The Making Of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Stage Show) DVD

The Making of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Stage Show) charts the months leading up to opening night of the stage version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in London in April 2002--34 years after the film about a young family and their flying car enchanted a generation. It's an interesting account of the logistics of mounting a high-tech blockbuster, from casting and marketing to the rehearsal process and the choreography. Everybody is "acclaimed" and "award-winning", everybody adores what they're doing and each new day brings another moment of excitement. But there's no disguising... the fact that this is basically a long commercial for a sure-fire hit. Michael Ball--the housewife's pet crooner--is an odd choice to play eccentric dad Caractacus Potts. Portly to begin with, he finally gets to grips with some vigorous dancing, earning kind words from choreographer Gillian Lynn. And, of course, he sings beautifully. Thank heaven there's some good old-fashioned bile to cut the syrup: as she surveys her dressing room the excellent Nichola MacAuliff (the Baroness) says: "It's a cupboard under the stairs, basically." That's show business. On the DVD: The Making of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a standard television video documentary in 4:3 picture format with a clear Dolby Digital Stereo soundtrack. Narration is by the gracious Sally Ann Howes, the original Truly Scrumptious character. Extras include several familiar songs from the show plus a new one, all showing that this is a classic combination of music, spectacle and technology. --Piers Ford [show more]

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