Review: The Great British Bake Off musical, London

Lisa in the theatre
Mar 27, 2023
2 min read

Updated: Jul 31

The Great British Bake Off the musical, London, West end 2023. Photo by Lisa in the theatre

The Great British Bake Off musical ★★★★☆

review: 09 March 2023 | Noel coward Theatre, London

Warm, cosy, funny, cheeky - The Great British Bake Off Musical evokes the atmosphere of the TV show brilliantly!

From the start hosts Zoe Birkett and Scott Paige are bright, confident and engaging. They are so good Channel 4 should snap them up to host the real thing.

The opening scene is inventive and unexpected. Cleverly done, it gets us off to a good start.

It's Bake Off on stage

Then we move into the Bake Off tent and it becomes a little formulaic and predictable...

There are the contestants, and each of them gets their back story song. We zoom through a whole series of Bake Off with lots of behind the scenes plot too, but it's all very sweet. I guess that's the point; No one watches Bake Off for the car chases and murders!

The set is pretty and functional. There are loads of props and choreography with the props - the cast do a great job with so many tins, cakes and bakes to juggle in the songs and set pieces. The whole show is produced and presented exquisitely.

Top quality cast

The contestants are all great too, but Queen Grace Mouat really stood out for me. Her voice sparkles and it's so much fun to watch her play the mean girl.

Claire Moore's Babs is a delight and her 'Babs' Lament' brought the house down. Easily one of the best numbers in the show.

John Owen-Jones and Haydn Gwynne rock

The undoubted Star Bakers, and the reason I bought my ticket, was for the judges portrayed by West End royalty John Owen Jones and Haydn Gwynne. I wish they'd been on stage more, but anytime they were, it was gold!

John Owen Jones has Paul Hollywood's mannerisms down to a tea, and although I felt he didn't really get the chance to show off his voice fully, I do understand he can't always be Jean Val Jean or the Phantom of the Opera! He looks like he's having so much fun here and played the character perfectly.

Haydn Gwynne is a sublime comic actor. Her facial expressions are priceless and 'Keep on Keeping On' is a real showstopper. She is sublime.

Although I was not a fan of the skit with the scones. And some of the contestants storylines were not for me. The ensemble cast is easily one of the finest in the West End and they are what elevate this to a 4 star show.

The musical is a fitting tribute to the much loved TV show. It's a sweet and enjoyable night at the theatre (or in the tent!) ★★★★☆