Newbury’s Watermill Theatre will present a new production of the classic musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang next summer.
Directed by the venue’s artistic director and joint CEO Paul Hart, the actor-musician production will run from 26 May until 13 September 2026.
Announcing the production, Hart said: “We are beyond thrilled to announce we will be staging one of the greatest pieces of musical theatre ever made in a version unlike anything seen before. We’ll be giving audiences the opportunity to step inside the creative mind of Caractacus Potts who sets out to do the impossible and create a flying car for his beloved children. How the hell are they going to do that at the Watermill? All will be revealed…”
Watermill’s executive director and joint CEO Claire Murray added: “The summer musical is the linchpin of our year. From The Lord of The Rings to Barnum and Jesus Christ Superstar, we’ve seen audiences grow and diversify over the last three years, and we can’t wait for every generation to see this much-loved classic in a new version for 2026. Transforming our site and placing actor musicianship at the heart of the show, audiences can expect a truly scrumptious experience full of imagination and pure joy!”
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will follow on from three consecutive sold-out and critically acclaimed summer musicals – The Lord of the Rings, Barnum and Jesus Christ Superstar – the last of which is one of the most successful productions in the Watermill’s history and won the prestigious 2025 UK Theatre Award for Best Musical Production.
The creative team charged with transforming the Watermill’s beautiful theatre and gardens into a magical world of wonder will include set and costume designer Katie Lias, musical supervisor and orchestrator Stuart Morley, choreographer Anjali Mehra, puppet designer, maker and director Marc Parrett and lighting designer Jai Morjaria. Further creatives and casting will be announced in the spring.
Based on Bond creator Ian Fleming’s much-loved children’s novel Chitty- Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car published in 1964 just a few months after the writer’s death, the musical was first brought to life on the big screen with Dick Van Dyke starring as Caractacus Potts.
Featuring music and lyrics by Richard M Sherman and Robert B Sherman, the film was adapted for the stage by Jeremy Sams. The musical debuted at the London Palladium in 2002 and features six additional Sherman Brothers songs not featured in the film.
The Watermill Theatre is also launching a search for young performers to join the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang company. The theatre is seeking local young people to play Jeremy, Jemima and the children of Vulgaria, with all applicants required to have unbroken voices and live within one hour of Newbury.
For the roles of Jeremy and Jemima, the young people must be aged between nine and 12 and under four ft seven inches tall. All other young people must be aged between nine and 14. First-round auditions will take place via self-taped video submission, with selected candidates invited to in-person recalls at the Watermill on 18 January 2026. Applications close at 9am on Friday 11 December 2025.
Angela Thomas
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