ARTS & CULTURE
Up, Up and Away! By Dawn Gibson Photography by Jessie Palanca
Singing, dancing, jokes galore and a flying car – the next Doha Players production promises something for everyone. QH goes behind the scenes of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
I
t’s Saturday afternoon and a group of about 20 children of varied ages are going through the paces of a dance routine, frequently stopping and starting to make sure everyone has the hang of the steps. A cluster of adults look on encouragingly, while several metres away another group is practicing their singing. Three times a week, this is the reality for 60 members of The Doha Players as they fine-tune their next show, the classic musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, to be staged this May. In keeping with The Doha Players’ decades-long tradition of staging family musicals and pantomimes – recent successes include Peter Pan, Les Misérables, Jack and the Beanstalk and Hot Mikado – the show is shaping up to be a feel-good spectacle for people of all ages.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, best known from the 1960s film version starring Dick Van Dyke, is the story of an eccentric inventor, Caractacus Potts, who restores a banged-up Grand Prix car, much to the delight of his two children. Set in the 1910s, the musical follows the family’s adventures with this very special car as they travel to a faraway land to rescue the children’s grandfather from an evil baron. Sitting down for a quick chat during rehearsal, director Angela Walton is surprisingly relaxed about managing such a big show with so many child actors. However, as the director of numerous past productions, she has plenty of experience to draw upon. “There are 30 children in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which is my smallest child cast so far,” she explains. “We had 55 children for The King & I, and 40 children plus a dog for The Wizard of Oz!” Twelve-year-old Stephen Beveridge, who attends Park House School, and 10-year-old Doha College student Georgia Kendall play the inventor’s children, Jeremy and Jemima. Both are very much looking forward to opening night, although Georgia admits feeling a bit nervous since it’s her first big role (Stephen previously played a starring role in a production of The King & I in his native Scotland). When asked why other children would want to see the show, Georgia says: “It’s funny and entertaining
– it’s quite an interesting story and I think they would enjoy it if they came.” Even the considerable challenge of manufacturing a flying car seems to be no problem for the seasoned team. Co-producer Phil Mitchell is working on the car alongside Jamie Honey, who came up with a helicopter (yes, it flew) for a production of Miss Saigon directed by Walton for her group Senter Stage. Mitchell has co-produced, performed in and created sets for various shows that Walton has directed. “We made a car for Grease a few years ago, Jamie made the helicopter for Miss Saigon, and also made a machine to melt the witch for The Wizard of Oz,” he says. “Angela has put on seven or eight shows that I’ve been involved with – and they’ve all been knock-outs.” Flying cars aside, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is centred on family fun – not only for the audience, but also for the performers and backstage team. Many of the actors and production crew are related – Walton’s husband Stuart is co-producer; Ed Hake, who plays the lead role of inventor Caractacus Potts, is acting alongside his son Benjamin – at four years old the youngest in the show – while Ed’s wife Liz is one of the choreographers.
38 QH May 2016 - Apr 26.indd 38
4/26/16 08:36