Theatre review: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Published on Thursday 22 October 2009 22:15

KING'S THEATRE, GLASGOW ****

AFTER all the scandals to have shamed Formula One recently, it's decidedly cheering to see a souped-up racing car steal the hearts of children anew, almost half a century after Ian Fleming published his enchanting story of a widowed inventor and his children salvaging a scrapheap racer, before embarking on magical adventures.

So long after Roald Dahl's script adaptation for the 1968 film, enriched by those tremendous songs from the Sherman brothers, you might be forgiven for imagining this touring retread of the London musical would have lost its lustre. Yet the gasps and youthful squeals of delight that greet the sight of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang soaring through the night sky, matched only by the reaction to the Child Catcher, or that which accompanies the spectacle of a dozen or so dogs scampering through the sweet factory, are testimony to more than a lavish production budget and iconic imagery.

Although the story's sweetness is offset by several knowing jokes for adults, this is a production that all the family can truly enjoy together.

Darren Bennett and Katie Ray are cheerily engaging as the two principals, and the show simply reprises much of the film's successful formula, only a few supplementary scenes bridging the transition to the stage.