The Break-a-leg column is proudly sponsored by Counting King
Join Liam Fox and Martin Callaghan as they bring the beloved classic to life on stage, celebrating the timeless magic of Sherman Brothers’ musical mastery. Read more by Ian Cheeseman…
OUR summer holiday 2023 included a drive down the west coast of the USA from San Francisco to Los Angeles, which was beautiful.
As my wife and son and I took in the refreshing sea air and the breath-taking views, we talked. “If you could meet anyone alive, who would you meet?” My son picked Taylor Swift and my wife went for Nick Carter from the Backstreet Boys.
I named Dick Van Dyke. As it turns out, my wife has since met Nick Carter, at a meet and greet I bought her as a surprise, when he was on tour last year.
The chances of my son meeting Taylor Swift seem slim, but unbelievably I nearly met Dick Van Dyke just a few days later.
I’ve always loved Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Van Dyke is brilliant in both Musical classics, though of course he’s done a lot more than just those films.
During our stay in LA we visited the old railway barn of Walt Disney and our guide that day offered us a unique chance to tour the Disney Studios, something you can only do by invitation.
He had an ulterior motive to go there as Richard Sherman, who along with his brother Robert, wrote the music for both those great films, and was celebrating his 94th birthday. Dick Van Dyke was due to be there as a guest.
My head was spinning as we looked around the studios and I burst into tears when Richard Sherman walked out of a building, a few feet in front of me, with the aid of a zimmer frame. I thanked him for the joy his songs had given me and he thanked me for my kind words.
Dick Van Dyke, who will celebrate his 100th birthday, this year, in December, was not feeling well, so didn’t attend. So near and yet so far.
Next month, as I take my seat at Manchester’s Palace Theatre, I’ll be thinking of Dick Van Dyke’s portrayal of Caractacus Potts, as Ore Oduba takes on the role. I can’t wait.
Liam Fox, who played Dan Spencer in Emmerdale for twelve years, will play Grandpa, the role immortalised by Lionel Jeffries in the film. He told me he was honoured to follow in his footsteps, “To play a character like that is just amazing, when we were kids Lionel Jeffries was in loads of stuff and he was always a bit of an icon to me as a kid. To get to follow in his shoes is a bit of a dream for an old Manc, like myself.”
“It’s completely different to the stuff I’ve done before. I’d not done any theatre for a while, after something I did at the Lowry, just before I started Emmerdale, so that would be 12 years ago. TV is what it is, but to do a Musical in front of 2,000 people every night for a year is something special. There is not a single bad egg in our team, cast or crew, it is hard work but it’s just wonderful.
The quality of the songs the Sherman Brothers wrote doesn’t bare comparison to other shows that I’ve seen this year. Every song is just fabulous. I watched a documentary about the brothers and they didn’t get on for a while but they continued to produce such brilliant music.”
Martin Callaghan, who trained at the Abraham Moss Centre in Manchester plays the Baron, “This acting lark is much easier than doing surgery”, he told me. “Chitty is like a pantomime for all the family. I got a line wrong recently, I was supposed to say, “We may not have the kingdom but at least we have each other”, but I said, “we may not have the car but at least we have the kingdom.” I literally carried on with, “No that’s not right”. The audience laughed and to my eternal shame I made a rewinding noise and said the correct line. I got a huge round of applause and laughter. Inside I was mortified, but loved the laughter and applause.”
You can see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at Manchester’s Palace Theatre, March 11-16 and the other Dick Van Dyke/Sherman Brother classic, Mary Poppins, from April 9 to May 17, and of course my interviews with Liam Fox and Martin Callaghan on my weekly radio show, Break-a-Leg.
You must be logged in to post a comment.