Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a delightful mix of “Q” from James Bond and family fun. Like successful Disney Feature Movies, this production entertains a wide range of audiences’ ages; it was heartwarming to see multi-generational families waiting in the lobby before the performance. Opening night had a few little glitches, but the Fulton Theater’s version has the capability of competing with any Broadway Family production. Every feature of Chitty Chitty Bang was first rate largely due to the rented props, scenery, and costumes from the national tour. The extra work to be able to do this production like reinforcing the stage was well worth the extra effort.
Recalling the movie of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang from many years ago, I would have never connected the James Bond creator and the story. In retrospect, I see all of the connections to the Bond movies and this children’s story. For example, quirky names for characters, the comical spies and a wacky inventor who owns an exceptional car. I can’t forget to mention the appeal of the death defying stunts to get away from the bad guys, the evil Gothic- Bavarian nemeses.
Several dance numbers are worth noting. There were three extremely superb dance numbers- the candy factory scene, the old Einstein looking inventors’ scene, and the spicy Samba dance scene. The costumes, choreography and music lifted the soul and reminded me why I love live stage.
Chemistry makes and breaks Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’s entertainment. This production had several well partnered duos with great chemistry including the timing, costumes and story line, and especially that elusive element where you witness one plus one equals more than two. Great dynamic duo performances were enacted by the spies (Andrew Kindig/Randall Frizado), the Baron and Baroness (Rye Mullis/Susan Moniz), and the children Jeremy and Jemima (Reese Sebastian Diaz/Kaitlyn Mueller). You had the Baron in his jack boots while clinging to his teddy bear with his spicy Baroness wife simultaneously trying to seduce him. The Bavarian spies reminded me very much of the beloved Bullwinkle cartoon spies of Boris and Natasha. The Potts children were casted perfectly- their stage abilities were exceptional while still retaining their youthful entrancement of their beloved magical car. The icing on the cake for these great performing duos was the costumes. Both the spies and the royal couple had one adorable costume after another. Every detail of these duos costumes from headpieces to footwear tickled my toes.
With a little tweaking this Fulton Theatre production would be a five star production. If refined, the opening scene would be a spectacular one. The microphone for the Baroness had technical problems at times. It was difficult to understand Grandpa during his solo; if it is purposeful to make Grandpa hard to understand since he is so eccentric, then it needs to be over dramatized. There were a few dropped props and dancers out of step in some of the dance numbers. Another note is that the story line should have been more forthcoming that Mrs. Potts had died; my guest for the evening thought that Mr. Potts was cheating on his wife-not family entertainment worthy at all.
As an audience member of years of Fulton Theatre productions I must say that this year may have been one of the greatest seasons that the Fulton has ever produced. The icing on the cake of Fulton Theatre’s great year is the stage production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
