Twenty years ago today, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang flew into Broadway's Hilton Theatre (now the Lyric, home to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), kicking off a 285-performance run.
The story first began as a book by James Bond creator Ian Fleming. That book, Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car, came to the screen with a 1968 movie musical. Big-budget and aimed at family audiences, the film was not a financial success, losing its studio $8 million. But over the years, the film had become a favorite, owing to the performances from Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes, songs by Mary Poppins songwriters Richard and Robert Sherman, and high tech (for its time) flying car.
The adventure story centers on the rebirth of a crashed race car, the work of eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts. Joining up with two kids and a wealthy candy heiress, the titular Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is able to fly the group to all sorts of adventures, including a run-in with the notorious Child Catcher.
The movie first came to the stage in London's West End in 2002, with the Sherman Brothers writing new songs to supplement their tunes written for the original film, and Jeremy Sams adapting the screenplay for the stage musical's book. Then-Royal Shakespeare Company Artistic Director Adrian Noble directed, with Cats and The Phantom of the Opera's Gillian Lynne staging the spectacle's choreography. The London run, housed at the London Palladium, earned some early headlines when its flying car proved troublesome in early performances. At the time, the contraption had been identified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most expensive stage prop in history. The price tag reportedly came to 拢750,000!
The musical crossed the pond to Broadway in 2005, opening at the Hilton April 28. Ra煤l Esparza led the cast as Caractacus Potts with Erin Dilly taking on Truly Scrumptious and Marc Kudisch and Jan Maxwell supporting as Baron and Baroness (respectively) Bomburst. The car did not cross the pond, it was dissembled and a new one built for Broadway鈥攚hich had retractable wings. The musical would only get a brief, eight-month run in New York, but it has since spawned national tours and new regional productions.
The flying car also lived on; it was . The listing for the prop described it as such: "Instead of an engine, the prop car sits on a wheeled frame and used hydraulics and an intricate system of in-built lighting to bring the vehicle to life. While the film used as many as six car models for the numerous racing, flying, and hovercraft stunts, this prop car had to perform all these roles in the same show."
In 2008, the script for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was revised by Ray Roderick, which is now the version sent off to theatres who are staging the show.
Take a look back at the original Broadway production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in the gallery below.
To learn about other theatrical milestones that also occurred April 28, visit the 半岛体育 Vault.
Ellen Marrow, Philip Bosco, Henry Hodges, Raul Esparza, and Erin Dilly in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Raul Esparza and company of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Jan Maxwell and Marc Kudisch in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Philip Bosco and company of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
