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'TEAMWORK can make the dream work' was the bold message I came away with, after watching The Rubber Chicken Theatre’s truly scrumptious rendition of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

The company did it again; they managed to put on a show in a week and what a fan-tas-magorical machine of a show it was.

I’ll admit, it got off to a shaky start, as the opening number was both lacking in volume and presence, but it soon picked up and reached full throttle.

The storytelling was fast paced and clear, with the majority of the singers delivering strong, emotive and entertaining musical numbers.

I had forgotten how simple, but moving the words were. And as I looked around an auditorium filled with families, I felt a warm contentment.

We each, young and old, were being reacquainted with the value of family, community, and good old-fashioned love.

Some of the performers were a hoot, with the Vulgarian spies, (Kirsty Morrison and Duncan Glen), keeping us in stitches as they taught us how to act English – well, Scottish.

The Baron and Baroness, (Bob McDevitt and Pamela Mackie), were anything but a chu-chi, woo-chi pair and reminded us that life isn’t always fun and games.

Then there was the child catcher, (Ryan Wilson), whose ominous presence made the hairs on my arms stand up, reawakening my childhood fears of the long-nosed villain and his butterfly net.

Another interesting facet of the show is that it featured around 170 children from the local area. They crowded in and out amongst the different scenes, with their array of costumes and stood there as proud as punch.

They were a treasure to watch – especially for those family members in the audience – and their inclusion was a nod to the enrichment of community theatre.

Finally, I was amazed by the amount of thrilling graphics used, given the small space and the amount of time the company had to work with.

We had smoke, bleak shadows, flashes of lightning, roars of thunder, but most importantly, we had Chitty! I was truly impressed by the iconic, magical car and was cheering as I saw it sprout its wings and fly high, gleaming with its magnificent colours.

All in all, the production was not as sleek as a thoroughbred; but how could it be, with the resources one week can offer?

However, despite their lack of time, it was a marvel and just shows you, with a talent and passion for the arts and a little bit of spunk, we can all experience the Roses of Success.