The Cake
Manhattan Theatre Club
New York City Stage I
February 21, 2019
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| Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club |
Bekah
Brunstetter’s The Cake, at Manhattan
Theatre Club, is a light and buttercream look at the serious matter of bigotry
and hate. The playwright explores the gray areas
between extremes, allowing the audience time to find redeeming qualities and
respect the flaws in all her characters.
Director Lynne Meadow allows the humor to take the lead and become the
entryway for the audience to see the point of view of each character without
judgement. I left the theatre wanting
cake, which according to Della, the main character, can be the solution to the all
world’s problems. I strongly agree.
Jen
(played by Genevieve Angelson) returns to her North Carolina hometown to plan
her wedding. She visits her late
mother’s best friend, Della (played by Debra Jo Rupp), who owns a well-loved
local bakery. Della is happy to see Jen
and offers to bake the cake for her wedding, until she meets her fiancé, Macy
(played by Marinda Anderson). Della’s
religious beliefs keep her from baking the wedding cake, yet she can’t help but
feel the joy in Jen and Macy’s love for one another. She tries to discuss the situation with her
husband Tim (played by Dan Daily), but he is more immovable than she expected.
Debra
Jo Rupp brings just the right balance to this character. She is likable, sweet, and caring, while in the
same moment stands adamantly on her committed beliefs. Her character faces a perplexing dilemma. She allows herself to examine
her faith and allegiances.
 |
| Playwright Bekah Brunstetter Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club |
Ms.
Brunstetter’s best written scenes are when Della is imagining her appearances
on her favorite TV baking show. Della’s
greatest aspiration is to win that baking competition. These scenes satirically address the
character’s moral dilemma in a humorous and poignant manner, while illustrating
how deeply it is affecting her.
The
Manhattan Theatre Club production of The
Cake, is playing at New York City Center Stage I through March 31.
Domenick Danza
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