| programme_notes_chitty_chitty_bang_bang_goh_july_24.docx |
CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG THE MUSICAL
Grand Opera House Belfast
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang the Musical comes to The Grand Opera House, Belfast as part of its successful UK tour. Based on the novel by Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, it was first published in 1964 and was adapted for film in 1968, and for stage by Jeremy Sams. It is bursting with unforgettable songs including Hushabye Mountain and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Chitty was once a powerful racing car but after been “nobbled” by the Vulgarian racing team she ends up in Coggins scrapyard, a sad wreck, but after been rescued and rejuvenated by the inventor Caractacus Potts it soon becomes clear that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is no ordinary car.
CHARACTERS AND COSTUME
We get our first glimpse of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang not as a winning rally car at the Grand Prix but as a forgotten wreck in Mr Coggins scrapyard. It still retains some of its magical powers and is much loved by the Potts children. When Potts the inventor restores the car it is transformed and regains its full magical powers. The rear is made of Cedar and resembles a boat, while the bonnet is a polished aluminium cylinder, with a windscreen from a World War 1 fighter plane with brass lamps on either side. The brass radiator is circular shaped and has rotating brass headlamps on either side. The spoked wheels are red resembling the wheels of a 1920’s Ford. Red and yellow retractable wings sprout from the sides, rear and front bumper when flying, these also act as a “hoover craft” in the ocean. It is an open topped car with the registration number GEN11. The seats are red leather.
Edison is the Pott’s family pet, an old English Sheep dog, a hand-puppet operated by a cast member.
The Racing Drivers in the Grand Prix wear white suits, goggles and helmets or beige suits and helmet,
The Baron Bomburst of Vulgaria: (Martin Callaghan) is a small, stout man with a round face. He wears his crown permanently, even in the royal bedroom. His tunic is purple satin with tails and long sleeves, it doesn’t meet in the middle exposing a frilly white shirt underneath. He has a thin gold sash from his right shoulder to his left side. His knee length pantaloons are purple satin and have a white stripe down each side, under which are long white socks. His shoes are shiny black with a small heel. Later he wears blue pyjamas buttoned down the front and slippers.
The Baroness Bomburst of Vulgaria: (Bibi Jay/Jenny Gayner) is the wife of the Baron. She is taller than him and slim with long shapely legs. Her ginger curls are worn up beneath her crown, which she also wears permanently. She is dressed to match her husband in purple satin. Her dress is like a traditional costume but grander. It is tightly fitted at the bodice with long puffed sleeves ending in ruffles. Her knee length skirt is full with a contrasting inset of purple on each side and layers of white frilly petticoats underneath. She has black high heeled shoes. Later in the boudoir she wears a blue sparkly basque with ruffles on the bra section and around the hips and a frilly train at the back. She wears stockings with a suspender belt and stilettoes. At the baron’s birthday she wears a Samba costume, a bra top and long skirt that is split to the thigh and frilled along the edges. Her headdress is a yellow jewelled.turban.
Mr Coggins is the scrapyard cum garage owner where Chitty is kept. He is a tall thin man with a long face. He is kindly towards Mr Potts’ children who hang about regularly. He wears a flat cap and a blue duster coat, buttoned down the front. He has brown trousers and black shoes.
The Scrap Lady (Charlie Brookes) who also plays the Child Catcher later in the production is of medium height. She is a sharp business woman who dislikes children. She wears a black hat with a brim turned up at the front and a feather at the side. She wears a full length black coat with a fur collar and a long grey scarf. Her skirts are full length and she wears black ankle boots with heels.
As the Child Catcher she wears a tall black hat with a feather at the back, a standing white collar with black cravat and a black fitted jacket with coat tails, it sparkles in the light. Her trousers are black with high heeled boots. She carries a peculiarly curvy horn and wears a white coat and hat when trying to lure children into captivity.
Miss Truly Scrumptious: (Ellie Nunn) is the daughter of Lord Scrumptious (Hadrian Delacey) the sweet magnate. She is a tomboy who drives a white motorbike with a sidecar. She is very knowledgeable about mechanics. She is a tall with a womanly figure and long wavy blonde hair and a wide smile. When we first meet her she is wearing goggles, a white blouse with long sleeves and a tight fitting waistcoat which has a red satin back. She has white trousers tucked into long knee length boots. Later at her father’s factory she wears a white trouser suit and white straw boater. In the baron’s castle dressed as a doll she wears a fitted pink dress with a wide lacy collar, puff sleeves, and a white apron with a rose design and layers of frilly petticoats.
Jeremy and Jemima: (played by a variety of actors) are the children of Caractacus Potts the inventor. In the original book they were eight year old twins whose mother had dead. In the musical their age is not specified but they look about nine or ten. Jeremy is small and lithe with short dark hair. He wears a pair of beige knee length dungarees and a tan shirt, white ankle socks and brown shoes. Jemima is slightly taller than her brother and more confident. Her hair is strawberry blonde, tied in pigtails with bows. She wears a blue knee length pinafore with pockets and a white blouse, dark tights and brown shoes. Later a tan duffle coat with a peaked cap. .
Caractacus Potts (Adam Garcia) the inventor is the father of Jeremy and Jemima whose wife has died leaving him and his father “Grandpa Potts” as sole carers of the children. He is handsome and of medium height, muscular, with short dark hair combed back from a high forehead. His trousers are worn backwards to keep them clean, with the V of his braces visible on the front. One leg is a plain grey material while the other is a grey check. He wears a white shirt with sleeves rolled up and a tie which is undone. He wears a red sleeveless cardigan and an apron when cooking. At the sweet factory he wears a grey three quarter length coat, waistcoat and cravat. When demonstration his haircutting machine he wears a grey satin waistcoat and later at the fun fair he tries to disguise himself as a Morris dancer by wearing a multi coloured fringed waistcoat and a straw boater with ribbons at the back. At the baron’s castle disguised as a doll he wears a red bolero with a black inset on the shoulder and back, and a white shirt. He has red pantaloons held up by braces joined at the chest by an embroidered strap like lederhosen and white stockings.
Grandpa: (Liam Fox) lives with Potts and his two children. He is tall and portly with round face, silver hair and mutton chops. He is eccentric and likes to tell stories and jokes to the children about his former life as a soldier in India. He wears a stone coloured long sleeved barrack dress uniform which is belted, and wide stone coloured knee length shorts and boots or a white shirt and black trousers.
Boris and Goran: (Boris, Adam Stafford, Goran, Michael Joseph) are two Vulgarian spies. Both men are small, Goran has dark short hair while Boris is bald. They wear tall hats with a feather, black Inverness Cape coats and dark trousers. When trying to blend in they wear flat caps and jackets with plus fours tucked into knitted socks. Later they will wear colourful Samba outfits of frilly shirts and trousers with layers of multi-coloured frills and tall headdresses with feathers.
The Toymaker: (John MaCaulay) who also plays a turkey farmer is a tall thin man with a bald head, silvery sideburns and beard. He wears a white shirt under a brown waistcoat and a brown leather apron. He has baggy shorts and long black socks and brown shoes.
As Mr Matthews the Turkey Farmer he wears a flat cap, blue denim dungarees and a check shirt.
The Vulgarian Soldiers are played by various members of the cast. They wear silver plumed metal helmets. Their doublets are purple and mustard coloured with chevron stripes and puffed sleeves. Black pantaloons are tucked into high black boots with pompoms at the side.
The Urchins, the banished children of Vulgaria are played by a number of youths wearing a variety of waistcoats, baggy trousers, shirts and boots.
The workers in the sweet factory and the baron’s castle are played by members of the cast wearing similar clothing, dust coats and hats over their hair, with the exception of the foreman of the sweet factory who wears wire spectacles, a long black jacket with a white shirt and tie. His hair is slicked down and he carries a horn over his shoulder to issue instructions to the staff.
The Baron’s Birthday the cast wear colourful Carnival Samba costumes, the girls in short black frilly low cut dresses and the boys in short jackets and tight black trousers with stripes down the side.
SCENERY
When we enter the theatre we see a gauze curtain with the words “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” in large decorative writing against a blue background. Around the gauze curtain is an open work bronze metal structure which frames the stage once the curtain is raised. The edges of the metal frame are irregular and curved in places, and inside the frame, which lights up, are spinning wheels, spirals and other moving shapes illustrating inventions of Mr Potts.
The Grand Prix has a large black and white checkered flag with the words Grand Prix centrally. The ground has irregular blue and white paving. Wooden trunks with brass hinges are used as seating and as a commentator’s stand. These are used in many scenes throughout the show for various purposes. The racing cars are members of the cast holding headlights, jostling for lead position.
Coggins Scrapyard/Garage houses the wreckage of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The wooden trunks have become Mr Coggins desk with a metal tool box and other furniture. The Potts children sit on red leather seats that have been removed from Chitty’s interior, and play with her steering wheel. Centrally the car sits vertically, wheels in the air and resting on its back wheels. There is a vertical metal sign with the words Coggins. In the background is a faint blue print plan and a silhouette of Potts windmill, set in undulating hills and beyond that a silhouette of a factory with a funnels and many windows.
Potts’ Windmill: On the right is a crooked wooden outdoor loo with a slanted roof and a curtained window set in a door which opens to the front. Behind that the interior of the windmill blades are turned by one of the cast. As this is the inventor’s workshop a wooden trunk contains tools and to the left of this is a table with a red checked cloth on which sits an invention Potts claims is a food machine and another crate that the children use to stand to attention for Grandpa Potts.
Potts’ kitchen: The trunks are configured into a set of L-shaped kitchen units, in front of which is a round table with three wooden slatted backed chairs. On the left is the table with the food machine.
Potts’ Office: On the right a trunk becomes a desk with blue prints of various plans and a wooden slatted back chair. Another holds his sweet making machine which is copper and has a glass globe on top, and behind this is a striped deck chair on wheels with a metal hood and foot rest that has been converted into an automatic hair cutting machine which will be used in a later scene.
Jeremy and Jemima’s bedroom: The Potts children’s bedroom has two single beds formed from trunks and draped with coloured covers. The headboards are carved wood. A bedside table divides the beds.
Scrumptious sweet factory: The trunks are pushed together to form a long platform with a raised dais where the manager meets workers and visitors as they enter. Suspended above is a curved metal sign with fancy scroll work, lit by light bulbs bearing the words “Scrumptious” in capital letters.
The factory workshop has individual tables where busy staff work. There are tall metal racks with trays of sweets and a trolley where Mr Scrumptious will be pushed about.
The Funfair: The cast act as funfair rides by holding or carrying miniature hobby horses, helter skelters and carousels. A tent is formed by a string of glittering fringes pulled from a trunk and cleverly raised like umbrella spokes. Into this tent Potts takes his hair cutting machine.
Vulagrian Market Place: A busy market place is suggested by the townsfolk pushing carts on wheels that contain baked breads, beers and other goods. The Child Catcher wheels a striped ice cream cart on wheels, a ramp and a curved roof, but once the cloth is removed we see a long narrow cage with bars.
The Toymaker’s Shop: The trunks are pushed together, the tops becoming a wooden floor. An ornate curved door frame has a wooden door with a circle cut into the top section. The sides of the trunks are removed and the actors climb in and out the trunk lids like a trapdoor into the cellar of the shop. There are two large painted blocks on the right and left with letters on each side, a large doll in national costume stands on the right hand block. In the background the castle is silhouetted between two steep hills on which the village houses cling precariously.
The Vulgarian Castle: The Baron’s war-office has a pennant hanging centrally which depicts a black eagle with talons outstretched and a heraldic shield in purple and gold. On the right is a chalk board with a map of Britain in relation to Vulgaria. A pedestal desk with an old fashioned telephone and some papers is on the left. Vulgarian soldiers guard either side of the room.
The State Room has two high backed thrones with carved arms and feet. The back and seat are upholstered in purple velvet. The pennant hangs between the two thrones.
The Castle Workshop: The trunks are used as benches and contain tools used by the Baron’s inventors. Purple drapes and a metal shield bearing the baron’s coat of arms hang from the ceiling. A chalk board sits to the left with a blue print of a car design.
The Throne Room has the royal pennant hanging between two high backed thrones with carved arms and legs. The back and seat of the thrones is purple velvet. Later during the baron’s birthday celebrations one throne will be removed and a party garland with the words HAPPY BIRTHDAY is draped across the ceiling. Two large presents, one square and one rectangular sit on the left and right, each wrapped in sparkly blue paper with a big pink sparkly bow. The room has been decorated with twinkling lights.
The Sewers below the castle are dark and gloomy. The trunks are used sparsely as bits of furniture and a small table with chairs sits centrally. Light filters down from the metal sewer covers above to form a grid pattern on the ground and furniture.
There is excellent use of light in the performance, with some strobe lighting in the second act. There are thousands of little stars illustrating the night sky. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is cleverly engineered, it is lifted high above the stage at times suspended from the theatre ceiling. The floor of the stage sometimes looks like ocean with mist above the waves, and at other times resembles light filtering from above and casting shadows, as in the sewers of the castle. The white motorbike and sidecar belonging to Truly Scrumptious is life size and extremely authentic looking.
The large wooden trunks are versatile and are utilized throughout the various scenes as furniture, kitchen units or flooring. They are moved to suggest walkways at the sweet factory. The sides and tops of them can be opened allowing the cast to use them as hiding places when in the toymakers shop.
In some scenes where the props would be too large to easily manoeuvre across the stage, miniatures of the objects are used instead and moved by the cast. When Grandpa’s outdoor loo is been transported to Vulgaria it is hoisted upwards, and there after we see a small replica of it attached to a little balloon moved by a cast member. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang driving into Vulgaria is also portrayed by a miniature moved by the cast. Ellison, the dog is very impressive as a life-sized puppet operated by a cast member.
The show is colourful and joyful with music played by an orchestra throughout, and the characters and costumes are believable and endearing. It is in two acts with a short interval. Please be aware of strobe lighting in the second act. .
.
Grand Opera House Belfast
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang the Musical comes to The Grand Opera House, Belfast as part of its successful UK tour. Based on the novel by Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, it was first published in 1964 and was adapted for film in 1968, and for stage by Jeremy Sams. It is bursting with unforgettable songs including Hushabye Mountain and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Chitty was once a powerful racing car but after been “nobbled” by the Vulgarian racing team she ends up in Coggins scrapyard, a sad wreck, but after been rescued and rejuvenated by the inventor Caractacus Potts it soon becomes clear that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is no ordinary car.
CHARACTERS AND COSTUME
We get our first glimpse of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang not as a winning rally car at the Grand Prix but as a forgotten wreck in Mr Coggins scrapyard. It still retains some of its magical powers and is much loved by the Potts children. When Potts the inventor restores the car it is transformed and regains its full magical powers. The rear is made of Cedar and resembles a boat, while the bonnet is a polished aluminium cylinder, with a windscreen from a World War 1 fighter plane with brass lamps on either side. The brass radiator is circular shaped and has rotating brass headlamps on either side. The spoked wheels are red resembling the wheels of a 1920’s Ford. Red and yellow retractable wings sprout from the sides, rear and front bumper when flying, these also act as a “hoover craft” in the ocean. It is an open topped car with the registration number GEN11. The seats are red leather.
Edison is the Pott’s family pet, an old English Sheep dog, a hand-puppet operated by a cast member.
The Racing Drivers in the Grand Prix wear white suits, goggles and helmets or beige suits and helmet,
The Baron Bomburst of Vulgaria: (Martin Callaghan) is a small, stout man with a round face. He wears his crown permanently, even in the royal bedroom. His tunic is purple satin with tails and long sleeves, it doesn’t meet in the middle exposing a frilly white shirt underneath. He has a thin gold sash from his right shoulder to his left side. His knee length pantaloons are purple satin and have a white stripe down each side, under which are long white socks. His shoes are shiny black with a small heel. Later he wears blue pyjamas buttoned down the front and slippers.
The Baroness Bomburst of Vulgaria: (Bibi Jay/Jenny Gayner) is the wife of the Baron. She is taller than him and slim with long shapely legs. Her ginger curls are worn up beneath her crown, which she also wears permanently. She is dressed to match her husband in purple satin. Her dress is like a traditional costume but grander. It is tightly fitted at the bodice with long puffed sleeves ending in ruffles. Her knee length skirt is full with a contrasting inset of purple on each side and layers of white frilly petticoats underneath. She has black high heeled shoes. Later in the boudoir she wears a blue sparkly basque with ruffles on the bra section and around the hips and a frilly train at the back. She wears stockings with a suspender belt and stilettoes. At the baron’s birthday she wears a Samba costume, a bra top and long skirt that is split to the thigh and frilled along the edges. Her headdress is a yellow jewelled.turban.
Mr Coggins is the scrapyard cum garage owner where Chitty is kept. He is a tall thin man with a long face. He is kindly towards Mr Potts’ children who hang about regularly. He wears a flat cap and a blue duster coat, buttoned down the front. He has brown trousers and black shoes.
The Scrap Lady (Charlie Brookes) who also plays the Child Catcher later in the production is of medium height. She is a sharp business woman who dislikes children. She wears a black hat with a brim turned up at the front and a feather at the side. She wears a full length black coat with a fur collar and a long grey scarf. Her skirts are full length and she wears black ankle boots with heels.
As the Child Catcher she wears a tall black hat with a feather at the back, a standing white collar with black cravat and a black fitted jacket with coat tails, it sparkles in the light. Her trousers are black with high heeled boots. She carries a peculiarly curvy horn and wears a white coat and hat when trying to lure children into captivity.
Miss Truly Scrumptious: (Ellie Nunn) is the daughter of Lord Scrumptious (Hadrian Delacey) the sweet magnate. She is a tomboy who drives a white motorbike with a sidecar. She is very knowledgeable about mechanics. She is a tall with a womanly figure and long wavy blonde hair and a wide smile. When we first meet her she is wearing goggles, a white blouse with long sleeves and a tight fitting waistcoat which has a red satin back. She has white trousers tucked into long knee length boots. Later at her father’s factory she wears a white trouser suit and white straw boater. In the baron’s castle dressed as a doll she wears a fitted pink dress with a wide lacy collar, puff sleeves, and a white apron with a rose design and layers of frilly petticoats.
Jeremy and Jemima: (played by a variety of actors) are the children of Caractacus Potts the inventor. In the original book they were eight year old twins whose mother had dead. In the musical their age is not specified but they look about nine or ten. Jeremy is small and lithe with short dark hair. He wears a pair of beige knee length dungarees and a tan shirt, white ankle socks and brown shoes. Jemima is slightly taller than her brother and more confident. Her hair is strawberry blonde, tied in pigtails with bows. She wears a blue knee length pinafore with pockets and a white blouse, dark tights and brown shoes. Later a tan duffle coat with a peaked cap. .
Caractacus Potts (Adam Garcia) the inventor is the father of Jeremy and Jemima whose wife has died leaving him and his father “Grandpa Potts” as sole carers of the children. He is handsome and of medium height, muscular, with short dark hair combed back from a high forehead. His trousers are worn backwards to keep them clean, with the V of his braces visible on the front. One leg is a plain grey material while the other is a grey check. He wears a white shirt with sleeves rolled up and a tie which is undone. He wears a red sleeveless cardigan and an apron when cooking. At the sweet factory he wears a grey three quarter length coat, waistcoat and cravat. When demonstration his haircutting machine he wears a grey satin waistcoat and later at the fun fair he tries to disguise himself as a Morris dancer by wearing a multi coloured fringed waistcoat and a straw boater with ribbons at the back. At the baron’s castle disguised as a doll he wears a red bolero with a black inset on the shoulder and back, and a white shirt. He has red pantaloons held up by braces joined at the chest by an embroidered strap like lederhosen and white stockings.
Grandpa: (Liam Fox) lives with Potts and his two children. He is tall and portly with round face, silver hair and mutton chops. He is eccentric and likes to tell stories and jokes to the children about his former life as a soldier in India. He wears a stone coloured long sleeved barrack dress uniform which is belted, and wide stone coloured knee length shorts and boots or a white shirt and black trousers.
Boris and Goran: (Boris, Adam Stafford, Goran, Michael Joseph) are two Vulgarian spies. Both men are small, Goran has dark short hair while Boris is bald. They wear tall hats with a feather, black Inverness Cape coats and dark trousers. When trying to blend in they wear flat caps and jackets with plus fours tucked into knitted socks. Later they will wear colourful Samba outfits of frilly shirts and trousers with layers of multi-coloured frills and tall headdresses with feathers.
The Toymaker: (John MaCaulay) who also plays a turkey farmer is a tall thin man with a bald head, silvery sideburns and beard. He wears a white shirt under a brown waistcoat and a brown leather apron. He has baggy shorts and long black socks and brown shoes.
As Mr Matthews the Turkey Farmer he wears a flat cap, blue denim dungarees and a check shirt.
The Vulgarian Soldiers are played by various members of the cast. They wear silver plumed metal helmets. Their doublets are purple and mustard coloured with chevron stripes and puffed sleeves. Black pantaloons are tucked into high black boots with pompoms at the side.
The Urchins, the banished children of Vulgaria are played by a number of youths wearing a variety of waistcoats, baggy trousers, shirts and boots.
The workers in the sweet factory and the baron’s castle are played by members of the cast wearing similar clothing, dust coats and hats over their hair, with the exception of the foreman of the sweet factory who wears wire spectacles, a long black jacket with a white shirt and tie. His hair is slicked down and he carries a horn over his shoulder to issue instructions to the staff.
The Baron’s Birthday the cast wear colourful Carnival Samba costumes, the girls in short black frilly low cut dresses and the boys in short jackets and tight black trousers with stripes down the side.
SCENERY
When we enter the theatre we see a gauze curtain with the words “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” in large decorative writing against a blue background. Around the gauze curtain is an open work bronze metal structure which frames the stage once the curtain is raised. The edges of the metal frame are irregular and curved in places, and inside the frame, which lights up, are spinning wheels, spirals and other moving shapes illustrating inventions of Mr Potts.
The Grand Prix has a large black and white checkered flag with the words Grand Prix centrally. The ground has irregular blue and white paving. Wooden trunks with brass hinges are used as seating and as a commentator’s stand. These are used in many scenes throughout the show for various purposes. The racing cars are members of the cast holding headlights, jostling for lead position.
Coggins Scrapyard/Garage houses the wreckage of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The wooden trunks have become Mr Coggins desk with a metal tool box and other furniture. The Potts children sit on red leather seats that have been removed from Chitty’s interior, and play with her steering wheel. Centrally the car sits vertically, wheels in the air and resting on its back wheels. There is a vertical metal sign with the words Coggins. In the background is a faint blue print plan and a silhouette of Potts windmill, set in undulating hills and beyond that a silhouette of a factory with a funnels and many windows.
Potts’ Windmill: On the right is a crooked wooden outdoor loo with a slanted roof and a curtained window set in a door which opens to the front. Behind that the interior of the windmill blades are turned by one of the cast. As this is the inventor’s workshop a wooden trunk contains tools and to the left of this is a table with a red checked cloth on which sits an invention Potts claims is a food machine and another crate that the children use to stand to attention for Grandpa Potts.
Potts’ kitchen: The trunks are configured into a set of L-shaped kitchen units, in front of which is a round table with three wooden slatted backed chairs. On the left is the table with the food machine.
Potts’ Office: On the right a trunk becomes a desk with blue prints of various plans and a wooden slatted back chair. Another holds his sweet making machine which is copper and has a glass globe on top, and behind this is a striped deck chair on wheels with a metal hood and foot rest that has been converted into an automatic hair cutting machine which will be used in a later scene.
Jeremy and Jemima’s bedroom: The Potts children’s bedroom has two single beds formed from trunks and draped with coloured covers. The headboards are carved wood. A bedside table divides the beds.
Scrumptious sweet factory: The trunks are pushed together to form a long platform with a raised dais where the manager meets workers and visitors as they enter. Suspended above is a curved metal sign with fancy scroll work, lit by light bulbs bearing the words “Scrumptious” in capital letters.
The factory workshop has individual tables where busy staff work. There are tall metal racks with trays of sweets and a trolley where Mr Scrumptious will be pushed about.
The Funfair: The cast act as funfair rides by holding or carrying miniature hobby horses, helter skelters and carousels. A tent is formed by a string of glittering fringes pulled from a trunk and cleverly raised like umbrella spokes. Into this tent Potts takes his hair cutting machine.
Vulagrian Market Place: A busy market place is suggested by the townsfolk pushing carts on wheels that contain baked breads, beers and other goods. The Child Catcher wheels a striped ice cream cart on wheels, a ramp and a curved roof, but once the cloth is removed we see a long narrow cage with bars.
The Toymaker’s Shop: The trunks are pushed together, the tops becoming a wooden floor. An ornate curved door frame has a wooden door with a circle cut into the top section. The sides of the trunks are removed and the actors climb in and out the trunk lids like a trapdoor into the cellar of the shop. There are two large painted blocks on the right and left with letters on each side, a large doll in national costume stands on the right hand block. In the background the castle is silhouetted between two steep hills on which the village houses cling precariously.
The Vulgarian Castle: The Baron’s war-office has a pennant hanging centrally which depicts a black eagle with talons outstretched and a heraldic shield in purple and gold. On the right is a chalk board with a map of Britain in relation to Vulgaria. A pedestal desk with an old fashioned telephone and some papers is on the left. Vulgarian soldiers guard either side of the room.
The State Room has two high backed thrones with carved arms and feet. The back and seat are upholstered in purple velvet. The pennant hangs between the two thrones.
The Castle Workshop: The trunks are used as benches and contain tools used by the Baron’s inventors. Purple drapes and a metal shield bearing the baron’s coat of arms hang from the ceiling. A chalk board sits to the left with a blue print of a car design.
The Throne Room has the royal pennant hanging between two high backed thrones with carved arms and legs. The back and seat of the thrones is purple velvet. Later during the baron’s birthday celebrations one throne will be removed and a party garland with the words HAPPY BIRTHDAY is draped across the ceiling. Two large presents, one square and one rectangular sit on the left and right, each wrapped in sparkly blue paper with a big pink sparkly bow. The room has been decorated with twinkling lights.
The Sewers below the castle are dark and gloomy. The trunks are used sparsely as bits of furniture and a small table with chairs sits centrally. Light filters down from the metal sewer covers above to form a grid pattern on the ground and furniture.
There is excellent use of light in the performance, with some strobe lighting in the second act. There are thousands of little stars illustrating the night sky. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is cleverly engineered, it is lifted high above the stage at times suspended from the theatre ceiling. The floor of the stage sometimes looks like ocean with mist above the waves, and at other times resembles light filtering from above and casting shadows, as in the sewers of the castle. The white motorbike and sidecar belonging to Truly Scrumptious is life size and extremely authentic looking.
The large wooden trunks are versatile and are utilized throughout the various scenes as furniture, kitchen units or flooring. They are moved to suggest walkways at the sweet factory. The sides and tops of them can be opened allowing the cast to use them as hiding places when in the toymakers shop.
In some scenes where the props would be too large to easily manoeuvre across the stage, miniatures of the objects are used instead and moved by the cast. When Grandpa’s outdoor loo is been transported to Vulgaria it is hoisted upwards, and there after we see a small replica of it attached to a little balloon moved by a cast member. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang driving into Vulgaria is also portrayed by a miniature moved by the cast. Ellison, the dog is very impressive as a life-sized puppet operated by a cast member.
The show is colourful and joyful with music played by an orchestra throughout, and the characters and costumes are believable and endearing. It is in two acts with a short interval. Please be aware of strobe lighting in the second act. .
.
