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Kansas City's Online Journal of the Performing Arts

For musical theater lovers, seeing a show at the Starlight Theatre in Swope Park is a summer tradition.  The beautifully renovated theater boasts restaurants, dancing fountains and a fabulous gift shop.  Cotton candy vendors hawk their wares before the curtain goes up creating a carnival atmosphere that fit the show perfectly. Tuesday night, July 28^th, under a double rainbow, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang soared into town.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang landed on Broadway in 2005 although it had been a favorite children's movie since 1968. With the book written by Ian Fleming (that's right-the man who invented James Bond), screenplay by Roald Dahl (the esteemed children's writer and creator of Willy Wonka) and music by the Sherman brothers (remember Mary Poppins?) this is a show with a stellar lineage.  Re-tooling the film for the stage would seem like an obvious move, but why did it take nearly 40 years?

Set in Europe around 1910, Inventor Professor Potts, his children Jemima, Jeremy and the senile Grandpa Potts live in a windmill barely making ends meet.  Professor Potts saves a rusty old car from the junkyard and turns it into a magical machine capable of floating and flying.  They meet a candy makers' daughter, Truly Scrumptious (a name only Ian Fleming could devise) who develops a fondness for the Professor. Vulgarian spys, played to comedic perfection by Dirk Lumbard and Scott Cote, report the car to the manipulative Baroness who covets it for her infantile husband's birthday present.  The Baroness despises children and has had all of them kidnapped and eliminated from Vulgaria with the help of the uber-creepy child catcher (Oliver Wadworth).  When Grandpa (Dick Decareau) is mistakenly kidnapped as the genius behind the amazing vehicle, the family must travel to Vulgaria to save him.

The sets creatively interconnected in an inventive way moving seamlessly from scene to scene.  Creating a flying car is no small feat and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang soars.  The special effects are dynamite and the orchestral score heightens the effect with a booming bass drum that makes the audience feel like they are watching fireworks on the fourth of July.

But it wasn't just the special effects and charming costumes that made this show so entertaining. The performances were spot on. 

Professor Potts played by Steve Wilson, had the lanky frame and expression of Dick Van Dyke without the silly pratfalls and Kelly McCormick gave Truly just the right touch without being overly sweet.

The children played Tuesday night by Jeremy Lipton and Camille Mancuso, commanded the stage with enthusiasm and even the local children, portraying orphans in this production  played with confidence. But stealing nearly every scene they ran across, were the adorably scruffy mutts provided by Wilson Dogs.

The scenes were true to the original but with the addition of the Baron's birthday spectacle which enlivened the second act.  The red and black sets and costumes matched the Vulgarian uniform but the Spanish influenced samba surprise party was totally unexpected.

Elizabeth Ward Lane, the sickeningly sexy baroness, in her red and black teddy and nightgown , was a standout, and played off of Baron Bomburst  (George Dvorsky) with a twisted maternal edge.  Double entendres flew as freely as the magic car.

Hearing the music for the first time again in 30 years, this reviewer was instantly transported back to her childhood living room where she would wait for days to catch Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on TV. The nostalgia was particularly moving during the lullaby, Hushabye Mountain, when the little girl sitting behind me said, "I hope this song is done soon, I'm getting sleepy." It was Déjà vu.

Unfortunately, the Starlight performances of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang end the American tour.  Hopefully, this is a show that will make its way through again very soon so more people can remember and enjoy this delightful story.

 REVIEW
Starlight Theatre
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
July 28 - August 2, 2009 (Reviewed July 28)
For tickets to the rest of the 2009 Broadway Series
(816) 363-STAR (7827) or www.kcstarlight.org

By Megan Browne Helm

Classical, Vocal and Theatre Contributor

Megan Browne Helm grew up singing, dancing and acting.  Inspired by Emma Kirkby as a high school student in St. Louis she went on to study voice and sing with the Collegium Musicum at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio where she also had a radio show of contemporary classical music on WOBC.  At the University of Kansas she had the pleasure of working with former Kings’ Singer, Simon Carrington in his Collegium Musicum and Oread consort. Years later, she was a choral fellow at the Yale School of Music’s  Norfolk Chamber Music Festival.  She is currently singing with the Kansas City Symphony Chorus under the direction of Charles Bruffy. 

 As a freelance music and culture writer her work can be found on KCMetropolis.org, presentmagazine.com, the Lawrence Journal World, Shawnee Magazine, Leawood Lifestyle Magazine and KC Parent.  She was one of 26 journalists in the country chosen as a NEA Institute Fellow for Classical Music and Opera at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. 

Her current interest is how classical music remains relevant through active collaborations with artists in different fields, including science.  She also sees a connection between classical music, travel and food as a way to engage all of the senses in a 360 degree cultural experience.  She blogs at raworganum.wordpress.com.