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PROGRAMME NOTES- CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG
The Grand Opera House, Belfast
Audio-Described performance Saturday 26 March 2016
This audio described performance is brought to you by Sightlines NI working with the Grand Opera House. The audio describers are Ann Maynes and Marie Abbott. The show will begin at 2.30pm. These notes will be read out 10 minutes before the start of the show, so please take your seats early if you wish to hear a description of the set, costumes, and characters.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was originally written as a short story by Ian Fleming for his son young son, Caspar, in 1964. Fleming was better-known as the author and creator of the James Bond novels. It was made in to a film in 1968, with music and songs by brothers Richard and Robert Sherman, and then it became a hugely successful stage musical which opened in London in 2002. This is a brand new version of the musical based on the original novel and film. This production originated in the West Yorkshire Playhouse, and is on tour. The story can be enjoyed by adults and children alike. Throughout the show, the music is played live by a band, located down in the orchestra pit in front of the stage, and all the songs are sung live by members of the cast.
The musical tells the story of Caractacus Potts, an eccentric inventor who sets about restoring an old racing car, with the help of his two children Jeremy and Jemima. They soon discover that the car, when restored, has magical properties including the ability to float on water and take flight. Trouble occurs when the evil Baron Bomburst from Vulgaria wants the magic car for himself.
The Set
When we enter the auditorium, the stage of the Opera House is filled right across by a wooden construction that is the base of a Windmill. Three sides of the hexagonal windmill face us, and the walls sweep up out of view, tapering towards the upper level. The wooden walls of the structure are formed from long thin wooden planks known as clapboard, painted grey interlocked horizontally and secured by vertical planks standing at least 30 feet high. On ground level in the centre of the windmill is a matching clapboard door, seven feet high and four feet wide. Above the door is a small window which sometimes lights up.
At each side of the stage are exits and entrances for the actors. The central door is also used for exiting and entering. The windmill structure is very versatile, and at times the front panels move back or up to reveal the interior circular walls of the windmill and create other performance areas- the interior of Coggins Garage, a country road, a street scene, a beach and the palace in Vulgaria..
An exciting use of the clapboard walls is the projection of moving video images onto it - shop signs and scenes of landscape and sky. These, accompanied by fabulous lighting and sound help tell the story of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
The Cast
There is a very large cast for this show – thirty actors and dancers, plus a group of local children who form the Sewer children towards the end of the show. The actors sing and dance and a few play more than one role. The main characters are listed below, in order of appearance. As the story happens over a period of time, many of the characters appear wearing different costumes. The rest of the cast perform roles as the ensemble- they are an English crowd at a Grand Prix, pedestrians on their way to work, workers in the sweet factory, crowds at the races and citizens of Vulgaria. The story is told largely through song and dance.
Jason Manford plays the role of Caractacus Potts, an eccentric inventor and a widower and father of two children- Jemima and Jeremy. Jason is in his early thirties, and is tall and well built with short dark hair and a broad, pleasant clean-shaven face. His trousers, held up by braces, have a large grey and silver check pattern. He wears these with an open necked cream, with a red neckerchief and rolled up shirt sleeves. His brown double breasted waistcoat is trimmed with cream piping. The chain of his pocket watch hangs across the front of the waistcoat. A pen is tucked into his breast pocket and across his chest hangs a beige sackcloth satchel, big enough to store some tools and papers.
Jeremy Potts, nine year old son of Caractacus, is played by Aaron Gelkoff. Jeremy is slim and his straight dark brown hair is worn to ear length . He wears a cream and burgundy striped shirt, a burgundy waist coat, beige knickerbocker trousers, knee length grey socks and brown shoes.
Daisy Riddett plays the role of Jemima Potts, the daughter of Caractacus and sister of Jeremy. She is a pretty, ten year old girl with shoulder length blonde wavy hair. She wears a knee length, pale blue dress, topped with a white pinafore apron and pink, blue and white stiped socks.
Ewen Cummings plays two roles. He first appears as Mr Coggins, owner of the Garage where the car first appears. He is tall and slim. Mr wears a brown bowler hat, khaki dungarees, a purple shirt and light brown jacket. As The Toymaker his costume consists of red dungarees over a white shirt and a red bower hat.
The young woman who teams up with The Potts family in their adventures, Truly Scrumptious, is played by Amy Griffiths. She is very slim, of medium height, with an attractive oval shaped face framed by straight, chin length blonde hair, cut in a neat bob. We first see her riding her motorised bike on to the stage wearing a stylish pink, long sleeved jump suit, with grey lapels and a white helmet. Later at the sweet factory she appears wearing a slim blue dress and jacket with a lace panel on the jacket and a matching blue hat. When riding her bike later on she appears in smart beige wool jodphurs tucked into knee length brown boots. A stylish long sleeved cream blouse completes her outfit.
Phil Jupitus plays two roles- Baron Bomburst of Vulgaria, and Lord Scrumptious, wealthy owner of a sweet factory ( and father of Truly Scrumptious). He is tall and well-built , with brown curly hair and beard. He first appears in red silk pyjamas, but generally his costume as the Baron is a purple jacket and trousers, in a military style, decorated with gold epaulets and braiding, with gold studded cuffs, and buttons. He wears a red sash across his chest and he is adorned with medals. His military helmet is round and black with a gilt spike on the top. On occasion he wears a golden crown decorated with rubies. As Lord Scrumptious, the owner of the sweet factory, Phil dons a top hat, tails and black knee high boots.
The part of the Baroness Bomburst is performed by Michelle Collins. She also plays Miss Phillips, a teacher who appears in the opening scene. She is tall, slim and curvaceous and with thick shoulder-length auburn hair. As the teacher she wears a calf length skirt and a blouse and she sports a mortar board. In the bedroom scene she wears a slinky purple dressing gown over a purple silk negligee. Later, looking out of an upstairs window in the palace her purple dress is rather revealing. In the Ballroom scene her purple evening dress reveals the full length of her legs in black fishnet tights. Her arms and shoulders are bare and long frills of purple and pink cascade to the floor at the back of the dress.
Boris and Goran are two Vulgarian secret agents who work for the Baron. Boris is performed by Sam Harrison and Goran by Scott Paige. Both have short dark hair , wear round spectacles and each sports a moustache. Goran’s moustache curves upwards, that of Boris curves down. The duo performs throughout as a comedy double act. In their first appearance they are clad in purple military uniforms consisting or single breasted jackets with brass buttons and trousers tucked into black knee high boots. They have a wooden chest containing many costumes and props. As they appear from time to time during the play they use these to disguise themselves and perform several different characters.
Martin Kemp plays two roles – one is the Junkman and later he appears as the Childcatcher with flair. Martin is tall and slim, with regular features, a neat beard and striking blue eyes As the Junkman he appears wearing a full-length brown leather coat, with brass buttons and wide cuffs. He rides around on a large tricycle. The Childcatcher travels about on his black bicycle towing a pink contraption advertising ice cream and sweets. The pink canvas cover hides a metal cage into which he locks small children who he has lured to taste his goodies. His bicycle is black and so is the nasty cage. His scary image is emphasised by the long leather metal studded coat that he wears over black trousers tucked into black laced boots, black gloves and a peculiar tall chimney shaped black hat. From this under this hat long greasy black hair spills onto his shoulders.
Grandpa Potts is played by Andy Hockly. He is portly, in his sixties, with a bald crown and long curly white fuzzy hair. His facial hair is worn in the style known in Victorian times as ‘mutton chops’ with thick white sideburns and a full moustache, but his chin is shaved. When he is captured and brought to Vulgaria he is dressed in a khaki twill military suit, single breasted with silver buttons and epaulets. He wears a white belt round his ample waist and two small satchels are suspended from broad white braces. A large medal is pinned to one of his top pockets. Granda Potts is the proud owner of a clapboard house into which he can just about fit. Like Doctor Who's Tardis it can whisk him to anywhere of his choosing in the world.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang starts out as a run-down battered old racing car, rusting and with worn out wheels. But it is a car with a glorious past as a Grand Prix winner in 1910.. When Caractacus restores it, it becomes as new with a long shiny silver bonnet, with brass trim, new wheels, beautifully restored mudguards and a carved wooden rear seating area that looks like the prow of a boat.
Creative Team
This show has a large number of other professionals who make the show happen, including all the technical effects, lighting, design and construction of the set and the car itself, and the costumes, dancing, songs and music throughout.
The Team includes: Director James Brining, Choreographer Stephen Mear, Musical Superviser Stephen Ridley, Musical Director Andrew Hilton, Designer Micheal Higlet , Lighting Designer Tim Mitchell, Head of Wardrobe Jocelyn Corderoy.
The Grand Opera House, Belfast
Audio-Described performance Saturday 26 March 2016
This audio described performance is brought to you by Sightlines NI working with the Grand Opera House. The audio describers are Ann Maynes and Marie Abbott. The show will begin at 2.30pm. These notes will be read out 10 minutes before the start of the show, so please take your seats early if you wish to hear a description of the set, costumes, and characters.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was originally written as a short story by Ian Fleming for his son young son, Caspar, in 1964. Fleming was better-known as the author and creator of the James Bond novels. It was made in to a film in 1968, with music and songs by brothers Richard and Robert Sherman, and then it became a hugely successful stage musical which opened in London in 2002. This is a brand new version of the musical based on the original novel and film. This production originated in the West Yorkshire Playhouse, and is on tour. The story can be enjoyed by adults and children alike. Throughout the show, the music is played live by a band, located down in the orchestra pit in front of the stage, and all the songs are sung live by members of the cast.
The musical tells the story of Caractacus Potts, an eccentric inventor who sets about restoring an old racing car, with the help of his two children Jeremy and Jemima. They soon discover that the car, when restored, has magical properties including the ability to float on water and take flight. Trouble occurs when the evil Baron Bomburst from Vulgaria wants the magic car for himself.
The Set
When we enter the auditorium, the stage of the Opera House is filled right across by a wooden construction that is the base of a Windmill. Three sides of the hexagonal windmill face us, and the walls sweep up out of view, tapering towards the upper level. The wooden walls of the structure are formed from long thin wooden planks known as clapboard, painted grey interlocked horizontally and secured by vertical planks standing at least 30 feet high. On ground level in the centre of the windmill is a matching clapboard door, seven feet high and four feet wide. Above the door is a small window which sometimes lights up.
At each side of the stage are exits and entrances for the actors. The central door is also used for exiting and entering. The windmill structure is very versatile, and at times the front panels move back or up to reveal the interior circular walls of the windmill and create other performance areas- the interior of Coggins Garage, a country road, a street scene, a beach and the palace in Vulgaria..
An exciting use of the clapboard walls is the projection of moving video images onto it - shop signs and scenes of landscape and sky. These, accompanied by fabulous lighting and sound help tell the story of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
The Cast
There is a very large cast for this show – thirty actors and dancers, plus a group of local children who form the Sewer children towards the end of the show. The actors sing and dance and a few play more than one role. The main characters are listed below, in order of appearance. As the story happens over a period of time, many of the characters appear wearing different costumes. The rest of the cast perform roles as the ensemble- they are an English crowd at a Grand Prix, pedestrians on their way to work, workers in the sweet factory, crowds at the races and citizens of Vulgaria. The story is told largely through song and dance.
Jason Manford plays the role of Caractacus Potts, an eccentric inventor and a widower and father of two children- Jemima and Jeremy. Jason is in his early thirties, and is tall and well built with short dark hair and a broad, pleasant clean-shaven face. His trousers, held up by braces, have a large grey and silver check pattern. He wears these with an open necked cream, with a red neckerchief and rolled up shirt sleeves. His brown double breasted waistcoat is trimmed with cream piping. The chain of his pocket watch hangs across the front of the waistcoat. A pen is tucked into his breast pocket and across his chest hangs a beige sackcloth satchel, big enough to store some tools and papers.
Jeremy Potts, nine year old son of Caractacus, is played by Aaron Gelkoff. Jeremy is slim and his straight dark brown hair is worn to ear length . He wears a cream and burgundy striped shirt, a burgundy waist coat, beige knickerbocker trousers, knee length grey socks and brown shoes.
Daisy Riddett plays the role of Jemima Potts, the daughter of Caractacus and sister of Jeremy. She is a pretty, ten year old girl with shoulder length blonde wavy hair. She wears a knee length, pale blue dress, topped with a white pinafore apron and pink, blue and white stiped socks.
Ewen Cummings plays two roles. He first appears as Mr Coggins, owner of the Garage where the car first appears. He is tall and slim. Mr wears a brown bowler hat, khaki dungarees, a purple shirt and light brown jacket. As The Toymaker his costume consists of red dungarees over a white shirt and a red bower hat.
The young woman who teams up with The Potts family in their adventures, Truly Scrumptious, is played by Amy Griffiths. She is very slim, of medium height, with an attractive oval shaped face framed by straight, chin length blonde hair, cut in a neat bob. We first see her riding her motorised bike on to the stage wearing a stylish pink, long sleeved jump suit, with grey lapels and a white helmet. Later at the sweet factory she appears wearing a slim blue dress and jacket with a lace panel on the jacket and a matching blue hat. When riding her bike later on she appears in smart beige wool jodphurs tucked into knee length brown boots. A stylish long sleeved cream blouse completes her outfit.
Phil Jupitus plays two roles- Baron Bomburst of Vulgaria, and Lord Scrumptious, wealthy owner of a sweet factory ( and father of Truly Scrumptious). He is tall and well-built , with brown curly hair and beard. He first appears in red silk pyjamas, but generally his costume as the Baron is a purple jacket and trousers, in a military style, decorated with gold epaulets and braiding, with gold studded cuffs, and buttons. He wears a red sash across his chest and he is adorned with medals. His military helmet is round and black with a gilt spike on the top. On occasion he wears a golden crown decorated with rubies. As Lord Scrumptious, the owner of the sweet factory, Phil dons a top hat, tails and black knee high boots.
The part of the Baroness Bomburst is performed by Michelle Collins. She also plays Miss Phillips, a teacher who appears in the opening scene. She is tall, slim and curvaceous and with thick shoulder-length auburn hair. As the teacher she wears a calf length skirt and a blouse and she sports a mortar board. In the bedroom scene she wears a slinky purple dressing gown over a purple silk negligee. Later, looking out of an upstairs window in the palace her purple dress is rather revealing. In the Ballroom scene her purple evening dress reveals the full length of her legs in black fishnet tights. Her arms and shoulders are bare and long frills of purple and pink cascade to the floor at the back of the dress.
Boris and Goran are two Vulgarian secret agents who work for the Baron. Boris is performed by Sam Harrison and Goran by Scott Paige. Both have short dark hair , wear round spectacles and each sports a moustache. Goran’s moustache curves upwards, that of Boris curves down. The duo performs throughout as a comedy double act. In their first appearance they are clad in purple military uniforms consisting or single breasted jackets with brass buttons and trousers tucked into black knee high boots. They have a wooden chest containing many costumes and props. As they appear from time to time during the play they use these to disguise themselves and perform several different characters.
Martin Kemp plays two roles – one is the Junkman and later he appears as the Childcatcher with flair. Martin is tall and slim, with regular features, a neat beard and striking blue eyes As the Junkman he appears wearing a full-length brown leather coat, with brass buttons and wide cuffs. He rides around on a large tricycle. The Childcatcher travels about on his black bicycle towing a pink contraption advertising ice cream and sweets. The pink canvas cover hides a metal cage into which he locks small children who he has lured to taste his goodies. His bicycle is black and so is the nasty cage. His scary image is emphasised by the long leather metal studded coat that he wears over black trousers tucked into black laced boots, black gloves and a peculiar tall chimney shaped black hat. From this under this hat long greasy black hair spills onto his shoulders.
Grandpa Potts is played by Andy Hockly. He is portly, in his sixties, with a bald crown and long curly white fuzzy hair. His facial hair is worn in the style known in Victorian times as ‘mutton chops’ with thick white sideburns and a full moustache, but his chin is shaved. When he is captured and brought to Vulgaria he is dressed in a khaki twill military suit, single breasted with silver buttons and epaulets. He wears a white belt round his ample waist and two small satchels are suspended from broad white braces. A large medal is pinned to one of his top pockets. Granda Potts is the proud owner of a clapboard house into which he can just about fit. Like Doctor Who's Tardis it can whisk him to anywhere of his choosing in the world.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang starts out as a run-down battered old racing car, rusting and with worn out wheels. But it is a car with a glorious past as a Grand Prix winner in 1910.. When Caractacus restores it, it becomes as new with a long shiny silver bonnet, with brass trim, new wheels, beautifully restored mudguards and a carved wooden rear seating area that looks like the prow of a boat.
Creative Team
This show has a large number of other professionals who make the show happen, including all the technical effects, lighting, design and construction of the set and the car itself, and the costumes, dancing, songs and music throughout.
The Team includes: Director James Brining, Choreographer Stephen Mear, Musical Superviser Stephen Ridley, Musical Director Andrew Hilton, Designer Micheal Higlet , Lighting Designer Tim Mitchell, Head of Wardrobe Jocelyn Corderoy.