Picture it: you pull up to Walkerville High School and enter through the giant arched doors. You are greeted by a warm atmosphere filled with smiling PTA moms and young students collecting ticket stubs. Immediately you are surrounded by a familiar feeling of childlike joy, the energy of the show buzzing through you already.

I’ll be entirely honest. I heard that WCCA’s big production this year was going to be Chitty, and I had to ask my sister and about three other adults what the heck it was actually about. From what I had gathered, it was a movie made in 1968 starring Dick Van Dyke with musical accompaniment by the Sherman brothers. I remember listening to the soundtrack once before a couple of years ago. After the first couple of songs, it grew almost impossible to not hum along with the catchy tunes and tap your foot to such lighthearted melodies. If the music was the one thing to base my judgment of this play on, then my expectations for a “truly scrumptious”, family-friendly adventure were exceeded.

As I’m sitting in my seat and looking around at the little kids with their parents, and people carrying bouquets for their kids in the show, the overwhelming pitch of the pit orcestra tuning flutes and clarinets engulf my ears. As soon as the lights went out and the spotlights came on, the imagination began to shine through.

My mind was automatically blown away with color and sound as soon as the Van Dyke protege started to sell his whistling invention during the “Toot Sweets” number. Watching this number you can’t help but bob your head as the kids are singing about sweet treats. Something that is so creative is how the cast and crew have immersed the audience into their show, so you feel as though you are a part of their choreographed routines and banter. In the middle of this number, the kids dance off into the aisles and through the seats picking up members of the audience, spinning them around in time to the beat. At that point, you could literally see people of all ages laughing and playing along- you feel as if you had transported yourself back to a time in your life where everything was joyous and carefree and it felt like a magical piece of your childhood could live itself out at that moment.

Breaking the fourth wall, was a concept that was intricately woven into the musical’s design. Both the music and stage directors worked to create a spectacle that keeps the audience not only entertained but engaged.

By the end of Act 2, the student band becomes much more involved with the musical’s plotline dressing up as guests to the Baron’s extravagant birthday party, it has a simple way of bringing the score to life and encouraging audience participation. The characters Baron and Baroness of Vulgaria, if their names give anything away, are positively volatile but make up for it with their horrible accents and humorous ways, whilst declaring their love (“Chu-Chi Face”). The song “The Bombie Samba” is a particular fan-favorite amongst the crowd due to the fact that while the Baroness is singing she would literally cut off the band’s playing abruptly to ridicule them to play better because she “is never off tune, not ever”. How the actress does this with a straight face is remarkable because it was possibly the highlight of the show.

The happy ending ensues soon after when the lights come up and the show appears to be over but not one person seemed to mind because they were instantly transported to a happy memory of their life. This musical had the power to give them that and to put a smile on their faces… all because of a magic flying car!

If you have a free moment next weekend, why not check out the magic?

-Genna Dara