APPLETON POST CRESCENT
'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' warms the heart on a cold night
December 18, 2008
BY CARRIE T. GRUMAN-TRINKNER


If you are feeling the stress of the season, the deep freeze of the current weather or the pain of shoveling yet another round of snow, the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center has the cure for even the worst of moods.

We all know the songs from our childhood. We have probably all wished for a floating/flying car! For just a little while, forget everything else and thrill to the wonderful romp that is Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang.

The show, which opened Wednesday and runs through Sunday, centers around the eccentric Potts family: Caractacus the inventor and his two adorable children, Jeremy and Jemima, and, of course, Grandpa Potts who has grand adventures in the outhouse. When Caractacus meets Truly Scrumptious the sparks fly … especially when Grandpa is kidnapped by two bumbling spies from Vulgaria.

The standout as both actor and singer is the lead role. Steve Wilson, a Broadway veteran, has one of the best singing voices that the PAC stage has seen. While he may not be the strongest dancer in the troupe, he more than makes up for it in his delivery of a melodic line. The lullaby, "Hushabye Mountain," showcases his voice perfectly, allowing him to sing with a sweet piano and then swell into a breathtakingly beautiful forte. His voice is never pushed or spread like so many of the current Broadway crop.

Kelly McCormick as Truly has a lovely soprano. She is able to move from the lower range to the upper register seamlessly. Her persona onstage is just right for the role.

Jeremy Lipton, 11, and Camille Mancusco, 9, were Jeremy and Jemima Potts for the opening in Appleton (They alternate with two other children). Both of these children are unaffected and true. They have been taught correctly, and sing with an innocence that avoids the push and damage of the "Annie-type" belt. And we believe every moment of their enthusiastic portrayals.

Dirk Lumbard (Boris) and Scott Cote (Goran) are the bumbling spies. Their physical appearance is a fun counterpoint. They are fun and over the top and entertaining, eliciting full belly laughs from the audience.

Oliver Wadsworth almost steals the show in his second act character, the Childcatcher. He is creepy and scary. Bravo for pulling off two very different characters in the same show. Without the aid of the program, the audience would never guess it was the same actor.

Baron Bomburst and his wife, the Baroness, are brought to life by George Dvorsky and Elizabeth Ward Land. Dvorsky plays an exaggeratedly childlike ruler with glee. The children in the audience loved him. Ward Land, however, may be the weakest link in the show with what seems to be a Cloris Leachman impression of an interpretation.

The ensemble was vocally very tight. The production numbers were danced well. The only weak number was "Me Ol' Bamboo," which was so riddled with mistakes it should either be rehearsed again step by step or cut from the tour.

The real star of the show is, of course, the car. When it finally flew at the end of the first act, the audience burst into applause. Children yelled and squealed. It brought chills to many of the more jaded theatre-goers in the audience.

Forget the cold. Warm up with the perfect movie come to life this week.


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