The Great British Bake Off Musical

Few television programmes have inspired as much affection as 'Bake Off', and although it may not seem the most obvious choice for a musical adaptation, with its trademark warmth, gentle humour and uplifting spirit, The Great British Bake
Off: The Musical rose to the challenge, with TAODS serving up a delightful blend of catchy songs, engaging characters and plenty of theatrical charm.
The show cleverly intertwines music from the television show with some strong original songs in a format which would be very familiar to lovers of the programme, with the pre-credits skits from the presenters, the horrors of the technical challenge
and even a showstopper about the showstopper!
The setting of the famous Bake-Off Tent was visually outstanding with the work of the set and props teams being of the highest standard, not only capturing the look of the tv show but creating a flexible space which could be quickly adapted to other
locations, with the switch to Blackpool being particularly well done. The multitude of cakes, biscuits and working props in use was phenomenal – many congratulations to the props and stage teams.
The transition of the various settings was managed beautifully by the ensemble as well as keeping the show moving, they were always acting - whether in the background, moving a workstation or ministering to one of the presenters needs.
Wherever you looked each ensemble member was giving a characterful performance whilst never pulling focus, this made the stage constantly interesting and added significantly to the overall feel of the show. The ensemble also added a
lot to the musical numbers, particularly the choral elements of the singing where strong harmonies created a beautifully rich sound – this was a very hard-working team!

Some fantastic comedy double acts have presented Bake-Off and in the fictional Kat and Kim we had a great team in Natalie Knox and Rosie Hodson - a really believable partnership with great vocals and comedy timing. As Judges Phil and
Pam, Rhys Roberts and Theresa Hamlin were another excellent team managing to give more than a passing resemblance to their on-screen counterparts whilst delivering some fabulously saucy one liners.

The eight Bake-Off contestants all had their distinct personalities and all had their memorable moments. Lisa Parker shone as feisty cockney gran Babs, on the look-out for husband number four; Leon Mckenna as snappily dressed Russell and
Gina Davidson as evangelical vegan Dezza were watchable and delivered their characters with style. Abigayle Rogers was excellent as Izzy, a good vocal with a really well-defined character as the antagonist influencer. Alfie Whitham was a
wise beyond his years Hassan and demonstrated some great rap skills. Ren Nightingale as widower Ben had a great tenor vocal and his scenes and songs with daughter Lily, an outstanding, assured performance from the very talented Charlotte Rostron, were a highlight.
Another highlight for me was the performance of Alexandra Townend as Francesca. Alexandra created a warm and detailed character and her solo number showed a truly impressive vocal but was also beautifully acted.
At our performance Laura Wilkinson who played Gemma was unwell and although she was able to act her role she was unable to sing. I cannot imagine how disappointing this was for Gemma and she still delivered a strongly acted and
engaging performance in the central role. Three different actors covered her solo singing whilst Gemma mimed. I commend the production team for their handling of this and I congratulate all four performers on their team-work.
Artistic Director Rachel Rogers, Musical Director – Helen Clarkson and Emma Cook – Choreographer delivered a funny, at times poignant and always entertaining show. Congratulations.

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