Great British Bake Off - Cheltenham Everyman / Noel Coward

[mkb]

Undemanding is a very apt word. I used it myself before self-censoring. I thought of all the other lowbrow, undemanding stuff I've had a ball at, and thought that can't be the reason I didn't enjoy this musical. I think it was solely because I had no interest in or connection with the cookery programme, and the romance sub-plot is executed no differently from a hundred better dramas that have gone before.

[Dawnstar]

Oh yes, it's not at all novel & it's never going to win any awards, unless they decide to have an Olivier for Best Prop Baked Items! I'm not into cookery programmes, or indeed cookery, either. Maybe I enjoyed it partly because it was the first time I've seen Damian Humbley for several years & he's been one of my favourite MT leading men since I first saw him in Lend Me A Tenor a dozen years ago. I was certainly foxused on his character in the group scenes & therefore perhaps experienced the piece slightly differently to anyone who had no particular interest in any of the actors & who focused on all the characters equally.

ETA I see there's a poll for this but I'm not sure what rating to go for. I feel the show itself is only 3 star but the some of the performances were 4 star.

[anita]

Just had a reply from them. - I asked if there was going to be an actual CD . Answer: No . Download only.

[adamkinsey]

Undemanding, perfectly enjoyable show. When it was announced I spoke to a friend at the Everyman and said "I assume it will be like A Chorus Line, each baker telling their story in a song". I thought it was a perfectly good show in Cheltenham with luxury casting of JOJ and Ashe who were both excellent. The show itself felt like a decent show for touring but not for troubling the West End and I'm surprised to see it there.

[Someone in a tree]

The writing is one big soggy bottom. The cast are good though but as an evening out its a meh from me.

[FrontroverPaul]

Mar 15, 2023 12:50:10 GMT adamkinsey said:

Undemanding, perfectly enjoyable show. When it was announced I spoke to a friend at the Everyman and said "I assume it will be like A Chorus Line, each baker telling their story in a song". I thought it was a perfectly good show in Cheltenham with luxury casting of JOJ and Ashe who were both excellent. The show itself felt like a decent show for touring but not for troubling the West End and I'm surprised to see it there.

What's so special about the West End that some shows supposedly don't belong there ?  Surely there will always be a place for undemanding lighthearted entertaining musicals, just as for comedy plays like Noises Off and  The Play That Goes Wrong.

With Only Fools and Horses ending soon after a pretty successful run I can see Bake Off musical capturing some of its market. I saw that five times and have seen Bake Off three already. I'm into double figures seeing both Mamma Mia and Jersey Boys.  It is show business after all and to get the maximum number of people to spend their money to see a show there needs to be a wide range of choice.

[adamkinsey]

Mar 16, 2023 10:23:38 GMT FrontroverPaul said:

Mar 15, 2023 12:50:10 GMT adamkinsey said:

Undemanding, perfectly enjoyable show. When it was announced I spoke to a friend at the Everyman and said "I assume it will be like A Chorus Line, each baker telling their story in a song". I thought it was a perfectly good show in Cheltenham with luxury casting of JOJ and Ashe who were both excellent. The show itself felt like a decent show for touring but not for troubling the West End and I'm surprised to see it there.

What's so special about the West End that some shows supposedly don't belong there ?  Surely there will always be a place for undemanding lighthearted entertaining musicals, just as for comedy plays like Noises Off and  The Play That Goes Wrong.

With Only Fools and Horses ending soon after a pretty successful run I can see Bake Off musical capturing some of its market. I saw that five times and have seen Bake Off three already. I'm into double figures seeing both Mamma Mia and Jersey Boys.  It is show business after all and to get the maximum number of people to spend their money to see a show there needs to be a wide range of choice.



In the sense that when I saw it in Cheltenham I felt it was OK, would probably do 80-90+% capacity in most regional touring venues for a week's run (it's very cheap as a production technically and visually) but I didn't see it as the sort of show that would have people travelling to London to pay West End prices for for any length of time. It's not a snobbish comment but a financial one. Bake Off doesn't have the broad (or huge) audience of Only Fools & Horses as a TV show and I can't imagine people going to see it repeatedly as with many other shows (although obviously you have already seen it 3 times in a very short space of time). I'm glad I saw it (especially with Ashe) and it was enjoyable but I wouldn't want to see it again.

[bobbievanhusen]

The show had a make over for the West End, apparently the staging got bigger, some new set pieces, bigger lighting and new projections, a new song for Pam. It seems a great fit for the Noel Coward.

[theatregoer22]

TodayTix currently has this on 24 hour offer (with tickets from £15).

[bwayboy22]

Mar 17, 2023 18:30:12 GMT theatregoer22 said:

TodayTix currently has this on 24 hour offer (with tickets from £15).

Thanks! Managed to snag a good seat in the dress circle for £35 instead of £60.

[Deleted]

Had a lot of fun seeing this today.

I’m guessing one of the lamp posts in the Blackpool scene is not supposed to start toppling over towards the stage when the scenery retracts? Looked like someone backstage with quick reactions had to grab it…

[showgirl]

I was also at yesterday's matinee which I really enjoyed (as did everyone else, it seemed) and this despite never having seen the tv version. Although I checked for offers, I was hobbled by the usual restriction common to all websites of being unable to book a single ticket if that would leave another and in any case, booking directly with Delfont Mackintosh offered the best price and with no fees added. I still had to ring the Box Office for someone temporarily to take the "spare" seat off sale but then secured a dress circle ticket for £25 and as close to the aisle as possible. All the 3rd party booking sites would have charged more for the ticket itself (had I been able to book with any of them) and would have added a fee on top.

The show itself was exactly what I hoped for and as comments and reviews had suggested: an entertaining escape from real life with a great script and cast and an excellent ensemble production with a little of everything: humour, pathos, drama and the stock happy ending, even though the latter didn't tie up all the loose ends as neatly as normal. Ideal fare for a grey, wet day whether you go alone or with family or friends and well worth seeing. Plus I found all the Noel Coward Theatre staff very helpful, pleasant and vigilant - though fortunately this wasn't the type of show or audience which needed any intervention during the performance.

[ArbitraryGibberish]

Saw this today for a second time and I really love it. I feel like the “why does this exist” shows often end up being the most endearing. It’s just light fun, but that’s kind of the point, it’s not trying to take itself too seriously. I actually really like the music and it’s all performed really well. I wouldn’t want to only ever see this kind of show, but a joyful and funny musical with a little bit of heart is really great sometime, and this fulfills that purpose perfectly.

[mrbarnaby]

Mar 16, 2023 9:14:31 GMT Someone in a tree said:

The writing is one big soggy bottom. The cast are good though but as an evening out its a meh from me.

It’s a witless mess of a show.

Lacklustre songs and groan worthy humour. The poor cast, trying their hardest to sell it.

[james1969]

Saw the show on Friday night with my fiancé and we both really enjoyed it.

Hope it gets a tour so my friends can see it locally

[fiyerorocher]

Got an email several hours ago upgrading me from the balcony to the middle of the stalls. Never had that before! Upgraded at the theatre, certainly, but never in advance. Fine with me but potentially not great for anyone who may have booked a seat for a specific reason e.g. needing to be on an aisle. Obviously the show isn't selling out.

This show is not my cup of tea at all but I can see why people like it. It's largely inoffensive and hits on a lot of popular moments from the TV show. The child playing Lily absolutely knocked it out of the park.

I had two nightmare groups either side of me. One set of girls were fine until the interval when they obviously had more to drink and chatted tipsily through act two. The other side was a couple who could not keep their hands or their lips to themselves. Didn't even stop to applaud once! Just stay at home!

[Boob]

I was there on Monday night and every level was open, stalls and dress circle seemed pretty full.

I really enjoyed the show.

[anthony40]

Look, it's never gonna reach the heights of success that Les Miserables or The Phantom of the Opera ever did but I think this will ride the wave and survive the negative criticism thrown at it.

[jamb0r]

When Bake Off is on telly I use it as an excuse to go and see my parents every week and watch it with them. I’ve taken them to be in the audience of the taping of An Extra Slice in the past and I knew I had to take them to see this.

We all LOVED it. My hopes were high based on some comments here but it was so much better than I was expecting. I fell in love with every character and presume everyone else did too as there was an audible cry of sadness from the entire audience every time someone was ‘sent home’. I was really just expecting a silly night at the theatre, but it was so much more than that.

Been listening to the few songs they’ve released from the cast recording so far on a loop and adore every one, and still find myself getting teary listening to ‘Grow’ and ‘My Dad’.

Already booked to go back again and take some more family members.

[Rory]

I could see this transferring to the Haymarket or somewhere

[lookingatthestars]

I have been keeping my eye on their seat prices during the week after Easter as I will be in London then, and it seems they have increased by £5, at least the ones I was looking at, which went from £57.75 to £62.75, so they must be expecting the demand.

The best prices I can find at the monment are from London Theatre Direct. If I could ask advice please on which discount website would be the best, I don't have much experiece in using them. I normally used to day seat back in the day and I am not familure with booking through these websites.

Any advice much appreciated, thanks.

[Joseph Buquet]

[post potentially includes spoilers….]

I thought this could’ve been so much better than it was. The music was pretty ok - nothing to get too excited about, but on the right side of serviceable. The lyrics were very much as you would expect. As soon as Claire Moore opened, singing about her Great Aunt Edna’s suet, it was clear that the tone was exactly as anticipated - twee. With some predicable innuendos and jokes - soggy bottoms were of course painfully shoe-horned in. But ok, if that’s your thing.

The main problem was the book. Good grief, it was basic. I wasn’t expecting (nor did I want) Shakespeare, but some sort of level of thought would not have gone amiss. I can see why they wanted to base a musical on Bake Off - it’s a recognisable brand with an opportunity to weave characters into an overall narrative. Except they really struggled to make a coherent, engaging narrative. We found out various things about the contestants. One wanted a child. One is a Syrian refugee. One likes spreadsheets. But none of these things had any bearing on the central story. Facts were dropped in, and that was that. Sometimes a character’s back-story would impact the narrative - we find out the Izzy is overly competitive, and this leads her to try and boycott the competition. And there was the inevitable love story where two characters lives came together. But there was so much more opportunity to create a clever narrative out of the various characters which just didn’t happen. It just felt like it had been written as part of a GCSE drama project.

And as for the ending of the competition - what a damp squib to top it all off!

[fiyero]

Mar 30, 2023 21:40:59 GMT lookingatthestars said:

I have been keeping my eye on their seat prices during the week after Easter as I will be in London then, and it seems they have increased by £5, at least the ones I was looking at, which went from £57.75 to £62.75, so they must be expecting the demand.

The best prices I can find at the monment are from London Theatre Direct. If I could ask advice please on which discount website would be the best, I don't have much experiece in using them. I normally used to day seat back in the day and I am not familure with booking through these websites.

Any advice much appreciated, thanks.

This was shared on their Facebook. Seats for £30 (discount shows in basket). All I needed for a second trip!

bit.ly/MusicalBestSeats30

[fansylvanians]

Mar 30, 2023 21:49:53 GMT Joseph Buquet said:

[post potentially includes spoilers….]

I thought this could’ve been so much better than it was. The music was pretty ok - nothing to get too excited about, but on the right side of serviceable. The lyrics were very much as you would expect. As soon as Claire Moore opened, singing about her Great Aunt Edna’s suet, it was clear that the tone was exactly as anticipated - twee. With some predicable innuendos and jokes - soggy bottoms were of course painfully shoe-horned in. But ok, if that’s your thing.

The main problem was the book. Good grief, it was basic. I wasn’t expecting (nor did I want) Shakespeare, but some sort of level of thought would not have gone amiss. I can see why they wanted to base a musical on Bake Off - it’s a recognisable brand with an opportunity to weave characters into an overall narrative. Except they really struggled to make a coherent, engaging narrative. We found out various things about the contestants. One wanted a child. One is a Syrian refugee. One likes spreadsheets. But none of these things had any bearing on the central story. Facts were dropped in, and that was that. Sometimes a character’s back-story would impact the narrative - we find out the Izzy is overly competitive, and this leads her to try and boycott the competition. And there was the inevitable love story where two characters lives came together. But there was so much more opportunity to create a clever narrative out of the various characters which just didn’t happen. It just felt like it had been written as part of a GCSE drama project.

And as for the ending of the competition - what a damp squib to top it all off!

I saw the show last night, and I agree with you entirely. The cast are working their as**s off, but they haven't much to work with regards storyline. Some of the songs are quite catchy.
Highlight for me was the young lass who played Lily. So confident and such a good voice.

[lookingatthestars]

Mar 30, 2023 21:53:34 GMT fiyero said:

Mar 30, 2023 21:40:59 GMT lookingatthestars said:

I have been keeping my eye on their seat prices during the week after Easter as I will be in London then, and it seems they have increased by £5, at least the ones I was looking at, which went from £57.75 to £62.75, so they must be expecting the demand.

The best prices I can find at the monment are from London Theatre Direct. If I could ask advice please on which discount website would be the best, I don't have much experiece in using them. I normally used to day seat back in the day and I am not familure with booking through these websites.

Any advice much appreciated, thanks.

This was shared on their Facebook. Seats for £30 (discount shows in basket). All I needed for a second trip!

bit.ly/MusicalBestSeats30

Thank you so much for this, i've just booked. Much appreciated.