Kindred Spirits Theatre Company’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Jr. – 18 July 2026, Lomas Hall, Stannington
Review by Claire Taranaski.
As a family musical full of childhood delight and enthusiasm since first hitting our cinema screens 58 years ago, Kindred Spirit Theatre Company’s production of the Ian Fleming classic offered the same with it’s warmth balancing out the songs from the full production that didn’t make the junior production and making it a pleasant way to escape the July heat.
By far, the stand out performance and also my six year old daughter’s favourite was Aoife McCuish as Truly Scrumptious. Aoife possesses the vocals of an angel and this would not put her vocally out of place as the female lead in any of the classic musicals. She also possessed wonderful stage presence and chemistry with her characters, including alongside Tilly Gladwin and Sophia Wills as Jemima and Jeremy Potts in the musical number “Truly Scrumptious”. I don’t know if intentional but with the casting of these siblings I liked Jeremy appearing older than Jemima and so seeming like the older protective sibling.
The other stand out performance came from Jemimah Gratze as the Childcatcher. Jemimah’s appearance may have been brief but was all you wanted from the classic villain, scary with a hint of panto villainy, the best costume of the show and performed with superb confidence and attitude.
You can’t talk about this musical without mentioning either the car, my daughter loved that its wings flapped, or it’s inventor Carcatacus Potts. As the only male in the cast Daniel Carter in the role held his own and as part of a company whose warmth between members shines through his affection for his on stage children shone.
Other characters who deserve a mention and prove that the best double acts come with Bulgarian accents were Lily Clare and Indiana Savage and Baroness and Baron Bomburst, whose sweet affection for each other and delight in each other’s company shone through at it’s very best in “Chu-Chi Face”, and Niovi Dandy and Aphra Smout Bennett as Bulgarian spies Boris and Goran who bounced off each other and I only wish we could have seen more of. Both double acts had superb comic timing and connection.
As always director Heather Reynolds love for Kindred Spirits Theatre Company and everyone involved shone through and alongside assistant director Evelyn Wakes brought the musical to life on a small stage with a large cast making it a delight to witness in an audience packed with friends and family members of the youngsters involved. It maybe too late to book tickets for their evening performance but if you have children aged 10 to 15 looking to get into performing arts the company’s summer school from 10th to 14th August I imagine will be a safe and joyful place for them to start.
