Who knew Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was so good? Well, 99% of the developed world by all accounts! I’m in the 1% who managed to swerve it for 60 years, writes Michael Holland.
Yes, I had heard of Truly Scrumptious but I did not know she was heir to a confectionary fortune, and I knew the car could fly from clips I’ve seen on TV over the past decades, but I did not know that it was written by Ian Fleming, he of James Bond fame, or that there were more than the three songs that are played over and over on compilation programmes. Plus, I need to add, there is a great story to this.
The widowed Caractacus Potts, a zany inventor caring for his two lovely children Jeremy and Jemima, needs to raise thirty bob to buy an old wreck of a racing car from the junkyard because the children have become enamoured with its story of winning races.
He has the great idea of making a sweet that can be played as a penny whistle, which doesn’t go down well at the sweet factory when it attracts every dog in the neighbourhood! I must admit I am not a little heartbroken that my life has been deprived for so long of Toot Sweets, the song sung as a selling pitch for the candy whistles.
Caractacus eventually manages to raise the money and the car becomes a member of the Potts family for picnics and days out at the seaside where the vehicle also attracts the lovely Ms Scrumptious. Cue song.
But this is no ordinary car, it is a special car that floats on water and soars in the sky and the despotic Baron wants it. He sends his two bungling spies Boris and Goran to get it but as they are even more incompetent than the Chuckle Brothers it was evident their plans would not go well. They kidnap Grandpa Potts instead of Caractacus and his car and take him back to Vulgaria where children are despised by the Baroness, so are kept hidden away from the Childcatcher.
And so it goes on until we reach the inevitable happy ending after two hours of pure joy.
Yes, there were children in the audience but in the evening show it was mainly made up of Girls’ Night Out gangs, and men in matey threesomes getting themselves a nostalgia fix with a few beers. All good fun was had and with each song there was a clapping to the beat, singalongs to the most well-known, and a sea of heads bobbing along in time. Seeing this was a beautiful thing.
The car and its flying skills were quite amazing and, for me, impossible to work out how they did it.
The cast are obviously enjoying themselves, the dancers are on top form, and the youngsters playing Jeremy(Ayrton English) and Jemima(Isla Ithier) are having the time of their lives.
Charlie Brooks as the Childcatcher received the biggest boos (all done in the best possible taste), while Adam Garcia(Caractacus Potts) and Ellie Nunn(Truly Scrumptious) got the biggest cheers as the lovestruck couple. But, people were agog with surprise at the Baron (Martin Callaghan) and his Baroness (Jenny Gayner) when they had their little loved-up session. It took Chitty Chitty Bang Bang into the post-watershed stomping grounds, much to the pleasure of the six women with their large wines along the row from us, making this production, directed by the ever-wonderful Thom Southerland, a big hit for all the family. So catch it if you can as it will be playing around the UK into May 2025. Especially if you’re in that 1%…
Churchill Theatre, High Street, Bromley, BR1 1HA until 30th June. Times: 7pm; matinees 2pm. Admission: £25 – £60.
Booking: https://booking.trafalgartickets.com/en/churchilltheatre/
Check tour details: https://chittyontour.com/#tour-dates
