The original United Artists motion picture Chitty Chitty Bang Bang first hit the cinema screens in 1968 and has been a firm family classic ever since. Based on a story by Ian Fleming, the movie began life as a personal dream of James Bond producer, Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli.
As with all his film projects, “Cubby” Broccoli surrounded himself with the very best British talent available to ensure the success of Chitty, which at the time was publicised as the largest and most expensive musical ever filmed in England.
The director, Ken Hughes, who had also adapted the screenplay with prolific children’s author Roald Dahl, led the British film crew. The Sherman brothers, fresh from major success with the Disney Studios, provided the score and songs, earning an Oscar nomination in the process.
“Cubby” Broccoli’s original plans for the enchanting tale of the magical car always included a possible stage version but not until 2002 and the advance of stage technology could the dream become a reality. The producers of the London stage musical, headed by the Broccoli family. were confident that the technology existed to fly a tonne and a half of machinery with actors inside, that the musical flew onto the London stage. It opened at the London Palladium to rave reviews on Tuesday 16th April 2002.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang broke every box office record at the famous London theatre. It was the longest running show at the Palladium, beating Oliver! and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. During its three and a half year run, the family musical exceeded £70 million in box office revenue.
The London Palladium production originally capitalised at £6.2 million and cost approximately one third of a million pounds a week to run in order to pay for the huge cast of actors, children and dogs, not to mention stage management, technicians and musicians.
The Chitty stage car holds the Guinness World Record for being the most expensive prop in the history of British Theatre.
Chitty has at its heart two fundamental human desires….the desire to fly and the desire to protect one’s children, told through a magical journey. It is the story of love and adventure, of good and evil and of a family in search of something missing – all brought together by a fantasmagorical car!
