Chu-Chi, Woo-Chi, Ooo-Chi Face

We weren't going to allow a little stone to keep us from our plans so Saturday, after the doctor visit, a quick trip to Target and some relaxing around the apartment, we headed to the OC Performing Arts Center to catch a performance of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Based on Ian Fleming's children's book (yes, that Ian Fleming) and the movie co-written by Roald Dahl, the musical follows inventor Caractacus Potts as he restores an old junkyard car his children have found. After finishing the repairs, Caractacus and his children take the car for a test spin, meeting the beautiful Truly Scumptious -- with whom Caracatcus has already weathered a few run-ins -- along the way, and the children convince her to join them. Meanwhile, two agents from the land of Vulgaria have been sent to find the car that Caractacus re-built in order to present it to Baron Bomburst as a birthday present. When the two agents mistakenly kidnap Grandpa Potts, mistaking him for the inventor of the car, Caractacus, Truly and the children must find a way to save him and unexpectedly discover that the car, which the children call Chitty Chitty Bang Bang because of the engine's noise, can fly and soon, they're off to Vulgaria to save Grandpa Potts.

This was a very slick production, with imaginative sets and staging which delighted both Caesar and myself. The Potts' home used a few dangling cogs of varying sizes to show that Caracatus was an inventor; when Chitty "drove" across the stage, the bicycles, joggers and other passersby rode/walked/ran backwards making the car appear to move forward; and the best surprise of all, the car actually flew! That was some wonderful handiwork because it looked so incredibly real as the car rose off the ground, twisting into the night sky and off to Vulgaria. We both also loved the music, much of which was taken from the Sherman Brothers' score (yes, those Sherman Brothers). A few times, though, when a large portion of the cast was singing onstage, we couldn't understand the wrods. I thought it was just me, but Caesar mentioned the same problem after the show.

The cast performed well, with the standouts being George Dvorsky and Elizabeth Ward Land as the Baron and Baroness Bomburst, he the childlike leader of the country and her the doting wife; and Dirk Lumbard and Scott Cote as the Boris and Goran, the two bumbling spies who seemed straight out of vaudeville. The Childcatcher played by Oliver Wadsworth looked incredible in a scary black outfit, top hat and pointed hook to snatch any wayward children, but neither of us could understand anything he sang either because he didn't annunciate or he encountered mic problems.

As we gorged on red velvet cake afterwards, we talked about how much we enjoyed the show in spite of some minor sound problems. We need to re-rent the movie just to see how closely they match.

Image from Broadway World.