AOL TRAVEL PHILADELPHIA
This is what a "Family Musical" should be!
April 9, 2009
By Steve Ramm


The stage musical version of the 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang arrived at the beautiful Academy of Music last night. It's only here for eight performances (through Sunday), which is a shame. With the Jewish holiday of Passover covering two nights and various Christian Holy Week events, there's not a lot of time for families to see this uttlery charming production before it moves on to another city. But if you can squeeze it in – after church on Good Friday, when many offices are closed – GO! This is one of the best recent productions in the Broadway at the Academy series produced by the Kimmel Center that I've seen.

I grew up too late to either read the original book written by James Bond's creator, Ian Fleming, for his young son in 1964, or even to see the filmed version produced four years later and considered one of the most lavish and expensive films produced in Britain at the time. So I took my seat at the Academy, knowing very little about it, except for the title song which, like the rest of the clever and tuneful score, was composed by the Sherman brothers – best known for all the songs in the Disney films of the 1960s and 70s like Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book, as well as songs we all know like "It's A Small World." The colorful staging and clever sets (which are some of the most complicated I've seen for a touring production) captured me from the opening number. And when the characters – with tongue twisting names like Caractacus Potts and truly clever Truly Scrumptious (remember this is the Fleming who gave James Bond women named Kissy Suziki, Holly Goodnight and Molly Warmflash) – start to sing, you want to sing along.

The square-framed set gives the feeling that you are watching a movie coming to life. The kind of old fashioned musical that brought families to the theatre before Disney took over Broadway. (and, no this is not a Disney production; the film was actually released by MGM). The show even has a full Overture. (Remember those?). As in most musicals for children, there are the silly villains. In this case it's the team of Boris and Goran, who – as played by Dirk Lumbard and Scott Cote – come across as two old vaudeville comedians. In fact, Act 2 begins with the pair doing a very funny (as well as punny) turn which could have been on any vaudeville stage in the 1920s and includes a few jokes risqué jokes only the adults will get.

Oh yes, I forgot the title character – who is a race car that has magical powers of the aeronautical kind. It's based on a famous 1920s race car named Chitty Bang Bang (yes, only one Chitty) that won races but kept it's wheels on the ground. Watching the mechanics of car in motion on the stage was pure magic to the many children in the audience, and it captivated me as well.

I could go on for a few more paragraphs but that would spoil the fun for you. Find the time and head over to the Academy before Sunday. If not you'll miss the best of the Kimmel series this season so far, and a chance to share high quality live theatre with your children. (But, watch out, there is a merchandising booth in the lobby that's hard to resist.)


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