Chitty goes off with a Bang!
It's more than 50 years since the film about the magical motor was made and I did wonder how a story about a car that flies and floats would be portrayed on a small stage in Nuneaton! It was certainly an ambitious undertaking but the Nuneaton Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society definitely provided an entertaining and enjoyable show for their appreciative audience. There were a few technical difficulties, silences and late entrances but I’m sure these may have been the result of first night nerves and will be ironed out as the week goes on. All the main characters produced some exceptionally tuneful singing and did justice to the extremely catchy songs. There were warm hearted performances from the entire cast and some very talented children and young people formed the junior ensemble. The costumes, sets and props were all imaginative and certainly reflected the time period. Chitty Chitty is, of course, an enchanting story that has captured the imagination of generations of children but this production also contained a few innuendos and double entendres which delighted the adults in the audience. I was accompanied to the theatre by an 11-year-old called Jan and when asked what he thought of the performance, he said: "Really good, especially the singing, and worth 8 out of 10." He obviously found it truly scrumptious! Finally, how did NAODS manage to portray a car that is capable of floating and flying? Well, you'll just have to go along and see for yourselves.
