Bakers at the ready as this hilarious, heartfelt and joyful musical opens at Stamford Arts Centre!
The Great British Bake Off Musical is a 2022 musical which follows an adaption of the much beloved British new show of the same name. The story follows a group of eight amateur bakers from across the UK, with various backgrounds, as they compete for the title of Star Baker each week and eventually become the overall winner of the series. With a score and lyrics by Pippa Cleary and Jake Brunger, the show balances the drama of the competition whilst giving heart warming moments of human connection. Westwood Musical Society Peterborough are a long running amateur group based in Peterborough who have been performing nearly yearly. Past shows include Made In Dagenham, Annie and White Christmas. For this production, the group are performing at Stamford Corn Exchange: a theatre frequently visited by us at Rhombus Rota. With a strong commitment to bringing shows to life, The Great British Bake Off Musical was bound to be a fantastic production!
Monique Benoiton-Smith directs this production alongside Kyle Ludlow as musical director. The duo have been able to create a musical which sounds fantastic and plays beautifully. The set looks similar to the TV show and is able to utilise moving tables to make each scene feel different. Alongside this, the lighting was well embedded into the show: adding value each time the bakers baked. The live band was able to beautifully play the music for the actors. With such a large amount of musical numbers, they really thrived in delivering strong music!
The ensemble consisted of eight and they were well utilised throughout the show: adding more atmosphere to the bake off tent. I enjoyed each time they came out and each of them embodied the backstage crew character they were given. Ayda Joyce plays Lily, daughter to Ben who is eager for her Dad to take part in the show. Joyce was confident alongside the adults in the show, singing ‘My Dad’ with amazing vocals alongside Knighton. Stephen Gravett plays Phil, one of the judges in the Bake Off. Gravett was able to bring the comedy to his performance, alongside entertaining musical sequences such as ‘Slap It Like That’. Ginny Doyle plays Pam, another judge within in Bake Off. Doyle really embodied her character, adding witty and humorous comments in lots of scenes. Alan Ribakovs plays Jim and Chloe Hunte-Smith plays Kim, the two hosts of the TV show. Ribakovs and Hunte-Smith often shared scenes due to co-hosting and worked really together. They felt like a real hosting couple and were also able to add harmonies to songs. Their roles are incredibly fun and both of their enjoyment is radiating off the stage!
Dezza is played by Graham Chapman. Dezza is an activist who wants to bake using vegan ingredients. Chapman is able to add comedic moments, alongside vocals, to empower the musical numbers. Russell is played by Ian Stancer. Russell is portrayed as a ‘geeky’ man wanting to win the nations heart. Stancer was able to win the audience’s heart by being positive and joyful throughout! Francesca is played by Helen Naylor, an Italian teacher. Naylor gets to sing the most emotional and memorable song in the show ‘Grow’ which is extremely challenging to sing. Naylor was phenomenal is her performance and moved the audience emotionally as well as giving brilliant vocals. Babs is played by Rose O’Brien. Babs is often conflicted with Phil throughout the show and O’Brien is able to capture this side of her character very well. Hassan is played by Adam Farrington. Farrington embraces his character really well on stage, being charismatic throughout. His vocals were also very strong and came across really well! Izzy is played by Becky Jones. Jones gets to sing ‘Obviously’: one of the funniest numbers in the show. Jones brings joyful vocals during this song, whilst also embodying Izzy’s more competitive side. Ben is played by Simon Knighton. Ben is such a caring and lovable character, which Knighton was able to portray perfectly. His duet with Simmons ‘The Perfect Petit Fours’ was brilliant and his vocals throughout were exceptional. Gemma is played by Chloe Simmons. Simmons plays the character as very relatable which is ideal for Gemma. Her two solos ‘Rise’ and ‘Somewhere in the Dough’ were vocally incredible, and showed a real passion behind the performance! She was the heart of this production!
The Great British Bake Off Musical continues to welcome viewers into the tent until Sunday. Book now!
Tickets for this production were provided complimentary. Thank you to Westwood Musical Society Peterborough for the fantastic production and we hope the rest of your run goes well!
Max
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