By: Keiran Potter
The thing about revisiting a classic is you never know how the cards will fall.
Will the magic be captured in the same way or will it be crammed into a cage even the Child Catcher would raise a sympathetic eyebrow at?
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, based on Ian Fleming’s novel of the same name, tells the story of a curious and bumbling inventor and his charming efforts to make 30 shillings to purchase a car and fulfil a promise made to his two doting young children. Cue a B story of Vulgarian spies, car-nappings and a kingdom where children are forbidden, and you have a lot of mileage to cover.
We race through the story following as Caractacus Potts (Ore Oduba) tries and fails to find the right crowd for his inventions. The most notable being his ‘Toot Sweets’ that don’t exactly bring in the cash, but instead act as an important vehicle to unify Potts and this story’s seriously sweet heroine Truly Scrumptious (Ellie Nunn).
Both performers do a fabulous job but Nunn excels when she has a chance to show off her range in her characters namesake number ‘Truly Scrumptious’ and ‘Doll on a Music Box’.
Even those with the biggest sweet tooth may find this production a little silly in places, but has overindulgence ever kept us coming back for seconds?
And that’s the thing. Where the story throws a lot at us in spots, in others it leaves the audience wanting more. More music, more spectacle, more laughs – and it doesn’t leave us waiting long.
Many sets within the production show restraint- allowing our other senses to take the wheel, and our childlike imagination to run wild, which in many ways might have been the intention of the creatives all along.
For instance, a scene set in a fairground merely suggests the setting, whilst the real transformation of the space comes from the joyous ensemble that soon fills it, decked out in costumes (Morgan Large) resembling Helter Skelters, and gowns fashioned from Carousels as they dance merrily in ‘Come to the Funfair’.
In a later scene we find ourselves in a sewer, with the only true tell being the sound of dripping and the slightly eerie echoes of the cast’s voices. The sound design here (Gareth Tucker) paints an undeniable picture.
On the surface the show is a nonsensical adventure and whirlwind tour of whimsy, but under the bonnet – in its quiet moments Chitty shows its heart, with ”You Two’, ‘Them Three’ and ‘Hushabye Mountain’ being real standouts.
These classic numbers (Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman) put the importance of a strong and supportive family unit (no matter how unconventional) in the spotlight. It’s earnest in its delivery, whilst steering clear of being trite.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang invites its audience to feel like a child again. Call it nostalgia, or simply captivating storytelling and craftsmanship, but it works all the same.
This may be a classic story, but does the old banger have life in it yet? Well let’s just say this show not only sings – it flies.
This is the kind of show that reminds you why childhood dreams are worth holding on to.
You can catch Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in all its feel-good silliness until May 10 at the Theatre Royal Plymouth.