No backfires for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in Cardiff

Rolling into Cardiff Bay for an extended summer holiday, Ian Fleming's famous car leads thrilled audiences on an audacious high-speed tour. Director Adrian Noble takes the familiar tale of the Potts family's bid to save Chitty – with a hand from feisty Truly Scrumptious – and ratchets it up with a hilariously unhinged energy, reports Metro.

As inventor Caractacus Potts, Aled Jones finds the perfect outlet for his exuberant boyishness, and Tony Adams' Grandpa is a muddled delight. Welsh youngsters Matthew Leaman and Alaw Davies – one of three Jeremy and Jemima pairings – are charming, and undaunted by their demanding schedule.

But the memory of Edward Peel and Kim Ismay's Baron and Baroness lingers longest, thanks to an uproarious bedroom dance. Chitty herself was one mean feat of theatrical engineering, from a pre-show red carpet appearance to stage-defying flying stunts. That she was unable to loiter in the limelight sums up the quality of the powerful performers.

It's a shame that it's too scary for young children – surely a large part of its intended audience – thanks to Ian Watkins' eerily menacing Child Catcher and a hellish sewer prison for outcast ragamuffins. But for the rest of us, this production is truly fantastic.

Until Aug 30, Donald Gordon Theatre, Wales Millennium Centre, Bute Place, Cardiff Bay, Mon to Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu and Sat 2pm, £10 to £39.50, concs available. Tel: 0870 040 2000. www.chittythemusical.co.uk

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