BAY AREA STAGE OPENED RICHARD SHERMAN’S imaginative musical “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” to a modest crowd at the Empress Theatre in Vallejo on Friday. The production, which continues through this weekend at the Empress before moving to the Campbell Theatre in Martinez on June 6, has all the right ingredients, including a capable cast, polished costumes and, most importantly, a truly fantasmical car. It looks to be a winning production — once the crew has a little more time to get all of those parts polished and assembled into a well-oiled machine.

Michael Doppe holds up well as protagonist Caractacus Potts, a poor, widowed inventor struggling to raise his two children, aided by an equally strong Nicole Thordsen as dream girl Truly Scrumptious. Both are masters of the stage, though they seemed to wait nervously for some of the other cast members to remember their lines at a few junctures on opening night last Friday, which tended to bog things down.

Sound issues that night also made it difficult to hear some of the charming lyrics and dialogue, and ensemble members were not always clearly visible. However, given that the Empress is a new venue for BAS and not one typically used for dramatic performances like this one — and considering the strengths of the experienced cast and crew — I feel confident that all of the technical kinks will be quickly ironed out, allowing for the joyous and fun-filled story to shine through more fully in subsequent performances.

By an enormous stroke of luck, Caractacus Potts finds a way to purchase an old racing car that was destined for the scrap heap, to the delight of his children — but a villainous Baron (Scott Slagle) wants to snatch it away for himself, sending lackeys Boris and Goran (Kenn Stevens and Dalyn Barnes, respectively) to find the car and ship it to him in the make-believe land of Vulgaria. Highly imaginative adventures ensue, and the new Potts family car develops magical abilities to help them evade the bungling spies’ clutches and return safely home to England.

BAS co-producer Jeff Lowe brings Grandpa Potts to life with charm and vitality. Costumed in safari gear — including khaki pants billowing over the tops of his boots — Lowe entertains by his charming-grandpa mannerisms alone. He sings with gusto and smiles a knowing, if eccentric, grandpa smile. Molly Stats and Travis Ross also are bold and vivacious as Potts children Jemima and Jeremy.

The heroic automobile, named Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for the rhythmic sound of its engine, was designed for the BAS production by Vallejo’s ObtainiumWorks, a workshop for do-it-yourself tinkerers who fabricate steam-powered art out of re-purposed industrial detritus, “based on the works of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells and other Victorian-era writers who created imaginary worlds where steam technology was considered cutting-edge.” The car is an impressive accomplishment, filling well the role of the musical’s magical, mechanical centerpiece.

Besides the incredible, amphibious car, other highlights include Truly and Caractacus in disguise as mechanical dolls, performing for the Baron’s birthday; hilarious antics by the Baron and Baroness (Susan George); additional, outrageous mechanical contraptions; and a live musical ensemble.

For anyone not already familiar with the children’s story by Ian Fleming, or the film of the same name on which the musical is based, it might be worthwhile to have a look before coming to see the show. It is a story that involves a great deal of imagination — something that is easy enough to describe in the pages of a book, but a little trickier to allude to in a live, theatrical performance.

“Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” is co-directed by Lowe and Matt Goff, with costumes by BAS co-producer Stacey Loew. It’s a fun adventure, a whimsical shift from Fleming’s signature spy-based James Bond novels. Bay Area Stage has gathered an accomplished cast for the production, and the fun they create on the stage is infectious. In fact, audiences are encouraged to sing along.

If You Go
“Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” continues at the Empress Theatre, 330 Virginia St., Vallejo through May 24. Also at the Campbell Theatre, 636 Ward St., Martinez, June 5-14. Tickets are $15 to $25 and are available by calling 707-649-1053 or online at bayareastage.com.

Elizabeth Warnimont is a freelance writer specializing in the performing arts. She is also a substitute teacher for the Benicia Unified School District.