REVIEW: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at Sunderland Empire
Ore Oduba leads the stage adaptation of a silver screen classic, which is parking up on Wearside for the week
I’ve always had a conflicted relationship with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, so it took some convincing for me to take in an evening with popular culture’s most beloved flying car.
While a six-year-old me delighted in singing the songs; dancing the clockwork doll dance; seeing Benny Hill in more wholesome surroundings1; and the out-and-out crackersness of Ian Fleming’s storyline2, there was also always a strong reluctance to watch the 1968 classic.
The Child Catcher gave me the absolute creeps. With that terrifying kid-sniffing nose and eerie high-pitched voice, Robert Helpmann’s portrayal was the subject of many nightmares and daydream scares for a young Sam. I’m also pretty sure he’s at the root of my inability to watch The League of Gentlemen, but that’s for another day.
So while my heart would leap on a Sunday afternoon when a channel change would offer a glimpse of Dick Van Dyke alongside Sally Ann Howes and Lionel Jeffries (as Caractacus Potts, Truly Scrumptious and Grandpa Potts, respectively), the fear in my tummy would often win out.
But as my 13-year-old quite rightly pointed out when the opportunity arose to see the stage musical during its stay at Sunderland Empire, ‘YOU’RE 49 NOW, MUM…. I THINK YOU’LL BE FINE’.
Ah, the naivety of youth.
As it turned out, former Eastenders villain, Charlie Brooks was canny scary, even for this near half-centenarian… but I managed to get through those bits unscathed (with the help of a tight hand hold) and have a truly scrumptious time overall.
The long overdue musical stage version debuted in the West End in 2002 and has been touring around the world ever since - it flew into Newcastle Theatre Royal last summer.
The show is fantastically produced and watching the famous car take off from the famous stage is a real treat. Meanwhile the cast offers an impressive mix of West End stalwarts, familiar faces from TV and rising stars.
Broadcaster and Strictly winner Ore Oduba was terrific as Caractacus Potts, the crackpot inventor and doting single father of Jemima and Jeremy.
Charming and funny, he landed every song effortlessly from raucous dance number Me Ol’ Bamboo to enduring lullaby Hushabye Mountain.
His spiky relationship with Truly Scrumptious, splendidly played by Ellie Nunn recreated Dick Van Dyke’s initially rocky courtship of Sally Ann Howes in the film nicely and was lots of fun.
The aforementioned Charlie Brooks deserves a second mention for making the menace-filled most of her limited stage time. As we’ve already covered, though, it doesn’t take long for that character to make its mark in the right hands.
Elsewhere Liam Fox of Emmerdale fame provided a rumbustious and lovable Grandpa Potts; Martin Callaghan and Jenny Gayner successfully mined the laughs as the ridiculous Baron and Baroness; while Gracie Cochrane and Roshan Thomson were note perfect as Jemima and Jeremy.
For the most part, the show works best when it stays close to the source material including the Sherman Brothers’ classics Toot Sweets, Truly Scrumptious, the title track and Lovely, Lonely Man. A second half Samba sequence seemed slightly out of place.
That said, the expansion of the role given to the Vulgarian spies Boris and Goran (played by Adam Stafford and Michael Joseph respectively) gets a big thumbs up.
They almost stole the show with back to back songs Think Vulgar and Act English… but no-one steals Chitty Chitty Bang Bang better than the famous car itself.
We decided that the smattering of strange noises coming through the sound system as the finale approached was Chitty having an extra two penneth for opening night on Wearside.
The show is at Sunderland Empire until Sunday (April 27). Visit the website for tickets.
There was a portable telly in my Nana and Grandad’s spare room… The Benny Hill Show was one of my (unsupervised) childhood favourites. I’ve come to terms with it, so let’s not dwell.
I tried for too long to come with something along the lines of calling it a ‘Caractackers Plot’. I couldn’t make it work, but didn’t want the considerable effort go unsung.