Picture: Paul Coltas
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was reviewed at Curve Leicester where it continues until 9 November 2024. The tour continues until 10 May 2025.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is one of those musicals where several generations of people start smiling upon hearing its name, as a huge wave of nostalgia washes over them. The 1968 film is pretty much loved by everyone (even if The Child Catcher did cause years of nightmares for us all) and its quirky characters and eccentric plot always made it a ripe candidate for a stage adaptation. This came along in 2002 in London’s West End, with a certain Michael Ball and a very young Carrie Hope Fletcher behind the steering wheel. It’s since enjoyed numerous successful tours, and now it’s back again, taking to the skies this week over Curve Leicester.
Oddball inventor and single parent Caractacus Potts (Adam Garcia) tries to sell his latest invention (a whistling sweet) to save a beloved prize-winning race car from being turned into scrap. Finally earning enough money, he buys the car, much to the delight of his children Jeremy and Jemima (played on press night by Roshan Thomson and Gracie Cochrane).
Caractacus tells the children a story of an evil Baron (Martin Callaghan) and Baroness (Jenny Gayner), who also have their eyes on the car, and send two clueless henchmen (Adam Stafford and Michael Joseph) to either steal the car or make Caractacus give it up. Our heroes find themselves with their grandfather (Liam Fox) captured in a strange foreign city where children are outlawed and caught by the evil Child Catcher (The Vivienne), and need to find a way to set everybody free. Luckily Chitty has a few nifty tricks in her engine.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang makes pretty much no sense but it doesn’t matter in the slightest. It’s a fantasy, having a dreamlike-quality throughout it which stretches realism to breaking point and then runs even further with it. The story was adapted from the novel by Ian Fleming (of Bond fame), and the memorable music and lyrics come from the Sherman Brothers (famous for also composing the tunes for Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks, among others). It’s not the best musical score ever written by a long shot, but it does the job, and gets more than enough mileage from just the title song alone, along with the rousing ‘Me Ol’ Bamboo’ and timelessly-beautiful ‘Hushabye Mountain’.
This touring production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang certainly looks great, with some wonderfully whimsical automation and some looming ominous set design (Morgan Large). Obviously the star attraction is Chitty herself which is brilliantly done with high production values and lavish design, and the flying remains a highlight, although marginally diminished by not coming out over the audience as previous productions have done. Still, it’s a joyous moment, and feels magical. Less successful are some of the transitions between scenes which feel a little clunky, with an over-reliance of the ensemble having to move a number of large boxes each time to create new scenes. But overall it’s an assured and polished production, tightly directed by Thom Southerland, which captures the loveable quirky nature of the show and brings it characters to life.
Garcia makes a likeable Caractacus and conveys believable chemistry with his onstage children, every bit the doting father. He could perhaps lean into the “mad inventor” energy a little more to give his earlier scenes a little more zing, but makes up for this by showing that natural dance ability in ‘Me Ol’ Bamboo’, where he and the ensemble deliver Karen Bruce’s choreography brilliantly.
Ellie Nunn and Fox also both do fine jobs as Truly Scrumptious and Grandpa respectively, but as is to be expected really, this show belongs to the baddies. Stafford and Joseph are an absolute knockout as henchmen Boris and Goran, stealing the spotlight every time they step out. Full of character and humour and never letting the silliness drop for a second, they’re a complete joy, as is the always- brilliant Gayner as the child-hating Baroness.
As the iconic villainous Child Catcher, The Vivienne gives a brief but powerfully memorable performance that chills and delights in equal measure. Stunt-casting it arguably is, but The Vivienne earns her stripes, dialling down the drag and ramping up the creepy carnival-esque nightmare we all grew up with, nailing the character and dark energy.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is absolute nostalgia for grown-ups and a magical introduction to musicals for the next generation. As sweet and sugary as Caractacus’ whistling creations with a dark undercurrent from The Vivienne’s startling Child Catcher, this show remains fun viewing for the whole family.
Rob Bartley
Cast note: Adam Garcia plays the role of Caractacus Potts until the end of 2024. Ore Oduba takes over from the start of 2025.
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