Birmingham Hippodrome – until 9th March 2025
Reviewed by Emma Millward
5*****
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang flies into Birmingham Hippodrome for one week only, and judging by the crowd’s reaction last night, Brum definitely loves this amazing car! Based on the 1964 Ian Fleming book, which was then adapted for the big screen by Roald Dahl for the 1968 movie. The stage show made its world premiere at the London Palladium on April 16th 2002, before making its Broadway debut in 2005. This production is directed by Thom Southerland, adapted for the stage by Jeremy Sams and features music and lyrics by the Sherman Brothers.
The story follows eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts (Ore Oduba) and his two children, Jeremy (Roshan Thomson) and Jemima (Gracie Cochrane), who discover an old race car in a local scrapyard and try to save it from being destroyed. Along the way, they meet the kind-hearted Truly Scrumptious (Ellie Nunn), who encourages Caractacus to raise the funds for the car’s renovation. They soon discover its extraordinary magical properties, including the ability to fly and float on water. Unbeknownst to the Potts family, the villainous Baron and Baroness of Vulgaria (Martin Callaghan and Jenny Gayner) also want to get their hands on Chitty. They send their bumbling spies Goran (Michael Joseph) and Boris (Adam Stafford) to England to steal the car. They mistakenly think Grandpa Potts (Liam Fox) is the inventor and kidnap him, so the family heads off to Vulgaria to rescue him. Vulgaria is a peculiar land where children are outlawed, and the creepy Child Catcher (Charlie Brooks) soon hunts down Jeremy and Jemima. With the help of the kindly Toymaker (John Macaulay) and the children secretly hidden away from the clutches of the Child Catcher, Caractacus and Truly embark on a daring plan to save the children and Grandpa.
The set design by Morgan Large is often minimal, it uses movable crates to create backdrops for many scenes. Clever multipurpose props are used such as the Coggins scrapyard sign that doubles up as the Potts Family Windmill home. The smaller touches such as tiny versions of Chitty and Grandpa’s shed being moved around the stage just add to the humour of the show, while being cleverly used to portray scenes that would otherwise be very hard to achieve. This minimalist approach just makes Chitty’s first appearance feel even bigger and bolder. Audible gasps rose from the auditorium as we saw her newly renovated for the first time. When she eventually takes to the air, the crowd were captivated by the stage magic needed to make such a scene a reality.
The show boasts an incredibly talented ensemble that all work well together. Stand-out performances for me were Michael Joseph and Adam Stafford as clumsy, but lovable spies Goran and Boris with their slapstick comedy and hilarious pronunciations of British words (the word “pub” was stuck in my head all the way home!). Although they are the villains of the show, the Baron and Baroness also kept the audience amused, with a few racier jokes thrown in for the adults to giggle at. Ore Oduba has only recently joined the tour during the show’s stint in Sheffield. He gave a great performance as Caractacus and his onstage chemistry with Ellie Nunn as Truly is already evident.
Following the standing ovation during the show’s finale, Liam Fox delivered a heartfelt tribute to The Vivienne/James Lee Williams, who until their death had played the role of the Child Catcher. This was met with prolonged applause, making it a touching and fitting end to an amazing show. More than sixty years on, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang still holds a special place in people’s hearts, and this phantasmagorical production will ensure Chitty’s legacy continues to fire on all cylinders!