Jacob Bassford and Katie Leckey review the opening night of York Stage’s production of the beloved Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Grand Opera House in York.
There is so much to enjoy about Amateur Drama productions, an authenticity and warmness that is sometimes missing from professional theatre. York Stage is no exception, and its opening night of the stage version of the classic 1968 film was a genuine joy to watch for the audience. Decked in top quality costumes and cleverly crafted set design whilst accompanied by outstanding orchestration, the cast did a good performance that subtly paid tribute to the film without outright copying it.
In spirit of that, the principal actor, Ned Sproston, gave an original iteration of the inventor Caractacus Potts, and it was pleasing to see that he wasn’t just doing his best Dick van Dyke impression. This was Sproston’s first musical role in six years, and that rustiness was a bit obvious at times, but the chemistry with the Potts children (played on opening night by Logan Wilstrop and Hope Day, but will be played by Esther De La Peña and Eady Mensah on alternative nights) and Truly Scrumptious (Carly Morton) was endearing.
The real highlights for us however were the two comedy duos which stole the show, sometimes even rescuing it from minor mistakes and technical issues on the night. Vulgarian spies Boris and Goran (Jack Hooper and James Robert Ball), or should we say Doris and Gordon, playfully self-aware, had impeccable comedic timing and wonderful chemistry with each other. Similarly, the snivelling Baron (Alex Papachristou) and the sneering Baroness (Jackie Cox) had both young and old audience members in fits of giggles with their goofy antics!
The scenes where either or both of these took centre stage were by far the best (bar some fabulous group dances, choreographed by Damien Poole). It was in these overtly camp scenes that we saw Director Nik Briggs’ pantomime-esque innuendo really pay off, and we both felt the balance was right in this, it wasn’t overdone (oh yes it was…).
The Childcatcher has been a figure of terror for many generations of young viewers of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and this production’s iteration was certainly no exception. Portrayed with glorious physicality by Richard Barker, the Childcatcher’s signature long nose (very well done indeed) was paired with ginormous (and honestly fabulous) drag heels which were very impressive and added an additional element of threat, due to the sheer height difference between the children and their captor. The heels and the heavily implied queer relationship of the Vulgarian Spies were perhaps the most visible clues to the notable queer-coding in the production, which was generally tasteful and positive, often going beyond traditional binaries of queerness equating villainy or being nothing more than the butt of the joke. We also found the production positive in its attempts at accessibility, with the sign-language choreography in the song ‘Teamwork’ being a strong asset to the show, and something we would have liked to see more of!
Unfortunately, there were some issues. Some scenes felt unfinished, almost like they hadn’t been blocked or remembered properly, with cues often being missed. We were unsure about the timings in ‘Toot Sweets’, for example, as it seemed that the central sweets weren’t making the right sounds at the right moment at all, making it a discombobulating number to watch. Needless to say, as amateur theatre performers and creators ourselves, we know fully well that opening night nerves can make things like cues, choreography and lines wobbly, but we didn’t feel that this was the sole reason for the slip-ups, with performers genuinely looking confused and shuffling around quite a bit, especially in dialogue-heavy scenes.
Furthermore, technology let the production down at points. Sound, especially in the first half, was all over the place, removing a lot of the gloss onstage. Lighting, too, seemed inconsistent if not wrongly placed at times. Scene transitions were also clunky which wasn’t helped at all by the fly rail being disappointingly off-pace. Then there was the car model of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang herself. We did enjoy the Act 1 Finale, but it was only genuinely impressive by the end, when the hydraulic arm which achieved the flight effect was hidden by blackout and fog. The system itself was too obvious for much of the production, even when Chitty was stationary, leaving a lot to be desired in terms of stage magic. This disappointment could have been avoided by a heavier smokescreen, a piece of cloth and less lighting, or perhaps if we just asked “please” as earnestly as the Potts children…
Nonetheless, the show was thoroughly fun for all, with the opening night hitting more than it missed, and we’re sure that the rest of the run will be more seamless in terms of technical difficulties. The whole audience of awed kids and beaming adults left the fabulous Grand Opera House auditorium with wide smiles on their faces, and the titular song was no doubt stuck in their heads on the journey home, like it was for us (although we’re not complaining). It was truly a pleasure to watch and review, even if we did feel totally out of our league sitting next to Julia Pattison who was reviewing for the Yorkshire Times!
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is running until the 15th April 2023 at the Grand Opera House, York. Tickets are still available to purchase from the Box Office or Online by clicking the link here.