Press Tickets
Wow. What a night! We were delighted to be invited along to the opening night of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Bournemouth Pavilion last night. Fun for the whole family, the show’s first performance went off with a bang (and plenty of exhaust smoke) much to the delight of all in the audience!
The children were amazed to see the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car outside the front of the theatre (kindly provided for the opening night by the team at Beaulieu National Motor Museum) and we were treated to a lovely pre-show drink and catch up with friends. There were plenty of fun props and some yummy themed cakes and sweets that the kids very much enjoyed. It was so nice to have my three children along for the ride – they really liked dressing up in front of the backdrop with the goggles and hats!
Taking our seats, we settled down for the show and what a show it was! From start to finish the energy on stage was fantastic, I was particularly impressed with the two children who played Jeremy and Jemima, especially as the night wore on and my own children became tired, they asked me how the kids on stage stayed so energetic! I understand there were some last minute cast changes due to illness, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell from watching – every character on stage brought their A game and the result was an incredibly fun and fantastical night.
I hadn’t watched the film since I was a child myself, so it was fun watching the stage show with only a small inkling of what was to come, remembering only really a couple of the key songs and scenes – my absolute favourite part is the clockwork doll – so clever and visually appealing to watch, and this was executed on stage perfectly.
The songs were very fun to listen to, with plenty of audience participation during some such as the titular Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, where the crowd were clapping along happily! I did feel, if I was being hugely critical, that the show perhaps went on a little long, especially if you are taking along younger children, and I would bear this in mind (my 12 and 8 year old were flagging a bit by the end, after a long day at school beforehand), there seem to be a few extra dance numbers thrown in from the film, which itself was already a long one!
Saying this, we enjoyed the whole performance and found there was something for everyone from the bright and colourful costumes, to the catchy songs and the slightly adult humour, which went right over the children’s heads.
Charlie Brooks as the child-catcher was brilliant casting – she really did have the audience (even the adults) shrinking back in their seats at times and what a life lesson about taking treats from strangers! I was also impressed with the on stage chemistry between both Scrumptious and Potts and the Baron and Baroness of Vulgaria – their Chu-Chi Face song was awesome (and the Baroness’ outfit fairly risqué)!
I really recommend booking tickets to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the story is a classic for a reason, and this stage show captures the humour and magic perfectly, I mean the car even flies on stage – what an amazing treat!
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is on stage at the Bournemouth Pavilion until Sunday 23rd March and tickets can be purchased online in advance. The show is not suitable for children under two, and there were quite a few loud noises, smoke and strobe lighting, to bare in mind if anybody in your party might be sensitive to these.
We were given press tickets to the opening night of the show in exchange for an honest review, however all words are my own.
