Theatre Review: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Bristol Hippodrome

Summary:

Rating: ★★★★★
Running Dates: Tuesday 29th April - Sunday 4th May 2025
Where to see it: Bristol Hippodrome
Duration: 2 hr 40 min (incl. interval)
Keywords: Musical, Exploration, Fun

Review

It makes a great watch no matter what your age!

This is one of the best musicals I have ever seen. Wow. From start to finish there was non-stop action which kept me gripped through every scene.

The story kicks off with inventor Caractacus Potts and his two kids, Jeremy and Jemima, as they bring an old, rusty racing car back to life. But this isn’t any ordinary car, ‘Chitty’ has some special abilities.

When Truly Scrumptious comes onto the scene, the children are delighted and quickly the four of them find themselves on a whimsical adventure to Vulgaria, where they come across villains, castles and obviously the infamous Child Catcher.

*No spoilers* but the pivot between sets was incredible, the circus scene brought the stage to life particularly with its innovative ideas surrounding costume design, I loved it!

Audience participation played a key role in bringing the musical to life, who doesn’t love a little sing-along? My favourites included “Toot Sweets” and “Truly Scrumptious”, of course “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” was the number one. It kept the energy high and created a sense of shared fun particularly with the sly adult innuendos scattered throughout which generated a lot of belly laughs! 10/10 from Martin Callaghan who played the Baron for this.

Overall, the production is well-produced throughout song, choreography and stage design, and I’d definitely recommend giving it a watch. With the underlying themes of love and family, it makes a great watch no matter what your age.

Standout Moment: My favourite scene, which I assume we could all agree on, was the flying car. How it’s done is anyone’s guess but it felt nothing short of magical, we all gasped! You can tell the stage design was carefully considered throughout which made every scene flow seamlessly.

See If: You love light-hearted adventure stories intertwined with love and a sense of belonging.

Last Impressions: Wow, just wow!

You can find last minute tickets for the show on the ATG Website

We were kindly gifted these tickets in exchange for a review.

Written by Tamara Lawrence