Vuletic, in particular is wonderfully imposing in a wardrobe of spectacularly outlandish costumes and a thicker-than-treacle accent. Alan Brough and Jennifer Vuletic are equally hilarious as Baron and Baroness Bomburst. They work the audience like a good old-fashioned vaudevillian comedy duo, throwing in some ever-so-slightly blue jokes. George Kapiniaris and Todd Goddard win the most laughs as the bumbling Vulgarian spies Goran and Boris. Walburn, Ross and Beck make Truly Scrumptious a surprisingly touching moment. Their work with Jeremy and Jemima (played by Max Walburn and Ashleigh Ross on opening night) is gorgeous. Hobson makes up for what he lacks in the acting department with energy, charisma and surprisingly adequate dancing and Beck is her usual lovely self, very much the classically beautiful leading lady. They both sing as beautifully as you’d expect and along with musical director Peter Casey, elevate the score to something better than the sum of its parts. It’s packed full of one-liners and physical comedy delivered to hilarious effect by a magnificent cast.ĭavid Hobson and Rachael Beck are the heart of the show as Caractacus Potts and Truly Scrumptious. Fortunately, this production embraces the silliness, is painted with deliberately broad strokes and is all the better for it.ĭespite the fact that it runs a little longer than it needs to, the musical really is much more fun and substantially funnier than the film. It lacks the subtlety and fine-tuning that made Poppins a success, which was pretty clear from opening night’s fair share of technical glitches. With an impossibly catchy score by the Sherman Brothers that has the audience clapping along right from the overture, Chitty has the potential to seem like the poorer, younger brother of Mary Poppins. It’s great to see these performers obviously having loads of fun in what is essentially quite a silly show. That’s not to say there isn’t plenty of other star power onstage with a cast of some of Australia’s most talented and zaniest performers. So much is the rumoured $1.2 million car the star of the show, it gets the final bow. The Phantom of the Opera had a falling chandelier, Miss Saigon had a soaring helicopter and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has a flying car. The large cast and opportunities for true stage magic make this a challenging, but highly rewarding, show for any organization looking to bring a large-scale production with great name recognition to their theatre.Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Original Australian Cast. The family joins forces with Truly Scrumptious and batty Grandpa Potts to outwit the dastardly Baron and Baroness and their villainous henchman, the Child Catcher.įilled with amazing stage spectacle and unforgettable songs, including the Academy Award-nominated title song, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a high-flying, fun-filled adventure for the entire family. Trouble occurs when the evil Baron Bomburst desires the magic car for himself. They soon discover the car has magical properties, including the ability to float and take flight.
Based on the beloved 1968 film version of Ian Fleming's children's book, and featuring an unforgettable score by the Sherman Brothers ( Mary Poppins), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is one family-friendly blockbuster that audiences will find "Truly Scrumptious."Īn eccentric inventor, Caractacus Potts sets about restoring an old race car from a scrap heap with the help of his children, Jeremy and Jemima. Take a fantastic musical adventure with an out-of-this-world car that flies through the air and sails the seas.