The show is based on the 1968 Ian Fleming / Roald Dahl film starring Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes, that tells us the story of an eccentric inventor, Caractacus Potts (Richard Longbottom), who, with the help of his children, Jemima (Millie Rose Crossley), and Jeremy (Alfie Houghton), sets about restoring an old race car, they discover the car has magical powers when trying to escape the Vulgarian Baron Bomburst’s (Jonathan Cannon), goons, who are trying to steal the car as a birthday gift from his saucy Baroness (Christine Kenny). After meeting the unfortunate Truly Scrumptious, (Kati Gill), who has a soft spot for the children, they all end up chasing halfway across the world to save Grandpa Potts (David Hookham), who was mistakenly kidnapped by the goons, Boris (Rachel Hirst Marshall) and Goran (Claire Hookham Williams).
The show featured a lot of people, over 40 in fact, which at
times made the stage look very crowded, and distracted me from focussing on the
main characters at times as I was interested in what the crowds of people were
up to, but I am encouraged that the theatre company has a very strong 60+
members of the cast. The story had a good flow, and the performance was delivered with a good rhythm
and pace throughout, although the odd extended pause appeared here and there,
it didn’t detract from the overall picture. The use of comedy really aided some
minor blips that happened, and a hats off to the casts quick wit to slip a line
in to bring it back.
Some of the staging elements I found quite difficult to understand, as for the
first 5 minutes there was a net curtain down in front of the whole cast, I
don’t know if it was symbolising a dream sequence, or if it was a mistake, but
I felt it made the opening of the show feel muted, when in fact, the opening of
the show was packed with energy and life.
When it comes to the set, there wasn’t really much physical set going on, which
is possibly down to there being a large amount of people on stage at various
times, so the show relied heavily on the big screen at the back of the stage,
and although it was mostly well done, a lot of the scenes had a bunch of cogs
turning around the border, which took away from the immersion of the show. That
being said, the biggest laugh of the show came due to the screens, as our
principals were driving down a straight road, as some cast members (very
skilfully, and successfully) emerged, running backwards across the stage, (to
heighten the feeling of movement), a practical comedy routine which got called
back to a few minutes later.
The props department for the show had quite the challenge, as this show is the
story of a racing car, which turns into a boat, and then a plane, and this was an
interesting challenge! The car, which looked great when it was on stage, was
designed just like the one from the film, and had the red and yellow parachute
wings that flung out, to a rousing applause, and to simulate the flight of the
car, the rear of the car was lifted really quite high up in the air, and the
4 principals did well to keep their balance, while singing and acting up in the
air! The downside to the car was the rather unsubtle getting it on and off
stage, which involved 4 stage crew, dressed in black marching on stage, mid
scene (at points cutting in front of the action) to hoist the car on and off. I
usually don’t mind scenery being changed by stage hands, it has to be done, but
I’m pretty certain that it could have been done in a less matter of fact way,
even if it meant putting on part of a costume to blend in, but I know that’s
not always practical, but it left an uninspiring mark on the production for me.
Musical Theatre is a wonderful thing that combines acting,
singing and dancing, and this show certainly encompassed that, there were 3 or
4 large dance troop numbers in the show, and they were really slick in their
presentation, the fiendish routine in ‘Me Ol’ Bamboo’ which is a high intensity
Morris dance routine, whilst singing a very wordy number will always be a
challenge, if you’re a seasoned pro, or a member of a local theatre group, and
tonight, I thought this number was a triumph, the energy, synchronization, and
execution were all top notch. Other dancing highlights included the old inventors
performing with walking frames in ‘The Roses Of Success’ and the revival of the
film routine in the ‘Doll On A Music Box’ scene, Bravo. Choreographer Dee
Bennie-Marshall can be proud of the cast's output of her ideas, all performing
well.
The use of sound effects was quite prominent in this show,
with various background effects being put in, and a car horn (but no engine
sounds when the vehicle was being shown off) and the lighting was very
unintrusive and appropriate for the show. The live orchestra (of which I am an
advocate) performed marvellously under the direction of James Greatorex,
some of the score to this show is brilliantly challenging, but the musicians
took it in their stride, and it was very well received by the audience who gave
a great reception after the exit music concluded.
As well as being choreographer, Dee Bennie-Marshall was
also the show's director, and has put together an enjoyable couple of hours that
is selling out very quickly! It was so encouraging to see a full stalls section
on a Tuesday night, I couldn’t see into the balconies due to the unique design
of the auditorium, but there was a lot of people outside when we left, so I can
only assume that they were at a similar level of use. There was a varied
audience in the seats around us, from work groups out to support colleagues,
families, couples all seeming to enjoy themselves, although I personally think
the singing should be left to the people on stage, and the show not be treated
as a karaoke session!
Reviewer - Simon Oliver
on - 9.5.23
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