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Directed By Paul Hart
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Watermill Theatre
Tuesday 26 May – Sunday 13 September
National Press Night: Thursday 4 June – Please Enquire
The Watermill Theatre Announces Casting for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Joint CEOs, Artistic Director Paul Hart and Executive Director Claire Murray, and the whole team at Newbury’s Watermill Theatre are delighted to announce casting for their summer musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The production will run from Tuesday 26 May to Sunday 13 September, with a national press night on Thursday 4 June at 7pm.
Soar far above the clouds and across the seas with a fantasmagorical new Watermill Theatre production of the iconic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Delve into the hearts and imaginations of eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts, his children Jeremy and Jemima, and Truly Scrumptious as they set off on an audacious adventure in a car with a big personality.
The cast for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will feature Christian Edwards (Jesus Christ Superstar at Watermill Theatre, A Christmas Carol at Sheffield Crucible) as Caractacus Potts and Lydia Louise making her professional debut in the role of Truly Scrumptious.
Grandpa Potts will be played by Mark Curry (Wicked at Apollo Theatre, The Rocky Horror Show for the UK Tour) and Susannah van den Berg (Fiddler on the Roof at the Barbican and UK Tour, Oliver! at the Watermill Theatre) will play The Childcatcher.
In the role of Baron Bomburst will be Samuel Morgan-Grahame (Jesus Christ Superstar and Sweet Charity at the Watermill, Amelie on the West End and UK Tour); Mairi Ikegami (Your Lie In April with Carter Dixon McGill Productions, Aladdin with UK Productions) will play Baroness Bomburst; Sam Pay (Witness For The Prosecution with Eleanor Lloyd, Piaf at the Watermill Theatre) will be Boris/Lord Scrumptious; in the role of Goran/Onstage MD will be Alexander Zane (Jesus Christ Superstar at Watermill Theatre, Jack and the Beanstalk with Hopkins Associates), The Toymaker/Onstage Deputy MD will be played by Reuben Greeph (The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe at the Leeds Playhouse, Cabaret at Playhouse Theatre) and Theo Diedrick (The (Beat) Rover with The Thelmas, Jack and the Beanstalk at Liverpool Everyman Theatre) will play Coggins.
The ensemble cast will be Tasha Chu (Dance Captain), Sameer Dhanjee, Georgie Hales, Javai James, Maya Khatri Chhetri and Josh Rosewood.
The role of Jeremy will be shared by Francis Adams, Bodhi Allnutt, Elijah Bailey andLucas Froud, and the role of Jemima will be shared by Auora Breslin, Juyoung Chang, Sophie George and Aila McLeish.
The Children of Vulgaria will be played by Chika Atakorah, Felix Brims, Amelia Cartwright, Willow Daniels, Roko Duckling, Ivy Evans, Rafe Evans, Cosmo French, Hugo Haworth, Asha Ibrahim, Imogen Jermey, Sophie Jones, Sam Llewellyn, Florence Martin, Kweji Sameke, Wilf Seymour, Cassia Tipp and Audrey Williams.
Paul Hart said “We’re absolutely thrilled to announce full casting for this summer’s brand-new production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I know we say this every year, but this really is our most ambitious one to date! Following on from our shows in recent years, we’ll be taking over the entire site to bring you the Watermill’s unique take on this iconic musical. This will include the back lawn becoming a fair ground in which Me Ol’ Bamboo will take place in a tent outside. The designs for the car are also looking absolutely incredible!
We have had an epic time casting this massive piece, meeting incredible actor-musicians and building a wonderful ensemble. As part of this, we’ve met hundreds of talented young people from across the region who will be the absolute heartbeat of this show.
We’ve also met an incredible array of recent graduates and have offered five ensemble roles to talented individuals for whom this will be one of their first professional roles.
All of which has fed into creating a really special group of people, onstage and off, who will be bringing this magical show to life.”
With music and lyrics by Richard M Sherman and Robert B Sherman, adapted for the stage by Jeremy Sams, and based on the MGM motion picture, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will be directed by Watermill Artistic Director, Paul Hart, who previously directed Jesus Christ Superstar and The Lord of the Rings.
This new production will feature classic songs played live by an ensemble cast, including “Truly Scrumptious”, “Hushabye Mountain” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”.
The creative team will include set and costume designer Katie Lias, musical supervisor and orchestrator Stuart Morley, choreographer Anjali Mehra, puppet designer, maker and director Marc Parrett, lighting designer Jai Morjaria, sound designer Tom Marshall, video designer Daniel Denton, associate director Eva Sampson, associate choreographer Vanessa Vince-Pang, associate musical supervisor George Francis, associate lighting designer and lighting programmer Sam Osborne, associate sound designer Zac Woodman, assistant designer Emily Nelson and assistant musical director Inés Ruiz.
Casting is by Cydney Beech. The stage management team consists of Cat Pewsey as Company Stage Manager, Geoffrey Field as Stage Manager, Alice Barber as Deputy Stage Manager, Fern Bamber as Assistant Stage Manager (Book Cover) and Hanna O’Connor as Assistant Stage Manager (Placement). The Sound No. 1 is Rob Summers, and the Sound No. 2 (Placement) is Daisy Taylor.
Following three consecutive sell-out and critically acclaimed summer musicals — The Lord of the Rings, Barnum, and Jesus Christ Superstar — the last of which is one of the most successful productions in the Watermill’s history and won the prestigious 2025 UK Theatre Award for ‘Best Musical Production’ – the Watermill will once again transform its beautiful theatre and gardens into a spectacular world of music, magic and imagination!
The Watermill Theatre
The Watermill Theatre is a unique producing powerhouse of residential and artistic facilities which provide a crucible for creativity, innovative storytelling, and artistic excellence.
The Watermill’s mission is to make theatre that is surprising, inventive, and exciting and to enable access for everyone.
A hallmark of its work is the artistry of actor-musicianship, in both new writing and reinvigorated classics.
The theatre nurtures and celebrates talent and creativity in its company, community, and in the wider sector and it holds wellbeing, equity, and sustainability at the heart of its culture.
The Watermill Theatre is a small but mighty 200- seat theatre, set in idyllic gardens and nestled on the banks of the river Lambourn in rural West Berkshire, southeast England.
In 2024, the Watermill was awarded the prestigious title of ‘Theatre of the Year’ jointly with the National Theatre.
This award, recognising excellence in British theatre, was bestowed on the Watermill Theatre for its continued ambition as an independent charity, and the success of their 2023 production of The Lord of the Rings.
This multi award-winning production, the Watermill’s most ambitious to date, has subsequently transferred to Chicago, Auckland, and Australia (tour) before it returns to the UK in October 2025.
Reaching far beyond the 200 seats in its auditorium, the Watermill’s productions regularly transfer to the West End or tour the UK and internationally, including Calamity Jane, Spike, Bleak Expectations, Amelie the Musical, Tell Me on a Sunday, and Crazy for You.
With a core belief in the transformative power of the arts, the Watermill Theatre also runs a comprehensive outreach programme, working with children and young people, those from low- income backgrounds, and isolated or displaced communities.
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