Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: A Family-Friendly Orpheus Production

Many regard the 1968 movie musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as a classic. It’s full of family values, light-hearted jokes and a “fantasmagorical” flying car. While the original movie might be a bit old, there is a new production of the show at Meridian Theatres at Centrepointe.

The musical takes place in England during the early 1900’s, where the Potts’ family (consisting of father Caractacus, daughter Jemima, and son Jeremy) bring life back to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, an old racing car that once won the Grand Prix three years in a row. However, the Baron and Baroness of Vulgaria, a mock-eastern-European country, are hunting after the car. The family has to work together, along with a nervous Vulgarian named the Toymaker and a team of hidden children, to take down the rulers of Vulgaria and their child-catching ally, named… The Childcatcher.

While much of the show itself is filled with simple humour and nearly-unnecessary musical numbers, the production rides on the nostalgia of the name. Much of the demographic of the show’s audience seems to be families with young children as well as seniors, watching a show they had once seen in their childhood.

This production, put on by the Orpheus Musical Theatre Society in their 113th season, features a wide cast of amature actors from across Ottawa. Most are not actually involved in drama or musical theatre in their everyday lives but find these productions as a way to hold on to hobbies or gain performance experience that they would not be able to get otherwise. This is the second of four shows produced annually by Orpheus, the first having been The Last Five Years this past September.

The production runs from November 16th-25th at Meridian Theatres at Centrepointe.