No flying car, but
BEFORE Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’s gala night opening on Oct. 26, director Jaime del Mundo told the audience how theaters make people smart, and how live shows elicit creativity and imagination among their audiences. Turns out, there was a subliminal message in his statement: our imagination was required to fill in the gaps of the technical aspects of the show.
Like Wicked’s “Defying Gravity” and Miss Saigon’s helicopter scene, the supposed wow factor in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is the flying car. Alas, the car did not fly, but it did appear to hover in the air. The show relied more on onscreen animation and the creative powers of its audience than on technical wizardry to achieve lift-off.
Leading the cast is Gian Magdangal as Caractacus Potts, who returns to Resorts World Manila seven years after his show Kaos. It’s good that he’s back in Manila after his stint in Japan and Hong Kong. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang comes on the heels of Newsies, the July production that marked Mr. Magdangal’s return to local theater.
Originally created by Ian Fleming — of James Bond fame — as a bedtime story for his son, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang evolved from its film adaptation in 1968 to its first stage production in 2002. It tells the story of the inventor Caractacus Potts, his two kids Jemima and Jeremy, and their grandfather, as they revive the old car Chitty Chitty Bang Bang into what later becomes a magical flying car that also floats on water. Along their journey, they met Truly Scrumptious who later falls in love with the lovely, lonely man Caractacus Potts.
Yanah Laurel, who plays Truly Scrumptious, is just as good here as she was in Kinky Boots. Her solo number in “Lovely, Lonely Man,” gave her the spotlight she truly, truly deserved.
The siblings Jemima and Jeremy, played by Isabeli Araneta Elizalde and Albert Silos, respectively, were high in energy and enthusiasm. ( Zoey Alvarade and Noel Comia, Jr. alternate as the Potts kids.)
Like any children’s story, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang needs a villain or two. And so we have the Baron and Baroness of Vulgaria, who want to steal Chitty Chitty Bang Bang from the Potts as the perfect gift for the Baron’s upcoming birthday. The pair send their two spies, Boris and Goran, to Britain to steal the car. Failing to do so, they kidnap grandfather Potts mistakenly thinking he was the one who revived Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Veteran theater actors Menchie Lauchengco-Yulo and Raymund Concepcion play the Baroness and the Baron of Vulgaria, colorfully costumed nobles with thick Vulgarian accents. One of their lively song-and-dance numbers is “The Bombie Samba,” which got the audience dancing in their seats. The two Vulgarian spies Boris, played by Mako Alonso, and Goran, played by Reb Atadero, provide lots of comedy, making them crowd favorites. On gala night, the two smart actors who played dimwitted spies were so good that they received a standing ovation.
Childcatcher and Toy Maker, played respectively by Lorenz Martinez and Michael Williams, made a few brief appearances but made the most of their time on stage. —
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which runs at Resorts World Manila until Nov. 12. For more information, visit www. rwmanila. com/ web/ chitty-chitty-bang-bang-manila.