THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF

What a delightful musical – well-directed and executed, enthusiasm and attention to detail from a strong cast.  Thought given to continuing background action too.

I loved the fact that the set was designed and built by the cast, right down to the mixers and props, it was colourful, but not over bright, filled the stage without making it look over-crowded, and was easily moveable – a triumph.

Costumes were relevant for each character, again colourful, but nicely worn and fresh looking.

Musically very good – a mostly experienced cast had obviously reacted well to the MD and Director’s requirements, some lovely harmonies that mostly hit the mark, and very expressive moments of humour and pathos.  It was lovely to see a mix of experienced and younger players in the band, who created a really good sound.  The choreography requirement was small, but everything fitted in well with the general feel of the piece and was well-accomplished.

I felt there were times when the lighting could have been a little brighter, as sometimes faces were not terribly clear – and with so much fun and emotion going on we needed the affirmation of actually seeing the faces of the cast.  Sound was rather hit and miss, I thought that at times the band was too loud, balance needed adjusting between band and stage.

Iain Morrison (Phil Hollinghurst) and Bryony Reynolds (Pam Lee) created the iconic judges with a slight nod to the originals as we would expect to see, but also putting a lot of themselves into the parts.  I really enjoyed Keep On Keeping On, very well-performed, full-on number from Pam, and good ensemble integration, with Slap It Like That being a good number from Phil, lots of innuendo, but very well done.

The interaction between Marc Rolfe (Ben) and Elodie Ramsey (his daughter Lily) was so good, very impressed with Elodie, and loved their duet – very touching.  Katie Barton-Rolfe (Gemma) as the slightly insecure young lady who came within the sphere of Ben and Lily was nicely played, and again you could feel the empathy between the three of them.  A very good trio.

Indy Hills (Hassan) really showed how much he has grown in terms of performance and confidence, with Jo Wells (Francesca) giving a sympathetic portrayal, as the more motherly figure.  Luke Murphy (Dezza) gave us the committed vegan baker with aplomb, whilst Richard Alexander (Russell) was delightfully camp – two nicely perceived diverse characters within the group.

Emily Albert (Izzy) had the chance to create a sly self-confident ‘little madam’, which was so well achieved, really enjoyed her performance.

Tracey Barton (Babs) was great – very full-on in her adoration of Phil, and a super rendition of Babs’ Lament, which was excellent – both in expression and musicality.

The presenting duo of Ben Jaggers (Jim) and Mel Ramsey (Kim) showed a real empathy with each other and the contestants – very well done.

Emma Gormley (Floor Manager), Katie Osborne (Production Assistant) and Stacey Peck (Technician) completed the cast in very necessary but background roles, which they accomplished well.

All in all an excellent evening’s entertainment, which St Andrew’s Players can be rightly proud of.  It was lovely to see so many long-time supporters of the Society in the audience, plus family and others.  We all had a very enjoyable evening.

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