Ever watched a play and felt your imagination literally taking flight? The fantastic musical adventure “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” promises to make such flights of fancy come alive in Doha with its heady blend of “madness, intrigue and exuberance”.
Qatar’s long-standing theatre group The Doha Players has been steadfastly rehearsing for the musical that will play nightly at 7pm, from Wednesday to Saturday, and two matinee shows at 2:30pm on Friday and Saturday, at the Qatar National Theatre. Priced at QR100, tickets are available at The One in Villaggio and Landmark malls.
While this is often said rather emptily, there definitely is something for every age in this show – more than a dozen song and dance numbers, colourful costumes, and a “brilliant, amazing machine”, to name just a few highlights. Originally billed as “the most phantasmagorical musical in the history of everything”, “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” is authored by Ian Fleming, famously known as the creator of James Bond.
Featuring an out-of-this-world car that flies through the air and sails the seas, “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” by The Doha Players is directed by Angela Walton with the help of musical director, Laura Dziubaniuk.
The musical tells the story of eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts (Edward Hake) who, with the help of his children, Jeremy and Jemima (Stephen Beveridge and Georgia Kendall), their lovable grandpa (Dave Solomon) and the ever-lovely Truly Scrumptious (Lauren Wiese), sets about saving a former Grand Prix-winning race car from the scrap heap, The Doha Players tell Community. Soon they discover the car has magical properties, including the ability to float and take flight.
After word gets out about its extraordinary abilities, trouble ensues when the evil Baron and Baroness Bomburst (Gary Mond and Trish Slade) decide they want it all to themselves, launching Caractacus, Jeremy, Jemima, and Truly on a series of high-flying high jinks to save the miraculous motorcar. The 1968 film by the same name, by Ken Hughes, stars Dick Van Dyke as Caractacus Potts, Sally Ann Howes as Truly Scrumptious, and Lionel Jeffries as Grandpa Potts.
Amidst the flurry of rehearsals, Angela Walton, the director of the play, tells Community why she thinks this musical has endured and will continue to endure. “’Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ is really very funny, with great songs, and great dance numbers. The stage show is quite different from the movie. The underlying themes in Fleming’s story are timeless. The song Teamwork, for instance, where the kids are told that although they might be unable to accomplish a certain project as individuals, they can as a team, is something that’s true for society through the ages. Of course there are also the timeless themes of love and romance between the two leads, and the victory of good over evil where the evil Baron is beaten by the Potts, Chitty and the children. These are all timeless themes,” Walton says.
Back in the early 60s, Ian Fleming, recovering from a heart attack, wrote this bedtime story that he would tell his son Caspar. A children’s novel with illustrations, Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car shows up a lot many aspects of Fleming’s life. The advice Pott gives to his children, for instance, echoes that of Fleming’s: Never say ‘No’ to adventures. Always say ‘Yes’, otherwise you will lead a very dull life. Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang, the car, was based on a composite of two cars – Fleming’s own Standard Tourer, and a series of aero-engined racing cars called Chitty Bang Bang. The book was first published in three volumes starting October 1964, two months after Fleming had succumbed to a heart attack.
The musical, a breezy singing and dancing spectacle, showcases the talents of a chorus of adults and children alike. Actor-stand-up comic Trish Slade, who plays Baroness Bomburst, seems totally kicked about being part of it. “I am overwhelmed to be working once again with Angela on this fantastic show,” Slade says, “’Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ was one of my favourite shows as a child. With its beautiful songs, fantastic costumes, and amazing car, it captured my young imagination. I knew all the songs by heart, and most of the dialogue, too! So how could I resist auditioning for the chance to bring this childhood classic to life for the Doha audience?”
To match her chirpy enthusiasm, Slade was cast as the “flamboyant villainous Baroness.” She says, “I have been enjoying every evil moment. Between the witty dialogue, six costume changes, and catchy solos, this character has been the most entertaining and challenging one I have ever played. And I am overjoyed to be showcasing her on the beautiful Qatar National Theatre stage along with one of the most talented and amazing casts I have ever worked with.”
Walton, too, seems pleased at how preparations have gone thus far. “The cast came to auditions, they had to sing, then put through a sequence of steps by the choreographers and then read from the script. We have a lot of newcomers to this production who are all so talented. The two children Stephen Beveridge and Georgia Kendell who play Jemima and Jeremy have been amazing to work with, and I will miss them when the production is over. There are so many talented people in the show that it would be unfair to name any in particular,” Walton says.
Of all the behind-the-curtains efforts, the real challenge was devising the car. “But I have Jamie Honey and Phil Mitchell who built the car for ‘Grease’, the helicopter for ‘Miss Saigon’, and now Chitty herself,” Walton says, “However, we do actually have three cars. So we needed a huge stage, huge wings, and we are very fortunate to have secured the Qatar National Theatre.”
Slade, like many in the crew, is happy to be part of introducing and re-introducing this story to the people of Qatar. “As excited as I am to be part of this fantastic production, I am even more excited to be sharing this story with a whole new generation, which includes my own son. To introduce such a classic and important part of my childhood to him, and see the same wonder and excitement in his eyes that shone in mine so many years ago, is a joy to behold. I really hope the Doha audience, both young and old, come out to experience this magic for themselves.”