The Great British Bake Off Musical receives mixed reviews from critics
The Great British Bake Off Musical has received mixed reviews from critics, following its West End debut at the Noël Coward Theatre.
Following the format of the beloved baking show, the production sees eight amateur bakers compete to impress two judges, who bear striking similarities to Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, and battle to be crowned star bakers.
And while The times gave the show four stars for its ‘witty’ original songs and John Owen-Jones’ ‘delightfully gruff performance’ as Phil Hollinghurst, the evening standard he was not as complimentary in his two-star review.
Chief drama critic Nick Curtis wrote, “This is low-key entertainment for the undemanding, with brainless characters and unremarkable choreography.”
But Jane Moir of the Daily Mail noted how “the curtain on the first night rose to a standing ovation and everyone in the packed theater seemed to absolutely love the show.”
In Action: The Great British Bake Off Musical has received mixed reviews from critics, following its West End debut (John Owen-Jones, center, as Phil Hollinghurst)
Baking Stars: Following the format of the beloved show, the production sees eight amateur bakers compete to impress two judges and work their way up to be crowned star baker.
She wrote: “From the young woman in a purple Mohican to the three generations of the same family before me, the audience represented the immense expanse of Bake Off appeal in one small theater.”
whatsonstage he said the show was a “critic’s dream” and “exudes a sweet smell of surefire” in his four-star review.
The theatrical website wrote: ‘Will Oliviers win? Probably not. But you also probably never want to. Some characters feel thinner than others and the ending isn’t quite as sensational as you’d like, but Bake Off is a guaranteed feel-good night out that achieves everything it sets out to do.’
the independent opted for three stars, vindicating the musical’it’s loads of fun and full of great songs’, while admitting that the score is ‘a bit disappointing when the baking metaphors are forced into a more serious theme’.
The piece read: ‘Contestant Gemma (Charlotte Wakefield) sings about her mother’s death in a song titled “Somewhere in the Dough,” and when Italian Francesca (Cat Sandison) explores her trouble conceiving on “Grow,” it’s through a “bun in the oven metaphor”.
Celebrity chef Paul gave his famous handshake to the actor playing the character based on him after seeing the West End musical last week.
Who is who? Celebrity chef Paul (left) gave his famous handshake to the actor playing the character based on him after seeing the West End musical last week.
Speaking to the BBC, actor John revealed that Paul really enjoyed watching the show, which is based on the TV series that has been running for 13 years, and gave it two Hollywood handshakes.
John said: ‘He gave me two handshakes afterwards and he’s going to bring his mother back. She hadn’t even seen a musical before this.
Elsewhere, he told the publication that he thinks the musical left Paul emotional, claiming he had seen him wiping away a tear as the show came to a close.
John also talked about playing a role based on a real person, admitting it’s been a real challenge playing him.
He said: ‘When you portray someone like that, you have a responsibility.
“We teased and gently tweaked the character to make it funnier and more theatrical, but when they asked me to do it, I thought it’s not me at all, that was until I dyed my hair gray and thought I looked a little like him.” . .’
John, who stars alongside Hadyn Gwynne, who plays Pam Lee, also shared that he was aware of Paul’s feelings and was careful not to offend him, but that the judge is a “very lovely” man.
It comes after Prue was joined by the actress who played her in an earlier musical version of Bake Off at the Everyman Theater in Cheltenham.
Prue was so delighted by the encounter that she immediately removed her earrings and gave them to her doppelgänger as a spontaneous gift.
The 82-year-old chef met Rosie Ashe, 69, at Cheltenham’s Everyman Theater in August.
Prue was full of praise for the Olivier Award-nominated actor, but she was especially flattered by Rosie’s willowy figure. “She told me that she was delighted that I was skinny and could sing and dance like a dream,” Rosie said.
Prue also praised Rosie’s voice, but noted their differences and admitted that she thinks her voice makes her sound like she’s bored.
“She said I caught her essence, including her choice to speak, which she said was more interesting than hers, as she thinks she tends to sound like she’s bored because of the timbre.”
Which she never is, of course. What a fabulous, vibrant woman! Rosie enthused.
“I asked him if I could have his earrings as a joke, then when he left he put them in my hand,” she added.
The innuendo-filled musical is based on a fictional ‘unaired series’ from Bake Off, where the audience follows the contestants and judges but, unlike the TV show, also meets them off-camera.
At the time, the cast expected the musical to make it to the West End, and now it has.
The Great British Bake Off Musical has a limited run of 12 weeks at the Noël Coward Theatre.
Doppelgangers! It comes after Prue (right) was joined by the actress who played her in an earlier musical version of Bake Off at the Everyman Theater in Cheltenham.