Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at HCT

Last night I saw Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at Hale Theatre and, unfortunately, it is the worst production I have ever seen at HCT. Last night was opening night for the THS cast and this could account for some of my issues with the show but not all of them. This musical is based on the 1968 movie of the same name and is set in motion when Jeremy (Asher Nehring) and Jemima Potts (Hailey Burnham) ask their father, an eccentric inventor named Caractacus Potts (Austin Dorman), to buy an old car that won the Grand Prix three years in a row but is now sitting in a junk yard. However, the Baron (Benjamin Henderson) and Baroness Bomburst (Ali Bennett) of Vulgaria also want the car and send their spies, Boris (Ashley Carlson) and Goran (Trevor Dean), to get it. Caractacus refurbishes the car, names it Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and takes the children and Truly Scrumptious (Whitney Hatch) on a picnic at the seaside. They are attacked by Boris and Goran but they soon discover that Chitty can float and fly and this allows them to get away. Boris and Goran, thinking that Grandpa Potts (Daniel Hess) is the inventor responsible for Chitty's transformation, kidnap him and bring him to Vulgaria to make another car for the Baron's birthday. Caractacus, Truly, and the children travel to Vulgaria in Chitty to rescue him and hilarity ensues. The story is rather silly but it is usually a lot of fun. I say usually because last night was anything but fun. I am almost always impressed with the sets at HCT but with this show I was a bit disappointed. The breakfast making machine is really elaborate but it didn't seem to do anything (from where I was sitting), the giant bubble bath in "Chu Chi Face" is weird and the actors had a lot of difficulty maneuvering in and around it, and the doors in the toy shop kept sticking when they were opened and closed. The car, which is meant to be the showstopper, had technical difficulties during the big reveal which literally stopped the show, not once but, twice. The second stoppage happened near the end of the first act so intermission was called and we never did get to see the final scene (where Grandpa Potts is kidnapped) which caused some confusion in the second act. The costumes and props are fabulous (definitely the best part of the show along with the projections) but cast members were dropping hats and props all evening and it was distracting. I didn't feel like the cast was particularly strong (I even felt that some roles were miscast) and the only actor who really stood out for me was Henderson as the Baron (he is hilarious). The choreography in the big song and dance numbers is underwhelming and, honestly, it seemed as if the dancers needed a few more weeks of rehearsal because their performances looked chaotic. To be sure, this was opening night and a few mishaps are to be expected but the tickets are expensive so I don't think it is unreasonable to demand a show that is more polished than this one was. I have been an Early Bird season subscriber for almost 15 years and I have never seen such a mess before. Part of me wants to see the MWF cast later in the run to see if I enjoy it more but part of me never wants to see this particular show ever again! I was very disappointed with this production and I can't in good conscience recommend it.