He will now play the cherubic-looking inventor of the famous flying car through July 19. Michael Ball shot to fame in the 1980's in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Aspects of Love and has been a popular musical star ever since as well as a sell-out concert performer. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has music and lyrics by the Sherman Brothers and has been nominated for three Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical. It has been adapted for the stage by Jeremy Sams, designed by Anthony Ward and choreographed by Gillian Lynne.
The show's director is Adrian Noble, the outgoing head of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and its success provided him with a much-needed boost last year.