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 Theatre Reviews
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
By: the Sherman brothers
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DETAILS |
| The London
Palladium
Argyll St
London W1A 3AB
Tube: Oxford circus
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Duration:
160 minutes
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In Short
Fantasmagorical stage
stuff finally takes off. In Full
Chitty Chitty Bang
Bang we love you - the new mantra of cast, kids, critics and
theatre producers. The West End has long been wooing a crowd
puller to seduce its dwindling audience, and it seems the long
awaited new kid on the block has finally arrived.
This is a tale choc full of candid characters. What with Grandpa
Potts, the dastardly baron and the evil child catcher all out
in force, the show proves an extravaganza of wacky inventions.
The Sherman brothers' songs made the film famous and now the
high flying musical is simply soaring.
The one weakness? As with many a British hit, the choreography
could be better. Jeremy Sams' text, though, is top notch, and
his writing is supported by a cast strong enough to give the
script real back bone. 18 year old Emma Williams lives up to
her name as Truly Scrumptious, as does director Adrian Noble.
The Royal Shakespeare chief may have left his company in the
lurch, but he's done the honest thing by the Sherman Brothers'
musical masterpiece.
What Noble taps into is the dramatic heart of Ian Fleming's book.
At Noble's bidding, the airbourne car of the title becomes not
just a gimmick, but the soul of a tale about the sorts of dreams
that deserve to come true. Following in the footsteps of long-runners
like The Lion King, this musical takes its plot from a film and
its charm from some truly scrumptious sets. From Lord Scrumptious's
delicious sweet factory to Caractacus Potts' wacky inventions,
you'll find yourself believing in the unbelievable. Like the
best of sweet things, this sugary stuff gets you high.
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Rock and Pop
