Two Strangers Carry a Cake and Steal Our Hearts
Blizzards and bitter cold kept me away from Broadway for several weeks, but I came back to an absolute gem.
While I’m all for theatrical glitz, there’s nothing like a well-told story. Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) is exactly that. The deceptively simple premise that the title promises still allows for Broadway magic.
Englishman Dougal comes to the Big Apple for his estranged father’s wedding. His guide to the city is the bride’s sister, Robin. While the adventure starts with the duo picking up a cake, more details about each character’s backstory come out as the story progresses.
Director Tim Jackson gets lots of mileage out of Soutra Gilmour’s set, which proves that luggage can serve many purposes.
In their Broadway debut, composers Jim Barne and Kit Buchan craft a tuneful score that touches on everything from dating app issues to annoying Christmas music. As in one of my favorite shows, The Band’s Visit, they show how one fateful experience impacts a person’s whole life.
Of course, the show wouldn’t work without the right pair of strangers. Sam Tutty’s Dougal is a wide-eyed innocent when he first arrives in New York, but there’s more than meets the eye. A person you might dismiss as an annoyance turns out to have depth.
As Robin, Christiani Pitts is a quintessentially jaded New Yorker, with some hilarious quips. However, she also has a lot going on under the surface. Watching her open up in Dougal’s presence is a joy.
Sometimes you want a show that does what it says on the tin (I used a British term for Dougal’s sake). Two Strangers is a delight.
Playing at the Longacre Theatre
