Based on the beloved 1968 film (and 1964 book), the stage musical of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang opened at the London Palladium in 2002, and has been on tour across the UK multiple times. This new production directed by Thom Southerland (Titanic the Musical) is a feast for the senses, looking and sounding more like a West End show than a touring show.

The flying car illusion (designed by Morgan Large) is breathtaking, receiving multiple rounds of applause throughout the show. But the whole show is bursting with theatrical magic, from the exploding inventions of Caractacus Potts (Adam Garcia) to the tumbling of a giant Grand Prix curtain. Bucking the trend of many recent touring productions, this production is all about old-fashioned theatrical effects, using no digital projections or CGI.

The whole cast are a delight, but a special mention must go to the children playing Jeremy and Jemima Potts (Roshan Thomson and Gracie Cochrane), who barely leave the stage and offer West End quality performances in every scene and every song. The same goes for the surprise reveal of millions more children imprisoned by the child-catcher (Charlie Brooks), who make the in Act II group number “Teamwork” one of the highlights of the show.

It’s worth mentioning that this production really leans into the childish comedy of this extremely silly story, and the show is very much targeted at the audience’s children (rather than their parents). Probably not a bad call, considering how scary the child-catcher is. On the other hand, the show is nearly three hours (!). But children seem to be enthralled beginning to end.

Touring across the UK, 30 April 2024 – 10 May 2025.