Everyman theatre, Cheltenham
The TV show invites a large helping of satire but Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary serve up a sugary plot with over-egged characters
The exquisite joy of Bake Off on TV is a total absence of drama, barring the occasional cut finger or (gasp!) a melted baked alaska. It’s comforting to rest a while in a place of such low stakes and high calories. Perhaps worried about prioritising style over substance (the ultimate Bake Off sin), Jake Brunger (book and lyrics) and Pippa Cleary (music and lyrics) – who recently worked together on a musical adaptation of Adrian Mole – have over-egged their plot and tied the show together with a sickly sweet love story.
Many of the contestants are given their own big number, in which a series’ worth of personal revelations are unpacked in just a few reductive minutes. Syrian immigrant Hassan (Aharon Rayner) sings about how baking helped him feel as though he finally belonged in Birmingham, while Cambridge graduate Izzy (Simbi Akande) trills about her burning desire to win. In Grow – a song that stretches metaphor way beyond breaking point – Italian cook Francesca (Catriana Sandison) explores how making cakes helped her get over her difficulty conceiving a child.
