"CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG," National Tour, Capitol Theatre, through June 14, 801-355-2787; running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes (one intermission)
"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" has haunted me for years — ever since we watched the old Dick Van Dyke movie on Movie Day at Jackling Elementary.
I didn't love the film, but it did forever skew how I hear the world. To this day, any time a statement is made in six syllables, my brain can't help but fit it into the tune of the title song, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, we love you, we love you."
Try it with me: "Dinner and a movie" or "Naughty little doggie." See? I hope I haven't ruined your processing of six-syllables statements, but if you haven't suffered similarly over the years, you will after seeing the tour of the musical stage adaptation of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," playing now at the Capitol Theatre. That tune is just so darned catchy.
Ian Fleming's story of a widower dad, Caractacus Potts (Steve Wilson), and his two children, played on Tuesday by Jeremy Lipton and Camille Mancuso, has the trio meeting the lovely Truly Scrumptious (Kelly McCormick), restoring an old race car, outwitting the Vulgarians and escaping the clutches of the Childcatcher (Oliver Wadsworth) — all with the help of their magical car, Chitty.
There is no doubt what everyone is waiting to see — the flying car.
And the tour delivers nicely. When the car, which gets its own bow in the curtain call, is on stage, it is greeted with oohs, ahhs and plenty of applause. And it is well-deserved. Whether driving, floating or flying, it's an impressive piece of stagecraft.
The problem is, in a 2½ hour show, we really only see the car three times, and the car only flies twice. That leaves a lot of down time, which is filled with some nice moments, some fun moments and some … well, "filler."
Steve Wilson is delightful as Caractacus. He's charming, funny, engaging and delivered a lovely "Hushabye Mountain." McCormick is great as the warm and beautiful Truly, although her singing voice didn't carry as well — though that could be the microphone. And the two kids are darling.
Speaking of kids, if you hear a lot of murmuring in the house toward the top of Act II, be patient. That's because the kids in the show, hidden beneath the castle, are locals. The production held auditions last month. It was fun to hear comments like "there she is … in front" from excited family members there to see their little stars — and they all did a great job.
In the "bad guy" department, the actors make the most of thin material, though "Vulgarian" accents make their exchanges difficult to understand. Without much to do, the actors still managed to get plenty of laughs.
The Childcatcher, Oliver Wadsworth, was certainly scary, but the scene is short enough that it shouldn't be too scary for your little ones.
Anthony Ward's colorful costumes and clever sets, and the solid orchestra, directed by Lee Stametz, add to the fun.
The show just needs more of the car and less of the filler — like musical numbers "The Roses of Success" and "Chu-Chi Face."
Above all, the kids seemed to love it. With plenty to look at on stage, including a wonderful pack of dogs, "Chitty" is a pretty fun night out — but it's just a long one (uh-oh, six syllables).
Sensitivity Rating: Jokes with innuendo that likely won't be understood by children; a couple of fairly low-cut dresses on the Baroness.
E-mail: ehansen@desnews.com