点评:I was lucky enough to see the opening night of The Great British Bake Off Musical. If you’re not familiar with the show, it’s the stage version of the iconic Channel 4 series. The musical version first premiered at the Cheltenham Everyman Theatre in 2022, before transferring to London in 2023 for a run in London’s glittering West End.
Set inside the famous tent, it follows a fresh group of bakers navigating signature challenges, technical disasters and showstopping triumphs, while friendships form and confidence is tested. Like the series itself, it understands that baking is never only about baking. It’s about memory, family, identity and the courage to share something personal with a room full of strangers.
The Brookside Theatre production features a scrumptiously talented cast including James-Lee Campbell and Lashanna Levine as hosts Jim and Kim. As soon as Campbell and Lashanna took the stage, the audience knew they were in safe hands. The comedic duo shone in all their moments guiding the audience through the baking challenges with wit, humour and an over the top-ness you would expect from tv show hosts. As our judges Jai Sepple and Jacqui Lodge, as the aptly named Phil Hollinghurst and Pam Lee, were a riot. Playfully sending up our favourite judges from the series, they played off each other beautifully with a confidence and warmth that created an effortless chemistry that had the audience laughing from start to finish.
Now onto the Bake Off contestants competing to be named star baker and win the ultimate prize. As the show progresses we learn more about each, their stories and backgrounds and what really brings them to the Bake Off tent as it’s not all just about the baking. As vegan baker Dezza, Elliott Jones performed with a sense of real delight, bringing strong vocals and wonderfully character-driven work to the role. Every moment felt full of energy and commitment, creating a performance that was both hilarious and genuinely endearing. As Hassan, Hamza Akhtar gave a beautiful performance. His charismatic presence brought warmth and humour to the role, while the quieter moments of reclaiming Hassan’s immigrant identity felt genuinely touching in Akhtar’s hands. As the outspoken East End grandmother Babs, Harri Sepple was loads of fun. Confidently sparring with Jai Sepple’s Phil Hollinghurst, Harri offered both sharp humour and unexpected tenderness throughout. Her 11 o’clock number Bab’s Lament proved a late Act Two triumph that landed beautifully with the audience. As Izzy, Maisie Tiedemann brough a confident energy to the role. Determined to win at all costs, Izzy has one of the most well-rounded storylines in the show, and Tiedemann handled it with skill and nuance. She gave a strong vocal performance throughout and her Obviously was an early highlight that set the tone for her character’s journey. As fan favourite Russell, Howard Platt was hilarious. Having some of the more racy lines in the show, Platt performed with effortless comic timing and a wonderfully knowing sense of camp, fully leaning into the character’s panache while keeping it warm, witty, and endearing throughout. Francesca has one of the most emotional back stories of all the contestants and Romane Peschler handled this with such tenderness that I was brought to tears. Her “I want” song Grow was sung with real emotional control and a clarity of intention that made every lyric land with impact, balancing vulnerability with quiet strength in a way that felt deeply affecting. I’m still thinking about her performance the day afterwards as I’m writing this review. As our friendly neighbourhood policeman Ben, Shaun McNery gave a strong performance throughout. Performing with a quiet confidence, he brought a grounded presence to the role, balancing warmth with a subtle humour that made the character feel believable and relatable. As his daughter Lily, Jessica Sepple is a young performer to watch. Performing with a confidence, sense of self, and stage presence beyond her years, she brought real emotional clarity to the role and handled the material with impressive maturity. Her duet with Shaun McNery early in Act One My Dad was a very touching moment, and their onstage chemistry felt entirely believable, giving their relationship real depth and authenticity. As standby contestant and Ben’s love interest, Amber Atkinson was sensational as Gemma. She brought warmth, wit and a beautifully grounded presence to the role, finding both the comedy and the quiet vulnerability at its heart. She performed with a beautiful, nuanced, powerful vocal that gave the character real emotion. Her two solo numbers, Somewhere In The Dough and Rise, were showstoppers delivered with clarity, heart and a lovely sense of storytelling that made them among the evening’s most memorable moments.
On The West End The Great British Bake Off Musical felt lost in a huge carnivorous theatre, with the characters coming across as unrelatable and the emotional beats often getting swallowed by scale. However, this Brookside Theatre production does the complete opposite. The intimacy of the space allows the audience to really connect and get to know the characters on a far deeper level, bringing warmth, clarity and heart to both the humour and the more tender moments in a way that feels immediate and engaging. Playing until 10th May at the Brookside Theatre in Romford, make sure you don’t let this one crumble away. Grab your tickets now while they’re still fresh out of the oven!
翻译:我有幸观看了《英国烘焙大赛音乐剧》的首演。如果你还不熟悉这部剧,它是英国第四频道同名热门节目的舞台版。音乐剧版于2022年在切尔滕纳姆的Everyman剧院首演,随后于2023年移师伦敦,在伦敦星光熠熠的西区上演。
故事发生在著名的帐篷里,讲述了一群新晋烘焙师们如何应对各种挑战、技术故障和令人惊艳的胜利,并在过程中建立友谊,考验自信。正如节目本身一样,这部音乐剧也深谙烘焙的意义远不止于烘焙本身。它关乎记忆、家庭、身份认同,以及与一群陌生人分享个人经历的勇气。
布鲁克赛德剧院的这部作品汇集了一批才华横溢的演员,包括饰演主持人吉姆和金的詹姆斯-李·坎贝尔和拉莎娜·莱文。坎贝尔和拉莎娜一登台,观众们就知道自己找到了可靠的表演者。这对喜剧搭档在节目中光芒四射,以机智幽默的风格和电视节目主持人特有的夸张方式引导观众完成烘焙挑战。评委杰伊·塞普尔和杰奎·洛奇分别扮演菲尔·霍林赫斯特和帕姆·李,他们的表演妙趣横生,令人捧腹。他们戏谑地模仿了我们最喜欢的几位评委,彼此配合默契,充满自信和热情,营造出一种浑然天成的化学反应,让观众从头笑到尾。
接下来是《烘焙大赛》的参赛选手们,他们将角逐“明星烘焙师”的称号,赢得最终大奖。随着节目的进行,我们逐渐了解每位选手,他们的故事、背景以及他们来到烘焙帐篷的真正原因——因为这里不仅仅是烘焙。埃利奥特·琼斯饰演的素食烘焙师德扎充满热情,他用浑厚的嗓音和精彩的表演赋予角色鲜活的生命力。他的每一个瞬间都充满活力和投入,呈现出既搞笑又真挚动人的表演。哈姆扎·阿赫塔尔饰演的哈桑表现出色。他极具魅力的气质为角色注入了温暖和幽默,而哈桑重拾移民身份的那些安静时刻,在阿赫塔尔的演绎下显得格外动人。哈里·塞普尔饰演的直言不讳的东区老奶奶芭布斯妙趣横生。她与杰伊·塞普尔饰演的菲尔·霍林赫斯特自信地唇枪舌剑,始终展现出犀利的幽默和出人意料的温柔。她在第二幕结尾演唱的《芭布斯的哀歌》堪称一大亮点,赢得了观众的热烈掌声。梅西·蒂德曼饰演的伊兹充满活力,自信满满。伊兹决心不惜一切代价赢得胜利,她的故事线是全剧最完整、最细腻的之一,蒂德曼以精湛的技艺和细腻的情感诠释了这一角色。她全程展现了强大的演唱实力,而她演唱的《显然》更是开场不久便成为亮点,奠定了角色旅程的基调。霍华德·普拉特饰演深受观众喜爱的拉塞尔,他的表演令人捧腹。他贡献了剧中一些颇具争议的台词,普拉特以行云流水般的喜剧节奏和恰到好处的夸张演绎,将角色的魅力发挥得淋漓尽致,同时又保持了角色的温暖、诙谐和可爱。弗朗西斯卡是所有参赛者中最具情感冲击力的角色之一,罗曼·佩施勒的演绎细腻动人,让我潸然泪下。她演唱的歌曲《成长》(Grow)饱含情感,意图清晰,每一句歌词都掷地有声,将脆弱与坚韧完美融合,深深打动人心。直到第二天,我写这篇评论时,仍然沉浸在她的表演之中。肖恩·麦克纳里饰演我们友好的邻家警察本,他的表演始终精彩。他沉稳自信,赋予角色一种脚踏实地的感觉,将温暖与微妙的幽默巧妙结合,使角色真实可信,令人感同身受。杰西卡·塞普尔饰演他的女儿莉莉,是一位值得关注的年轻演员。她以超越年龄的自信、自我意识和舞台魅力进行表演,为角色赋予了真挚的情感,并以令人印象深刻的成熟度驾驭了剧本。第一幕开场不久,她与肖恩·麦克纳里(Shaun McNery)的二重唱《我的爸爸》(My Dad)令人动容,他们舞台上的默契配合令人信服,赋予了角色关系以深度和真实感。作为替补选手和本(Ben)的恋人,安珀·阿特金森(Amber Atkinson)饰演的杰玛(Gemma)一角精彩绝伦。她为角色注入了温暖、智慧和沉稳的气质,精准地把握了角色喜剧元素和内心深处的脆弱。她优美、细腻而富有力量的嗓音赋予了角色真实的情感。她的两首独唱曲目《面团深处》(Somewhere In The Dough)和《崛起》(Rise)堪称全场最佳,清晰的演绎、饱含深情的情感和动人的叙事技巧,使之成为当晚最令人难忘的亮点之一。
在伦敦西区,《英国烘焙大赛音乐剧》在一个巨大的、充满戏剧张力的剧院中显得有些黯然失色。以往的戏剧作品往往人物形象难以引起共鸣,情感表达也常常被宏大的场面所掩盖。然而,布鲁克赛德剧院的这部作品却截然相反。剧院的私密空间让观众能够真正与角色建立联系,更深入地了解他们,从而赋予幽默和温情时刻以温暖、清晰和真挚的情感,使之既贴近生活又引人入胜。该剧将在罗姆福德的布鲁克赛德剧院上演至5月10日,千万不要错过!趁着票源新鲜,赶紧抢购吧!