By definition, an amateur is someone who engages in art or activity as a pastime rather than as a profession. In fact, the root of the word amateur means doing something you love. To most ears though, the word amateur almost always rings with the more popular and unflattering definition, that of one lacking the skill or experience of a professional.
For the past 62 years in Qatar, since their first production, Bird in Hand, in March 1954, amateur theatre group The Doha Players has been harnessing the power and passion of amateur dramatics while altering perceptions that “amateur theatre” can’t hold a candle to the professional heavyweights. For four days at the Qatar National Theatre, last week, The Doha Players’ poised performance of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was an exceptional testament to the lofty standards that the group now has set for itself.
When at the centre of a musical is a fantastic car that flies through the air and sails the seas, the viewer’s expectations are understandably high. The Doha Players’ retelling of what has been originally billed as “the most phantasmagorical musical in the history of everything,” triumphed thanks to hearty performances and near-flawless coordination even in the most exacting musical numbers.
The cast and crew of 60 talents have been rehearsing their parts for nearly four months and it showed. Long story short, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, authored by Ian Fleming, follows 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 Truly Scrumptious (Lauren Wiese), sets about saving a former Grand Prix-winning race car from the scrap heap. Soon they discover the car has magical properties, including the ability to float and take flight. When evil Baron and Baroness Bomburst (Gary Mond and Trish Slade) learn about its extraordinary abilities, they decide to have it for themselves, launching Caractacus, Jeremy, Jemima, and Truly on a series of high-flying high jinks to save the miraculous motorcar.
The cast set a rather remarkable benchmark for acting. Hake as Potts and Wiese as Scrumptious were top-notch as the driving forces of the narrative, aided in no small measure by their adorable on-stage children Georgia Kendall as Jemima and Stephen Beveridge as Jeremy. Solid acting chops were in no short supply – be it in the leapy swagger of Liz van der Merwe as the menacing Childcatcher, or the seemingly harmless vanilla villainy of Baron Bomburst and Baroness Bomburst played by Gary Mond and Trish Slade, or the sure-footed grandpa act by David Solomon.
Crisp dialogue kept the smart one-liners and jokes coming, while character quirks made way for engaging banter. Fun routinely ensued when Boris and Goran, played by Kerry Suek and Peter Cook, discussed their antics to blend in by spouting British English and steal the flying car, or when a motley bunch of ageing inventors broke into a wonky jig in Vulgaria, the fictional European barony that is ruled by the Bombursts.
As a musical, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang made delightful use of song and dance routines to reintroduce some old-school mirth, warm us up to the characters or simply take the story forward in enjoyable, melodic instalments. From Hushabye Mountain to Truly Scrumptious, from Them Three to Lovely, Lonely Man, there was a lot to savour. In terms of technicoloured visual sweetness, nothing could beat the Toot Sweets ensemble number. While in terms of celebratory grandeur, the Bombie Samba, Doll on a Music Box, and ultimately the grand Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ensemble in the Vulgarian castle ballroom, complete with a stage full of dancing kids, won the day. Full marks to musical director Laura Dziubaniuk, and choreographers Elizabeth Hake, Kristina Cheffin and Lauren Wiese for pulling it off.
In the end, it’s Angela Walton’s direction that shone all the way through. Treating a classic tale with just the right dollops of cheeriness, drama,  humour, and song and dance, Walton never strays from the underlying emotion or feel of this classic. There wasn’t a single dull patch in the two-hour-long show and that, most likely, can be attributed to the passionate teamwork that has gone into it.