Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

A magical and ridiculous flight of fancy supported by strong ensemble performances and striking technical design, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a vibrant classic. The story of two children, their crackpot inventor father, a sweet manufacturing heiress and their car is just as barmy and brilliant as it was in the 1968 film adaptation by Ken Hughes and Roald Dahl. However, there was an opportunity in re-adapting the story to shed some of the clunky dialogue and archaic representations of gender and culture, which this show didn't quite manage. Although this stage adaptation didn't live up to Dahl's, it still captured the spirit of Ian Fleming's novel.

Alan Brough and Jennifer Vuletic were brilliantly villainous and childish as the Baron and Baroness of Vulgaria, and Tyler Coppin was a terrifying pantomime child catcher. The ensemble performances made this fantastical world believable – particular standouts were the hectic and colourful sweet factory scene and Me Ol' Bamboo, in which the men perform a manic morris dance with bamboo canes. Stunning design complement energetic performances, transporting the audience to a slightly surreal version of 1910, and the gorgeous period-tailoring, moving set pieces and a flying car garnered a gasp from the audience more than once. A hyperactive show; saccharine sweet with a touch of the bizarre.

His Majesty's Theatre to Sunday 7 April