The Watermill Theatre’s summer musical, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a dynamic and inventive production that reveals just why the theatre was named Theatre of the Year 2026 in The Stage Awards. Artistic Director, Paul Hart’s production, based on the film that so many remember fondly from their childhood, is completely immersive. The audience enter the world of the play as soon as they enter the grounds of The Watermill which are transformed into a fairground/circus complete with a big top marquee, and a Chitty car.
The energetic cast of 16, many of whom are actor musicians, play a vast array of instruments and deliver the songs with panache. The choreography is outstanding, the costumes colourful and the set creates Caractacus Potts’s magical and quirky workshop. Half way through the first act the audience moves to the big top marquee in the grounds, bringing us closer to the actors and treating us to a very humorous demonstration of the hair cutting machine as well as an exuberant and colourful performance of Me Ol Bamboo.
The eccentric inventor Potts (Christian Edwards) is central to the story and has the right blend of warmth and bemusement. His performance of Hushaby Mountain is memorable. Truly Scrumptious (Lydia Louise) in her professional debut role, has a rich singing voice which is revealed more as the show progresses, culminating in the expressive Doll on a Music Box.
The large number of children in the production will delight audiences. When Marlborough.news visited Jeremy was played by Elijah Bailey and Jemima by Sophie George. They are to be commended on their performances.
The gentle comedy with Grandpa Potts(Mark Curry) gives way to full-on comic scenes with the bumbling spies Goran (Alexander Zane) and Boris(Sam Pay). While these scenes are entertaining, Baron Bomburst (Samuel Morgan-Grahame) and Baroness Bomburst (Mairi Ikegami) of Vulgaria take the comedy to a whole new level.
Also adding to the humour are the puppet dogs of many varieties and the puppet seagull who screeches and snatches an ice-cream out of Potts’s hand.
In contrast, the darker, sinister role of the Childcatcher is played by Susannah van den Berg who uses her clarinet rather like the Pied Piper to lure the children into her clutches.
But this is a musical and it has to have a happy ending with good triumphing over evil. And Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, who is after-all the main character, saves the day. Chitty actually sprouts wings and flies twice to the total amazement of all those watching.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at The Watermill really is a ‘fantasmagorical’ production. It shows, in the words of the song sung by Caractacus Potts, just how ‘team work can make a dream work’.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is playing at The Watermill until September 13 – don’t miss it. Buy your tickets here.
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