Meet the mum and her two daughters starring in Phoenix Players' production The Great British Bake Off Musical at Harrogate Theatre
The Harrogate Phoenix Players’ production of The Great British Bake-Off Musical is a family affair. Not only is it suitable for all ages, it also features in its cast mum Sarah Stoner and her two daughters, Mabel and Martha.
Mum Sarah plays Bake-Off contestant Gemma from Blackpool. Gemma’s life has been dedicated to caring for her late mother, the only critic of her food.
She joins the show as a ‘back-up’ contestant and, already lacking in confidence, feels out of her depth. As the competition progresses, Gemma begins to discover her true self.
A musical theatre fan, this is Sarah’s first production with the Harrogate Phoenix Players although she has appeared in several Harrogate shows including Made in Dagenham and The Witches of Eastwick with HOPS Musical Theatre Company.
Sarah admires Gemma for being afraid, feeling vulnerable but doing something new and terrifying anyway.
She can empathise with her feelings of isolation and loss and has fond memories of standing on a kitchen stool to bake with her mum.
Sarah auditioned for the show because her younger daughter Mabel was keen to play Lily, the daughter of another Bake-Off contestant, having fallen in love with the song My Dad from the soundtrack.
Mabel beat competition for the part and at 12 years old has an impressive theatrical CV.
A former pupil of Damien Poole Theatre Arts, her first major role was Jemima Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, followed by Sharon in Made in Dagenham with HOPS and a Munchkin in the Phoenix Players production of The Wizard of Oz last year.
Mabel loves baking and creating her own recipes.
Her older sister Martha is studying A-Level drama and performing Arts and performs in her sixth form chamber choir. She has performed as Catherine Aragon in Six, in the children’s ensemble in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and was also a Munchkin.
In Bake Off, Martha plays a member of the TV crew that she is helping to ensure everything in the famous tent runs smoothly, assisting the contestants with their multiple baking utensils and props – and singing and dancing in the musical numbers with fellow make-up artists, cameramen and technicians.
Sarah loves sharing this experience with her daughters, watching them grow in confidence on and off the stage. They are all looking forward to performing alongside each other in The Great British Bake-Off Musical.
It runs at Harrogate Theatre from Wednesday March 18 until Saturday March 21, daily at 7.30pm and a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm.
Tickets for the show are available on 01423 502116 and online at: https://www.harrogatetheatre.co.uk
The Harrogate Phoenix Players are sponsored by Mama Doreen’s Emporium and support Martin House Hospice.