A Tayside theatre group has been given movie star endorsement before its production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
The Arbroath Musical Society cast were thrilled to receive well-wishes from Heather Ripley, who played Jemima Potts in the 1968 movie.
She lives in Broughty Ferry after growing up in Dundee.
“Hope it all goes well,” she wrote to the cast.
“Break a leg!”
Arbroath Musical Society President Tracy Gibson said: “The cast were thrilled to read Heather’s well-wishes for the show.
“Most of us didn’t realise the original Jemima is a local girl. As far as Chitty goes, all the preparations for her arrival are being put in place.
“A sub-committee has been formed to deal with her extensive needs and she has also been assigned an exclusive chaperone for the entire week in the theatre.”
The theatre group spent £5,000 to hire the show’s titular car from Milton Keynes. It is travelling 431 miles to take centre stage at the Webster Theatre from Tuesday to September 21.
After structural engineer load testing, additional stage reinforcement has been put in place along with extra insurance policies for the car’s arrival in Arbroath on Sunday.
They now need a full theatre for all six performances to help cover the costs involved and ensure the five-figure gamble will pay off.
“Everyone can’t wait to see Chitty in action,” said Tracy.
“This will be the first time Chitty hits the stage in Arbroath and who knows if she will ever be back?
“It’s taken an awful lot of planning, work, cost and stress to get her here, and I’m not sure another committee would want to put themselves through it a second time.”
A forklift truck is also being hired to get the car off the lorry and they will also have to build a substantial five-metre elevated ramp to get it in the stage door.
Based on the beloved 1968 film version of Ian Fleming’s children’s book, and featuring an unforgettable score by the Sherman Brothers, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a family-friendly blockbuster.
An eccentric inventor, Caractacus Potts sets about restoring an old race car from a scrap heap with the help of his children Jeremy and Jemima.
They soon discover the car has magical properties including the ability to float and take flight.
Trouble descends when the evil Baron Bomburst, ruler of Vulgaria, desires the magic car for himself.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is the second production from Arbroath Musical Society in 2019 following the success of Sweeney Todd in February.
