The first notes of The Great British Bake Off theme tune strike up and I have a pavlova-ian response: a slight stomach rumble, then I settle in for an hour of warmth and delight. Alas, I only get five minutes or so, for even though the pastel benches and stand mixers are present, they’re in a rehearsal room in south London, not a tent in the home counties. Here the cast of Great British Bake Off: The Musical, are doing a quick run through of the opening numbers before lunch. It’s a morsel, and I want more.
It all feels lovingly faithful to the wildly successful TV show. There are rolling pins, tea towels and eight contestants (the 12 that start the TV series would have felt too unruly on stage, says the director, Rachel Kavanaugh). One of the bakers, Gemma (played by Charlotte Wakefield), sings a song, Somewhere in the Dough, about her life as a carer and how the show might give her the confidence she desperately needs. It is so moving that I think I might burst into tears. Although that might also be the hunger, which has been constant since I arrived and saw shelves laden with artisan bread and macaroons on cake stands.
