REVIEW: CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG @ PRINCESS THEATRE

🎭 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

📍  Princess Theatre, Torbay Road, Torquay, Devon, TQ2 5EZ                             

🗓 Wednesday 07 August 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

FANTASTIC FAMILY FUN

With its titular vehicle back in working order, the UK tour of CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG has flown into Torbay this week and is playing at Torquay's Princess Theatre where I was invited along to watch and review the production.

Like most of the population, the 1968 movie version was a staple of my childhood and I have long wanted to see the timeless story brought to life on the stage, and this production ultimately did not disappoint.

Adam Garcia competently leads the company as eccentric inventor Caracracus Potts, delivering smooth vocals, sublime dancing and great acting. Alongside Ellie Nunn as Truly Scrumptious they manage to keep the wacky story grounded and give it the humanity it needs.

Nunn gave a sublime performance and has a divine vocal. Her rendition of Lovely Lonely Man was simply divine and I felt a deeper connection to the song than I ever had before. I also thought the placement of the song within the show was brilliant. Featuring a lot earlier in the story than in the movie I felt it really helped the character arc which I had worried was a bit confusing during the first act.

This show is great fun for the entire family and it is definitely aimed at that demographic. It's a bit cheeky and silly but just stops short of transitioning to a pantomime - although the Childcatcher does get booed whenever she appears!

Adam Stafford and Michael Joseph as hapless Vulgerians Boris and Goran were insanely good and had me in fits of laughter throughout. The comedy timing between the two was spectacular and it was as if they'd been a comedy duo for many years.

The comedic baton during act 2 seemed to be handed from these two to Martin Callaghan and Jenny Gayner as the Baron and Baroness. Their performance of Chi-Chi Face (one of my personal favourites from the show) was wonderfully cheeky and Gayner really came into her own during The Bombie Samba.

The children in this production were absolutely wonderful. Isabella Manning as Jemima and Louis Wilkins as Jeremy are both very accomplished actors for their age and convincingly delivered their roles. I always find these characters quite annoying in the movie but here they were honest and hugely likeable.

As the iconic Childcatcher Charlie Brooks was devilishly delightful and the local children from the Plymouth Performing Arts Academy were all sensational in their small but pivitol roles.

Of course the star of the show was Chitty itself. A thing of beauty, when the car flew it sprinkled a little magic across the auditorium as kids and adults alike gazed in communal wonder. It really was a WOW moment and completely lifted the entire production into the stratosphere.

The negatives about this production for me were that it seemed to take a little while to get going and I was disappointed with the set and lighting designs. Although props brought on were very good, the set itself was rather boring. I understand the constraints with space due to a large mechanism to make the car fly but maybe even the use of simple projections would have helped immensly.

Until the car flew I did feel that it was missing some magic and maybe just enhancing the scenes somehow with a better thought out set would have helped. Also I felt the lighting design was rather lacklustre and uninspiring unfortunately.

This things did not however stop me from having a great time and enjoing the show but they were notable enough for me to mention them here and to prevent the production from recieving the full 5 stars.

The orchestra were esquisite and as soon as they began their overture, a wave of nostalgia filled the theatre and they continued to bring all our favourites to life with finess and style.

The final thing to mention about this show is the incredible ensemble. The sheer talent and stamina of these performers was breathtaking and their energy was contagious. Songs such as Me Ol' Bamboo and The Roses of Success were elevated substantially by these scintillating talents.

There were too many of them to mention them all by name but I was particularly drawn to watching Theo UK Rose with his flawless pivots and Charlie Bishop and his infectious enjoyment.

CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG continues performances until Sunday at the Princess Theatre. Click here to check availability and to book tickets. Please note show start times of 2pm for matinees and 7pm for evening performances. The earlier start time seemed to have caught a few patrons out last night!

If you are a fan of the movie then I've no doubt you'll love this production.

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one reviewer.  

My ticket for this performance of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was gifted by the Princess Theatre who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given. 

CAST LIST:

Adam Garcia as Caractacus Potts; Ellie Nunn as Truly Scrumptious; Isabella Manning as Jemima Potts; Louis Wilkins as Jeremy Potts; Liam Fox as Grandpa Potts; Martin Callaghan as Baron; Jenny Gayner as Baroness; Adam Stafford as Boris; Michael Joseph as Goran; Charlie Brooks as The Childcatcher; John Macaulay as The Toymaker; Hadrian Delacey as Lord Scrumptious / Announcer

Ensemble: Charlie Bishop; Ruaraidh Blackwood; Belle Kizzy Green; Tia Gyngell; Kirsty Ingram; Bibi Jay; Isabella Mason; Joe Press; Theo UK Rose; Holly Rees Howe; Callum Train; Luke Woolaston

RUNNING TIME (approx):

2 hours 40 minutes, including interval

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Suitable for all ages