The Watermill Theatre has announced full casting for its upcoming production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, opening on Tuesday 26 May and running until Sunday 13 September 2026.
The new production is directed by Watermill Artistic Director Paul Hart and follows the theatre’s recent run of large-scale, critically acclaimed summer musicals.
Christian Edwards will star as Caractacus Potts, with Lydia Louise making her professional debut as Truly Scrumptious.
Mark Curry will play Grandpa Potts, while Susannah van den Berg takes on the role of the Childcatcher.
Samuel Morgan-Grahame will appear as Baron Bomburst, with Mairi Ikegami as Baroness Bomburst.
Sam Pay will play Boris and Lord Scrumptious, Alexander Zane will appear as Goran and onstage musical director, and Reuben Greeph plays the Toymaker and onstage deputy musical director.
Theo Diedrick will appear as Coggins, with the ensemble featuring Tasha Chu, Sameer Dhanjee, Georgie Hales, Javai James, Maya Khatri Chhetri and Josh Rosewood.
The roles of Jeremy and Jemima will be shared by multiple young performers, alongside a large children’s company appearing as the Children of Vulgaria.
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!”
He added “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, the musical is based on the MGM motion picture.
The creative team includes set and costume designer Katie Lias, musical supervisor and orchestrator Stuart Morley, choreographer Anjali Mehra, puppet designer and director Marc Parrett, lighting designer Jai Morjaria, sound designer Tom Marshall and video designer Daniel Denton.
The production follows the Watermill’s recent successes including The Lord of the Rings, Barnum and Jesus Christ Superstar, the latter winning the 2025 UK Theatre Award for Best Musical Production.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is recommended for audiences aged five and over, with a press night scheduled for Thursday 4 June at 7pm.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
