Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Review

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One of the most iconic motors in history has rolled into the Regent Theatre this week to delight audiences and introduce a classic to a whole new generation!

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is back, and I was looking forward to seeing it for months! Watching the classic 1968 film starring the legendary Dick Van Dyke, Sally Anne Howes & even Benny Hill amongst others, always takes me back to my childhood! I used to watch it all the time, whether I was at my Grandma’s house or back at home watching it with my Mum. 

Based on Ian Flemmings’ timeless story for Children, The whole story is just absolutely magical, but also absolutely bonkers in equal measure. Flying cars, Evil Vulgarians, a child catcher and Eastmas?! Eastmas is the time between Easter & Christmas if you weren’t aware, but to appreciate it, I suppose you’ve got to be slightly bonkers yourself! And that’s why we all love this massively tall tale! It was an escape from reality into a world of wonder and excitement, and this touring production is no different!

We join absent-minded inventor Caractacus Potts (Coyote Ugly’s Adam Garcia) who restores a broken-down old racing car with the help of his children Jemima and Jeremy. The  family very quickly discover that the car has magical powers and a personality all of its own, and along with the delectable Truly Scrumptious (Ellie Nunn) and Grandpa Potts (Emmerdale’s Liam Fox) they end up on a fantastical adventure to far off lands, fending off the Baron Of Vulgaria as he tries to commandeer the flying car to add to his toy collection. Ru Paul’s Drag Race Winner The Vivienne also appears as the evil child catcher!

Adam Garcia was likeable as our crack pot inventor. He had a charm and wit about him that made it work, and his choreography was brilliant. He has a big set of boots to fill following in the footsteps of Dick Van Dyke, and he made the part his own.

Melody Caruana & Huxley Syers gave star performances as Jemima and Jeremy Potts, and Liam Fox was so good as Grandpa Potts, it was hard to differentiate between his performance and that of Lionel Jeffries in the movie. The Vivienne was one of the best villains I’ve seen in a show. There was a chill in the air when she was on stage, and the whole room sank into their seats when she made her thunderous arrival.

To quote a friend of mine, “the car was the star”! Seeing that car in all its glory was simply magical, and brought so many nostalgic feelings back for not just me, but everyone in the audience. It even brought about some tears of happiness for some! Did the car fly? Well if you’ve seen it you’ll know! But if you haven’t, I won’t spoil it for you! Whatever the case, you’ll be scratching your head for hours afterwards trying to work out how they pulled off some of the effects in this show! Flashing lights, smoke, pyrotechnics, ingenious engineering and an incredibly clever set up all come together to create all of the different parts of the story right there in front of your very eyes.

The musical score written by the Sherman Brothers sounded incredible thanks to the amazing live orchestra, giving it that classic timeless sound that we all remember! All of the songs we know and love such as Toot Sweets, Hushabye Mountain, Truly Scrumptious and of course the Academy Award-nominated title song, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang are all in there for you to sing along to! You’ll be humming the song in your head for the next week as it’s a real earworm.

It’s been said that children are experts in their own lives, so I took a couple of experts with me for the ride! My two sons Callum (Aged 9) and Harrison (Aged 6) had this to say about Chitty Chitty Bang Bang… 

Callum: I loved how magical it was. I liked the dog puppet as he was really cute. The king and queen were funny and I liked the puppets dancing.

Harrison: It was amazing! I liked everything! The car was cool and I loved it when they saved all of the children!

There you have it, straight from the horses mouth. I have to say, I loved it too. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that it was as far as productions go, this was as close to the West End as you’re going to get without actually going! And it’s so important that children get to see these kinds of productions! This story in particular exemplifies the importance of thinking outside the box and embracing new ideas. It’s about being young at heart, and how imagination & invention are what keep us young, and what happens when you lose that. They just don’t make them like they used to, so I implore you to book the whole family in and enjoy a magical ride with everyone’s favourite fantasmigorical four fendered friend.

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is playing at the Regent Theatre until and including Saturday 26th October. Tickets are on sale and are available by calling the Regent Theatre Box Office on 0844 871 7649. 

You can also visit www.atgtickets.com/stoke for tickets and info.