Review by Paul Towers, 13/10/26
The Great British Bake Off Musical book &
lyrics by Jake Brunger, music & lyrics by Pippa Cleary
Directed by Vaughan Barton-Ashcroft
Produced by Leicester Amateur Operatic
Society
At The Little Theatre til Saturday 11th
October 2026
What better way to escape the darker autumnal
nights than a visit to the Bake Off tent at Leicester’s Little Theatre.
The story follows eight amateur bakers competing to
impress the judges, Phil Hollinghurst (Steve Elliott) and Pam Lee (Karen
Gordon), who are affectionate parodies of Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith. They
have to be parodies because, unlike the originals, they have a relationship
away from the tent. The hosts of the fictitious show are Jim (Martin Green) and
Kim (Charlotte Brown), all shiny outfits and cheesy quips.
The set is basically the various workstations
that the bakers work on. They move around to accommodate the dance routines choreographed
by Hollie Carrington.
Each of the contestants get their moment in
the spotlight, some for longer than others. Gemma (Tasha Plummer) has the best
story arc as she goes from insecure singleton to assured baker with a new love.
The object of her affections, Ben (Russell Carrington) is a widower with a 6
year old daughter Lily (Amelie Vickers on Press Night). Alongside them is Izzy
(Kyla Burton), an entitled brat, and Babs (Karen Hamilton). The baby of the competition
is Hassan (Arlen Panesar) a naturalised Syrian wearing his lucky shirt,
Francesca (Sarah Barton-Wales), Russell (Tom Mottram) the sole gay baker and
has a spectacular moustache. Dezza (Dan Brewer) is the first to be voted off
but continues to butt in and get hopes to get invited back on. There is also an
ensemble of 11 who play various roles including the TV crew.
Musical director has done a fine job
schooling the cast in a sometimes challenging score while a live band of 6 is hidden
behind the set .
While most of the songs are instantly forgettable
there are a couple that stand out. Pam & Phil singing I’d Never Be Me
Without You has a pleasing old Broadway feel about it. Grow, sung by Francesca
about her inability to conceive, is very like a similar song in Waitress and is
equally heartrending.
If you want a warm and comforting evening of
musical theatre you won’t go wrong with a visit to the Bake Off tent.
https://www.leicesteramateurs.com/
https://thelittletheatre.co.uk/
https://ptheatre.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment