The Great British Bake Off (GBBO) has captured the hearts of many viewers across the globe with the tension of soggy bottoms, cakes melting on the hottest day of the year and heartwarming friendships formed throughout the series. I was intrigued by the concept of taking a baking contest and turning it into a west-end musical. I admit I was a sceptic when walking into the theatre, but was pleasantly surprised at how the cast brought the energy and enthusiasm of GBBO to the stage. As an amateur baker, I enjoy anything sweet treat related and any opportunity to become immersed in the fun of baking. The Great British Bake Off Musical, directed by Rachel Kavanaugh has set up their tent at the Noel Coward Theatre in London. Does this production live up to the hype? Can a baking contest turn up the heat in London’s west-end?
The Noel Coward Theatre is a small west-end theatre with a seating capacity of 942, which makes it perfect for touring productions. The audience has an intimate and immersive experience. When booking tickets there is always the dilemma of where is the best seat. Will I be able to experience the magic of the theatre with a restricted view? I face this same predicament every time I book a theatre show or concert and always use sites that show ‘view from my seat’ images to help me decide. On this occasion, I was limited to the number of seats available as the GBBO musical is showing for a limited run until the 13 May 2023. I sat in the Royal Circle, Row H in seat 7. This view was perfect, albeit a little cramped, and could see all the action on stage. See the image below for the great view!
On your marks, get set, REVIEW…
The essence of GBBO was instantly captured in the opening scene emulating the familiar comedy sketches that introduce the GBBO show on TV. The presenters Kim (Zoe Birkett) and Jim (Scott Paige) are cave people who accidentally make a cake and that’s how cake and baking is born – this set the tone for the rest of the show. A silly, fun and energetic performance. At first it is confusing, but quickly transitions to the familiar ‘welcome to the Great British Bake Off…’ sequence. I enjoyed the meet the bakers and incorporated a good sense of pace to introduce the personality and characterisation of the bakers, from a vegan baker, student and retired dinner lady. This matches the eclectic and diverse mix of people who enter the competition every year.
Pam Lee (Hadyn Gwynne) and Phil Hollinghurst (John Owen-Jones) character dynamics were entertaining and carried the humour throughout the show by bouncing off each other. In the same way Babs (Claire Moore) was a standout character with her humorous quips and light-relief after some of the heavier and darker numbers of infertility and loneliness.
An element that I was uncomfortable with and was not expecting was Francesca’s (Cat Sandison) storyline of infertility and the heartache of unsuccessful IVF treatment. I understood that this song ‘Grow’ symbolised why her character began baking as she could control and create through baking. However, I think a trigger warning would have been appropriate as there may have been audience members who have struggled with this topic. Nonetheless, I liked Francesca’s character and how she encouraged her fellow bakers, in particular Gemma and Hussan.
Another darker theme, in my opinion, the audience was not pre-warned about was the theme of loss of a loved one. Both Gemma (Charlotte Wakefield) and Ben (Damian Humbley) are characters that have lost loved ones – Gemma and her mother; Ben and his wife. While I appreciated the storyline of Gemma and Ben finding their life’s purpose again through baking and the tent, I did feel there were points where the emotional element was unnecessarily drawn out, especially with memories of the COVID-19 pandemic still recent in many people’s minds it is a sensitive subject. Similarly, I felt uncomfortable with the line said by Gemma saying that she was a carer made redundant because her mother had passed away. I thought this was a dark and inappropriate line in the show. On a happier note, the two characters develop a romantic relationship suggesting that one can find happiness and light after trauma, which I think is the premise of the production – GBBO is about friendship and community rather than the competition. Baking and food brings people together.
A criticism that I do have is that there were many storylines playing out without a harmony or cohesion to draw each plot to a conclusion. For example, Bab’s flirtation with Phil throughout the competition could have been made more obvious and is only brought to the forefront in the second act with Bab’s Lament ‘Babs’ which was amusing and entertaining. Similarly, Izzy’s (Grace Mouat) portrayal as the show’s villain was weak and subtle, yes she did place Hussan’s lucky t-shirt in the marmite on stage to show her devious plans and apparently swapped Gemma and Russel’s ice cream off-stage, but this was subtle and did not add enough drama. I enjoyed Izzy’s Machiavellian characterisation that is heightened through Izzy’s number ‘Obviously’, but I wanted more. I thought her character was interesting and had a lot of potential.
Star baker is…
Overall, I enjoyed this production and thought it had many humorous elements like Pam and Phil dressed as scones and battling. The dynamic of these two characters were standouts. I was entertained by the behind-the-scenes of GBBO with the back stage of the tent, hotel and the late-night practising bakes as an additional element to the story and emphasising that it is not just about the competition. I am aware that the baking competition was secondary to the plot of friendship and community, I was a little disappointed that the winner of the GBBO contest was not announced despite the final three emphasised as Hussan, Gemma and Ben. Gemma informs the audience that we will have to watch the final on TV suggesting, as the audience, we are watching the full production of the GBBO TV show with the back stage drama on full display without the editing of TV magic. Furthermore, I would have liked more cakes toppling over or the tension that we always experience in the showstoppers to add another layer of entertainment. The sets were well executed, despite the small stage, and really emulated the iconic white tent of GBBO with the colourful bunting, stand mixers and layout.
In conclusion, this is a funny, entertaining and fun production to experience, despite having darker themes that could be disturbing for some viewers. I think with a few tweaks to the storyline and tightening the different plots, this would an excellent adaption of the well-loved and popular baking show. This production captures the energy and appeal of the GBBO with much more singing and dancing.
Will you be visiting the bake off tent? Let Amy know in the comments what you loved, hated or laughed out loud from the performance – For information on the performance and tickets click here.
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