by Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary
Director Stacey Harris
Well, I think I have now seen everything. I have seen musicals based on books, films, pop songs and the like but I think this is the first time I’ve ever been aware of one that is based on a cookery show!
“The Great British Bake-Off” started of course as a BBC TV show back in 2010, before transferring to Channel 4 in 2017. This is quite a new musical, having been premiered as recently as 2022.
Cards on the table here – in all that time I have never watched a single episode, which on the one hand means I have come in without any pre-conceived ideas but on the other I may have missed some of the nuances that would have been picked up by an aficionado of the show.
We open with a sort of prelude scene which does not really have anything to do with the main plot (there are a couple of songs later which you could say the same about) which involved a group of choirboys and girls around a couple of cavewomen who seemed to be cosplaying as Wilma Flintstone.
Despite the fake eating, which is something that always annoys me, this was a good opener which was well presented.
We then get onto the main plot, and most of the setting for the show is what appears to be a giant kitchen area containing several desktop tables, one for each of the contestants, containing the appropriate props and utensils. Tables were moved around and removed as contestants were eliminated.
Whilst some of the songs seemed irrelevant to the plot (“Bring on the Scone” and “Keep on Keeping on” especially), they were all performed and choreographed superbly.
“The Bake Off Tent” was a very good introduction to all of the characters who each got the opportunity to showcase themselves and to establish themselves with the audience.
There was very good use of the theatre space, as quite often members of the chorus would be walking around the auditorium. Indeed, there was a walkway in in front of my seat and when people kept moving past I had to remind myself these were the cast.
The only issue here though was a props one. One of the chorus walked past and appeared to be reading something off a clipboard. However, as she came past it was clear that there were no papers on this clipboard. Something similar happened during one of the competition scenes where the contestants were handing recipe/instruction sheets but seemed to be given blank pieces of paper.
On both occasions, whilst obviously we are not close enough to read what is actually on them, there needed to be something there.
Another props issue and I have to confess this is a particular bugbear of mine. Whilst I get the reasons why the actual bake-off ingredients were imaginary (and that actually worked) there is a coffee break scene where characters are pouring an empty kettle into an empty cup and (in the absence of any actual coffee) I presume they were all meant to be drinking cups of hot water. Cold water could have been used in the kettle, coffee could have been spooned into the cups and they only need to be filled halfway up, just as long as there’s something there.
We also had Lily showing Ben something on a non-existent phone at one point. I don’t know if she had just forgotten to bring the prop on (I’ve done that myself in the past!) or whether that was a directoral choice but it just looked odd,
Whilst this show is somewhat playing homage to the TV show, the heart of it is of course the love story between Gemma from Blackpool (excellent voice) and Ben, supposedly from Bristol (to be fair I’d rather have no accent than a bad one!) These were excellently played by Macy O’Donoghue and Thomas Bastable respectively, having a very good rapport with each other and bringing alive two very believable characters. They also gave us a very strong duet on “The Perfect Petit Fours”.
We got some good comedy from Izzy Hale as Babs (renegade from “East Enders”) and Nancy Minaker as Izzy (ditto from “Made in Chelsea”). We also got a strong singing performance from each of these ladies, Nancy’s rendition of “Obviously” and Izzy’s of “Babs’s Lament” both being highlights. Eva Myers’s role as Ben’s daughter Lily gave us a lot of charm,
We had a superb double act of Casey Michaela and Grace Glover as the show hosts Kim and Jim (a sort of northern version of Mel and Sue). Both were clearly having a lot of fun with the roles and this enthusiasm was very much enjoyed by the audience.
Nathan Thevar-Ward gave us a lot of heart with his portrayal of Hassan with Taylor Simner giving us a tremendously over the top rendition as Russell. They got some solid support from Makena Straker-Sharpe and Charlie McRobert as fellow contestants Francesca and Dezza.
And then there’s the judges – Pam and Phil, played by Molly Bastable and Max Thompson, was another excellent comedy double act. I presume any similarity to actual Bake Off judges was purely coincidental!
Backing everyone up was a superb ensemble chorus that fully played its part in ensuring that the production ran smoothly and gave the audience a very enjoyable evening.
I am always blown away by the sheer level of youth talent that we have in our area which bodes well for the future of amateur theatre. I am also (very) jealous of the energy levels on display.
Overall, this was a superbly entertaining evening, even for some who’s knowledge of the source material is somewhat lacking. A big congratulations to director Stacey Harris and her team.
Reviewed by – David G.
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