Chitty Chitty Bang Bang UK Tour Review

Post

Subscribe

Tue 04 Mar 2025 - Sat 10 May 2025

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is up there with Mary Poppins as one of the most loved and nostalgic family musicals. A new version promising big special effects and a dazzling cast led by Strictly Come Dancing winner Ore Oduba and ex-EastEnders' star Charlie Brooks is on a UK tour.

I caught Chitty Chitty Bang Bang during its stop-off at Birmingham Hippodrome , where it stays until Sunday, March 9. The UK tour continues on to cities including Manchester, Cardiff, Sunderland, Bristol and Plymouth, but all the tour dates and venues are below.

I must admit, this famous Ian Fleming story always scared me as a child with the terrifying Childcatcher. So I understood when I noticed some younger children in the audience watching with their hands over their eyes when the devilishly wicked Brooks was sniffing out kids on stage for a short period.


Brooks, famous for playing Janine in EastEnders and shown above, has been brought in late to replace The Vivienne as The Childcatcher after his unexpected death in January. She's a great character actress, who is one of the highlights of the show, but it was nice to see a touching tribute to The Vivienne by the cast after the final curtain.

Watching it as an adult, I realised just how fun and imaginative Chitty Chitty Bang Bang can be and this bright and cheery new production really eeks out the comedy from all the characters. It's not really that scary if you are taking children and the explosions, puppet dogs, big musical numbers and flying car will distract them.

There's mostly a lot of comedy. The baddies from a fictional European country of Vulgaria are particularly hilarious, often in a silly 'Allo 'Allo kind of way. There's the hapless duo Boris and Goran (both played wonderfully by Adam Stafford and Michael Joseph) who have been sent to capture the magical flying car by the Baron and Baroness (Martin Callaghan and Jenny Gayner). The monarchs are extraordinarily fun and quirky, to the point of being kinky in the bedroom. Credit to the fine cast, none of which put a foot wrong.



That includes Oduba above, who is a charming lead as widower and inventor Caractacus Potts. He's come a long way since winning Strictly. He dances amazingly well but also has a wonderful voice that does justice to timeless songs like Hushaby Mountain and Toot Sweets. Hard to believe he was once a BBC Sports presenter.

Nice to see Truly Scrumptious depicted in a more modern way by Ellie Nunn. She plays the romantic interest as a feisty woman who can hold her own and fix motorbikes. The children Jeremy and Jemima Potts change nightly but Roshan Thomson and Gracie Cochrane who I saw were amazingly professional in their roles and won over the whole audience. Their scenes with their grandpa(ex-Emmerdale actor Liam Fox) were extremely touching.



The action and fun never stop and there's a lovely use of model cars and buildings to depict a fairground and the flying car at certain points. It's full of fun and that's before everyone gets to join in singing the enormously catchy title song, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

It's a slick and classy production all round that can't fail to bring a smile to your face. It's as heartwarming as it is hilarious.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a dazzling feel-good musical that's an uplifting, magical adventure for all the family. It's truly, truly scrumptious.

RATING: 5 out of 5 stars


Chitty Chitty Bang Bang The Musical UK Tour Dates
Find more information at the tour website here
4 - 9 MARCH
Birmingham Hippodrome

11 - 16 MARCH
Manchester Palace Theatre

19 - 23 MARCH
Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre

1 - 12 APRIL
Canterbury Marlowe Theatre

15 - 19 APRIL
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff

22 - 27 APRIL
Sunderland Empire

29 APRIL - 4 MAY
Bristol Hippodrome

6 - 10 MAY
Theatre Royal, Plymouth


%wnbirmingham
%wnmanchester
#family_friendly
#theatre_shows