What a meany! (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - The Musical)

Member Name: iansmyth

Product:	Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - The Musical
Date:	02/07/02 (303 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The effects, The set

Disadvantages: Not enough Richard O'Brien

I agree with nearly everything that Chritchyboy says in his review, but I just had to comment because Chitty deserves more than 2 stars.

Yes the dialogue is poor at times, yes the 2 spies have much more comedy potential etc etc etc. But the effects, sets and the car itself are absolutely outstanding.

I think it may have improved since the previews (I saw the 22 June performance) - Me Ol' Bamboo for example went down an absolute treat and the choreography looked great to my untutored eye. However the Bernard Matthews reference is still there.

I am not a Michael Ball fan by any means, but I think he does a great job here and Anton Rodgers is terrific. It's just a shame that more use couldn't be made of the rest of the star names in the cast - I was gutted when I saw Richard O'Brien whizzing off to the top of the theatre. But I guess the story just doesn't allow it.

Where possible I think the show has stayed pretty faithful to the film (although I haven't watched it for several years). My only complaint here is that "Chu Chi face" is a bit understated compared to the film (which, as I recall, gets increasingly "violent" as the song progesses).

The other problem is the price. I'm sure it will sell out for months to come, but £40 for a stalls seat is a lot of money. I can see where the money goes, but even so.... Having said that, we were in the 7th row of the centre stalls and they were great seats. We got free tickets and would never normally pay £40 for theatre tickets, but in retrospect I would go for top price tickets again even if I was paying. So if you can afford it, go for it.

Summary: