Baking it to make it in ‘Gladis Baker Gladiator’

Full of dry, British humor, “Gladis Baker Gladiator” will allow the audience to check their worries at the door.

“I chose it because it is silly, full of British humor, and I think we need that right now,” said Penelope Haskew, director of the musical, and the theatre’s production and education director. Haskew has been the director of family theatre for years. It has been her joy helping youth discover their voices and hone skill sets, she told the Journal. She recently had a group of older students choreograph and teach the rest of the group.

“Watching them teach, go through the routing while people were talking, etc., they really gained some understanding about what it’s like,” Haskew laughed, adding that one student came up to her and promised to at least try to be quieter when Haskew was teaching.

The book and lyrics are written by Mike Horth and Jan Porter and is a spoof of the British Bake Off shows, and takes place in a Colosseum of ancient Rome and the first Great Roman Bake Off is about to take place. There are no gladiator fights but the audience “will be whisked into a frenzy, beaten to a foam, and knocked back in a competition where Flour is Power! Can orphan Gladis escape the clutches of her miserable aunt and uncle by winning the Great Roman Bake Off and becoming the Gladisbaker?” the theatre’s website explains.

The audience will be dancing in their seats to the music as well, including songs like “You Have to Bake It to Make It,” “Flour is Power,” “I’m on a Roll,” and Haskew’s personal favorite, “It Depends on the Hens,” and of course “Kitchen Conga.”

The stage cast includes middle schoolers, but entire families are involved. Similar to previous years, adults will have a dance scene. Because it is family theatre and integrates the family, parents, grandparents aunts or uncles, having a dance set with adults is an easy way to bring them onstage, according to Haskew.

“The kids take it way more seriously than the parents,” Haskew said. “They often tell their parents to work harder, [to] focus.”

Of those students have gotten too old for family theatre, several keep involved. Haskew said there is a whole tech crew and set designers made up of previous family theatre kids.

“The background they are working on is going to be amazing. It’s huge, colorful,” Haskew said, clearly proud.

To help with funding for theatre conventions and competitions, students will be holding a bake sale before, during and after “Gladis Baker Gladiator.”

“It is amazing for these kids to go to these, to see all the things that are possible in the world,” Haskew explained. They see the resources larger schools have, meet students from an array of schools, big and small and can make lifelong bonds.

During the competitions, the troupe has been working on “Romeo and Juliet,” so that will likely be what they perform this year. “Hopefully they will make it to the Nationals, which can open the doors for scholarships.”

To donate financially, one can write a check to the theatre with “Thespians” in the memo to guide where the donation goes.

If bakers want to contribute to the bake sale, they can contact Haskew at penelope@sjctheatre.org for drop-off times and places.

Performances run from Nov. 21-24, Thursday through Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $1 for students and $5 for student rush, at the door. To buy tickets visit https://www.sjctheatre.org.