Paul Hart and Claire Murray on summer musical and future plans for WATERMILL THEATRE
Photo credit: Nick Wayne
The Watermill Theatre in Newbury announced this week that its next summer musical in 2026 will be Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in a version "unlike anything seen before", running from 26 May - 13 September. The wonderful musical, with music and lyrics by Richard M Sherman and Robert B Sherman, has become a famous show adapted for the stage by Jeremy Sams and in previous productions has featured the famous old car flying out over the heads of the audiences in two classic moments. So, the challenge is how will they achieve that effect at the delightful intimate two hundred seat theatre. Besties, we chatted to the Watermill’s Artistic Director Paul Hart, who will direct the show, and co-Chief Executive Claire Murray about how they will approach this challenge and the way the venue has adapted since losing its Arts Council National Portfolio status in November 2022.
The loss of the approximately £450,000 of annual funding associated with that status was a large gap to fill but the team responded quickly to the challenge and with the support of key trusts and foundations such as Greenham and Backstage Trust, their local audiences and partners, and some bold programming decisions, they have come through the initial period strongly with an enhanced reputation. Key to the transition has been the summer musicals staged with a wonderful cast of actor-musicians which have run for 10-13 weeks each summer using the grounds and the auditorium to stage the shows.
In 2023, they reimagined the epic tale of The Lord of the Rings, transforming their site into the The Shire in a version that told the story through the eyes of the hobbits. This production has subsequently been restaged in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. In 2024, they staged Barnum, using the grounds again, this time before and during the show and their actor-musician version will tour the UK in 2026. This year, they staged Jesus Christ Superstar, winning Best Musical at the UK Theatre Awards with the brilliant opening to Act Two staged in the grounds as the Garden of Gethsemane. Both Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber watched the show and complimented the team on the quality of the production. These shows delivered capacity audiences, selling out before the end of the runs each year. This success has underpinned the financial stability of the post NPO years and has allowed the venue to continue to support its outreach and education work, and take risks with new plays and adaptations including The Autobiography of a Cad, Three Hens in a Boat, and Rob Madge’s reinvention of Charlie’s Aunt. However, without the certainty of NPO annual funding, each new programming year requires a carefully judged balance of commercial product and new works that support the charity’s ethos. It is a tricky tightrope to cross each season but so far, like PT Barnum, they have managed to cross that stage successfully each year.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang represents another exciting challenge for the creative team which will include set and costume designer Katie Lias (who won Best Costume Design at this year’s UK Pantomime Awards for her work at Salisbury Playhouse), with returning musical supervisor and orchestrator Stuart Morley and choreographer Anjali Mehra, plus puppet designer, maker and director Marc Parrett, and lighting designer Jai Morjaria supporting director Paul Hart. This much-loved musical will be brought to life by a company of sixteen with the addition of twenty-six local children and a whole heap of theatre magic.
Hart said: “We are beyond thrilled to announce we will be staging one of the greatest pieces of musical theatre ever made in a version unlike anything seen before. We’ll be giving audiences the opportunity to step inside the creative mind of Caractacus Potts who sets out to do the impossible and create a flying car for his beloved children. How the hell are we going to do that at the Watermill? All will be revealed…”
The challenge of balancing the books and raising the additional funding needed to support the breadth of work, as well as these big musical productions, is led by Executive Director Claire Murray who added: “The summer musical is the linchpin of our year. From The Lord of The Rings to Barnum and Jesus Christ Superstar, we’ve seen audiences grow and diversify over the last three years, and we can’t wait for every generation to see this much-loved classic in a new version for 2026. Transforming our site and placing actor-musicianship at the heart of the show, audiences can expect a truly scrumptious experience full of imagination and pure joy."
Murray, who previously worked at Sheffield Theatres, has this week launched the first Watermill Production Circle to support the production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by giving donors the chance to see the production process first hand. Those donating to the production will be invited to become immersed in the process for this ambitious undertaking. Members of the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Production Circle will hear about the vision for the show from Paul Hart, gain insights into the creative process including orchestrating for actor-musicians, choreographing the classics afresh, animating the puppet characters and exploring the ‘mechanics’ of the magical car. Aside from the workshop on the car, one of the highlights will be Wandleprobe as the rehearsals conclude and they can hear those brilliant songs like ‘Hushabye Mountain’, ‘Me ‘ol Bamboo’, ‘Truly Scrumptious’, ‘Posh’, and of course the title song played by the ensemble musicians. If you would like to join the Production Circle, you can contact Claire on: clairem@watermill.org.uk.
Claire said: “We are very excited by this next adventure, building on the success of the last few years. We need the support of our audiences, members, trusts and sponsors every year if we are to continue to break down barriers and ensure that as a two-hundred-seater, we can continue to serve our community and create great work on our stage. We are determined to continue to set standards that excite our audiences and go on to take the Watermill name to around the UK and we hope around the world!”
Tickets for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang go on general sale on 8 January, with further info here.