CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG
DES MOINES PLAYHOUSE, DES MOINES IA
DIRECTED BY JOHN VIARS
SCENIC DESIGN: ANDY NICE
COSTUME DESIGN: ANGIE LAMPE
LIGHTING DESIGN: VIRGIL KLEINHESSELINK
CAR DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED IN CHICAGO.
"When an old show succeeds, it’s often got a new look. Trying out a fresh set designer, in fact, may be the best move the Playhouse made. For “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” Andrea Nice, based in New York, has dreamed up strange amalgamations that take you straight to the heart of things.
At times, the set’s rainbow-striped tubes and dirty gray girders, speckled with players in blinky-bright costumes by Angela Lampe, suggest a candy shop in an old garage. The same spirit infuses the car itself, with its polished wood paneling and flaring maroon and gold wings (assembled in Chicago and trucked to town). Overall, the look’s just right — ungainly, yet delightful"
-Des Moines City View
"Their scene in the Scrumptious family’s candy factory, when Potts is pitching his “toot sweets” candy whistles, would make Willy Wonka proud. (Wonka creator Roald Dahl co-wrote the “Chitty” movie.) Here, the big painted tubes of the factory (by New York scenic designer Andrea Nice, in her Playhouse debut), bright lights (Virgil Kleinhesselink) and candy-striped costumes (Angela Lampe) create the sort of visual spectacle which the Playhouse does best."
The Des Moines Register