Kings’ Theatre's Chitty Chitty production is Truly Scrumptious as Sean Williamson steps in at the last minute - review
Here’s what our reviewer thought of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Kings Theatre
If you’re a committed theatre-goer in this city, you are, by now, aware of the fact that the Kings Theatre and the Theatre Royal have joined forces under the umbrella of Portsmouth Theatres.
Can I just say – before getting into the nitty-gritty of the Kings’ Chitty Chitty – what an upswell in the quality of the performances available to we Portsmouth theatre-goers this has created. The theatres working together works better than working apart. This is A Good Thing.
The Kings Theatre has, relatively recently, began creating work using local performers and is currently hosting their own production of that wonder of childhood – Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. If you’re a supporter of local theatre, there are faces aplenty gracing that stage this week who you will know – different local companies coming together under the able direction of Jack Edwards and proving that the standard of community theatre in this city is high.
Paul Clements and Stephanie Aves make for an appealing-to-the-eye leading couple as Caractacus Potts and (the sublimely named) Truly Scrumptious and Aves’ vocals, in particular, soar.
They were not helped, it must be said, by the script – a relatively poor adaptation of both Fleming’s book and the film, and their falling in love at the speed the characters do is not really credible. Clements leads the ensemble in Me Old Bamboo with pizzaz galore. It must be said that Jackie Willis’ ensemble choreography is totally top-notch and executed well by the cast. It’s a shame there weren’t more men to match the numbers of the women – but that’s always the curse of local theatre!
There’s wonderful work, too, from John Bettesworth and Andee Jordan as Baron and Baroness Bomburst and Peter Colley as Grandpa Potts enthusiastically leads his team of elderly inventors in The Roses of Success with cracking support from the ensemble.
Matt Gibbins is superb as the Child Catcher, but what shocked me was just how small the role is. Robert Helpmann’s characterisation pervades my childhood memories of the film as if he’s in it from beginning to end.
Not so, apparently. As the children he so viciously catches, Daniel Deboo and Logan Briant were top-notch and let’s hope we see more of them on the local theatre-scene in the future. You may not get to see them should you go; the parts are also played by Harley Haslam and Primrose Ayling. The children’s ensemble, here, under Kim Seagrove’s leadership, are also excellent.
Shaun Williamson, the only pro in the cast, stepped in at the last moment with – seemingly – 24 hours’ rehearsal. And hats off to him for that. His Toymaker is, possibly, the most truthful of the performances on offer in the piece.
But then, then we come to the scene-stealers. Scene-stealers, did I say? That’s not being fair to them – for they practically steal the show. This Chitty is worth your ticket money for Curtis McLennan and Ben Irish alone, as the accident-prone, bumbling Vulgarian spies. Absolutely superb.
I do have a gripe; the sound. The orchestra (who are, each and every one, superb and superbly led by Andrew Woodford) are loud which, of course, leads to an imbalance with the vocals, so the microphones are cranked up. If I’m honest, I didn’t have a clue what was happening during the first five minutes of the show and other sections of the performance were also let down by this.
I was joyously reminded of my childhood, choking up, occasionally, at the memories it evoked.
Get along. Enjoy.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is at the Kings Theatre until April 19