The Bakers comedy review: Well-fired fun
Slapstick comedy returns to its vaudeville roots in this bakery-set disaster-piece
The Bakers is a non-verbal slapstick comedy which focuses on an old-fashioned family-owned bakery in France that’s trying to compete against modern factories. Papa and his two sons, Jean Claude and Jean Pierre, must work together to make sure their business survives. The sibling rivalry between the brothers results in comical fights that highlight the craftsmanship of the actors, for example when we’re treated to a fast-motion fight while a baguette bakes in the oven.
The slapstick comedy is enhanced by dramatic ambient effects created by the actors, whose talents range from imitating a car’s engine to conjuring the sound of flattening dough with a roller; it’s impressive as well as hilarious. It’s a very interactive show, with the crowd (including your intrepid reviewer) getting dragged into the family’s shenanigans, from being covered in flour, getting sprayed with water or getting hit in the face with a flying piece of bread. A ‘lucky’ audience member also gets to step up and become a fourth actor, Billy the work experience kid, who then has to try to survive the chaos. It’s safe to say The Bakers are quite simply the best thing since sliced bread.
The Bakers continues at The Kingfisher at Gluttony, Rymill Park until March 8