When it comes to distinctive costumes, the Childcatcher probably tops the list and Charlie Brooks (who inherited the role after the sad death of The Vivienne earlier this year) brought a nice touch of drama to this lip-smacking vision of evil.
For the most part comedy is the order of the day in this feel-good musical, and Martin Callaghan’s pompous childlike Baron, Liam Fox’s lovable Grandpa Potts thoroughly enjoying telling the tale of how to travel by sea singing P [Port] O [out] S [[starboard ] H [ home], and Hadrian Delacey as Truly’s bumbling father Lord Scrumptious, all had their moments. They were upstaged in the comedy stakes by Boris (Adam Stafford) and Goran (Michael Joseph) as two delightfully incompetent spies.
But even they, along with potential scene stealers Isla Ither and Charlie McGuire, (two of the eight talented youngsters sharing the roles of Caractacus’s children Jemima and Jeremy), found themselves upstaged by the latest version of the all-purpose Ford motorcar that was equally effective on water as land, and at the drop of a hat flew happily into the night sky.
Apart from a few moments when members of the cast became a little self-indulgent, slipping in some personal ‘in’ jokes and actions, the production is driven along at a merry pace, and strongly supported by MD Jessica Viner keeping the nine musicians on a tight rein, and making the mixed-aged audience happy from the begining to the end. As the lady behind me remarked to her friend as we left the theatre, ‘I enjoyed that.It was good fun’.
GRP