To the delight of its fans, the classic musical production Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is being revived at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds later this year, ahead of a UK and Ireland tour. The show, which has music and lyrics by Richard M Sherman and Robert B Sherman (also responsible for the iconic musical Mary Poppins), is adapted from the iconic 1968 film by Jeremy Sams. The show was first seen in the West End in 2002.
http://youtu.be/ZTTzcXSLjhI
The score includes “Truly Scrumptious”, “Toot Sweets”, “Hushabye Mountain” and the Oscar-nominated title song; reviving such a classic show is a great opportunity for the creative team involved, as it is a thrilling challenge for anyone. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a brilliantly fun adventure story, filled with iconic songs and scenes that hold so many memories for so many early fans, and indeed the general public too (such as of the revered, feared child catcher), so to bring the show back to the stage is a big undertaking.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will open at the West Yorkshire Playhouse on 10 December (previews from 2 December) for a nine week season finishing on 30 January 2016. The tour will then open at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton on 10 February 2016 for a two week run. Further dates and casting are still to be announced.
The new production is directed by WYP artistic director James Brining, with new choreography by rising star Stephen Mear and production design by Simon Higlett. The show will be produced by the West Yorkshire Playhouse and the touring consortium Music & Lyrics Limited, which includes venues such as the Birmingham Hippodrome, Wales Millennium Centre and Edinburgh Festival Theatre. The new production is set to delight and enthral lovers of the fantasmagorical film and introduce Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to new audiences too.