Adelaide gal Ashleigh Hauschild returns home a professional in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

For Ashleigh Hauschild this week’s Adelaide opening of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will be a truly scrumptious experience. Having made her professional debut in the acclaimed musical, Hauschild has returned to her home town for the production’s month-long season.

Hauschild was most recently seen on the Adelaide stage as the lead in Spring Awakening, a role that had audiences talking. As with many of South Australia’s finest, she soon made the move interstate to pursue her musical theatre ambitions.

“The standard in Adelaide is actually really great, It’s just that there are more opportunities interstate. After studying at APO Arts Academy, I did a few auditions. They were really scary, but I enjoyed the process.”

It’s certainly a long way from the amateur Adelaide stage, where Hauschild spent much of her childhood. Despite the demanding nature of a career in the theatre industry, she is just as passionate as when she started out at Charles Campbell College. In fact, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang actually presents the first professional opportunity for many of the young supporting cast members. Thirty-odd Adelaide youngsters are joining the cast during the season including Finnegan Green and Piper Horner in the roles of Jeremy and Jemima Potts.

The production is a great experience for those who are just starting out in the industry, as it features an entourage of seasoned performers.

“David Hobson and Rachael Beck have been so lovely. They’re amazing performers and really great with the young kids in the show, and they don’t mind coming out and having a few drinks with us” said Hauschild.

[pull_left]David Hobson and Rachael Beck have been so lovely. They’re amazing performers and really great with the young kids in the show[/pull_left]

Despite their years of experience, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has presented challenges even for its main stars. For Hobson, the transition from opera to music theatre brings with it new skills like dancing, and Beck jokingly admits that it’s hard being upstaged by “the comedians, the flying car and the opera divas”.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a good old fashioned family musical. Beyond the singing and dancing is a traditional good versus evil plot and messages of morality, etiquette and character. As Hobson explains, “it’s a show that will appeal to all. It has a story and themes that are just as relevant, if not more so, in today’s society.”

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Adelaide

28 April to 26 May 2013

Venue:
Festival Theatre

Times:
Tue 6.30pm
Wed–Fri 7.30pm
Sat 2pm & 7.30pm
Sun 1pm & 6.30pm

Bookings: Bass online or phone 131 246