During the final three weeks of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang's Broadway run, the role of heroine Truly Scrumptious will be played in rotation by Julie Barnes and Julie Tolivar. The lavish family-friendly musical will sputter to a close on December 31st.
Barnes and Tolivar will go on for Erin Dilly (The Boys from Syracuse, Into the Woods, Follies). The star, who received a Tony Award nomination for her work in the musical, is leaving the show due to pregnancy.The show, which
began previews on Sunday, March 27th and opened at the Hilton Theatre on Thursday, April
28th, concerns the efforts of eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts and
his friends to foil the evil, children-hating Baron and Baroness
Bomburst, who have kidnapped his amazing flying car. At closing, the musical will have played 34 previews and 285 regular performances.Adapted by Jeremy
Sams from the novel by Ian Fleming and the film that followed, the
musical boasts a score by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is directed by Adrian Noble, with musical staging by Gillian Lynne. The show also features Jan Maxwell (who won a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical) as Baroness Bomburst, Raúl Esparza as Caractacus Potts, Philip Bosco as Grandpa Potts, Marc Kudisch as Baron Bomburst, as well as Chip Zien as Goran, Robert Sella as Boris, and Kevin Cahoon as the Childcatcher. The show has another dazzling, high-tech star--the car of the title, which really does fly.
Produced
on Broadway by Dana Broccoli, Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson,
Frederick Zollo, Nicholas Paleologos, Jeffrey Sine, Harvey Weinstein,
East of Doheny Theatricals and Michael Rose Limited, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang features sets and costumes by Anthony Ward,
lighting by Mark Henderson and sound design by Andrew Bruce, with
orchestrations and dance arrangements by Chris Walker, and musical
direction and supervision by Robert Scott.
Tickets, which range from $20-$100,
are available through Ticketmaster.com, (212) 307-4100 or (800) 755-4000.