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fBrumHour saw Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the invite of Birmingham Hippodrome.
For Brum Radio’s Interval Theatre, actor Liam Fox talked about touring as part of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’s cast. Listen below:
By Dave Massey x.com/BrumHour
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at Birmingham Hippodrome: Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Heaps of Fun!
Directed by Thom Southerland, music and lyrics by Richard M and Robert B Sherman adapted by Jeremy Sams based on Ian Fleming’s novel
Set in the 1910s, two children Jeremy and Jemima fall in love with a car being sold locally. To raise the money for the car their father, Caractacus Potts, takes his latest confectionary creation Truly Scrumptious’ father’s factory. (Truly Scrumptious is clearly a Roald Dahl-inspired name).
Ore Oduba leads the cast solidly as Caractacus, with Ellie Nunn providing strong vocals and a warm performance as Truly. Liam Fox is heaps of fun as Grandpa and Charlie Brooks puts in a great turn as The Childcatcher (deservedly booed at the end!) Booooo! At some Birmingham performances later this week, Callum Train will play the Childcatcher, he is suitably scary as the sweet factory assistant.
Playing the children at this performance were: Grace Cochrane and Roshan Thomson, and both were excellent as the cheeky free-roaming tearaway kids.
The sets are bold and fun with plenty of moving parts and lots left to imagine. Costumes are classic for the era. The fact the audience are cheering a car throughout just adds to the amusement of it all.
There is excellent music from the orchestra during the two hours and forty minutes (including interval) of this big production. Songs such as Hushabye Mountain and The Roses of Success stand well on their own two feet without the narrative around them, which is a testament to their strength. There’s even time for some Mary Poppins style numbers with Me Ol’ Bamboo.
There are some naughty moments in the script which kids may or may not understand on the whole this is suitable for ages 8+.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is heaps of fun and well particularly for fans of family musicals, it is at Birmingham Hippodrome until 9th March 2025. Last tickets here: birminghamhippodrome.com/calendar/chitty-chitty-bang-bang-two.
