The Cake

The Cake

Manhattan Theatre Club

New York City Stage I

February 21, 2019

  

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.  Ms. Rupp finds flexibility within the character to create genuine moments of generosity and consideration.  

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

Days to Come

Days to Come

Mint Theater Company

Theatre Row

Photo courtesy of Mint Theater Company

Lillian Hellman’s 1936 drama, Days to Come, is receiving a high quality Off-Broadway revival by Mint Theater Company.  The play contains strong social themes that were powerful to the time period in which it was written, and relevant to our present day political climate.  As quoted in the dramaturgical notes in the program: In Days to Come Lillian Hellman “attempted to develop a theme common to all her plays, that the world we live in is the sum total of the acts of each individual in it.  Ignorance, dishonesty, and cowardice in personal live affect social events.”  This production, directed by J. R. Sullivan, keeps the audience actively engaged, while successfully portraying Ms. Hellman’s compelling theme.

When his factory workers go on strike, Andrew Rodman (played by Larry Bull) under the advice of his lawyer and friend, Henry Ellicott (played by Ted Deasy), hire a group of strike breakers lead by Sam Wilke (played by Dan Daily) to resolve the growing problem.  Andrew is unaware of the violence these men normally use to achieve their objective, but Henry is knowledgeable about the service they are paying for.  Leo Whalen, the strike organizer (played by Roderick Hill), coaches the leader of the factory workers, Thomas Firth (played by Chris Henry Coffey), to keep the men calm and not fight back when instigated.  When Andrew’s wife, Julia (played by Janie Brookshire), ventures where she does not belong, the violence erupts to the point of no return.

Larry Bull & Chris Henry Coffey
Photo courtesy of Mint Theater Company

The cast fully embodies the style and pace of the time period.  The social norms and protocols are clearly set in place at the top of the show, so when the group of outsiders comes in to break the strike, the disruption is visceral.  The cast of eleven is exceptional.  They play off one another very well, allowing Lillian Hellman’s dialogue to flow naturally.  Janie Brookshire, Larry Bull, Chris Henry Coffey, Dan Daily, Ted Deasy, and Roderick Hill create strong-willed characters driven by clear objectives.  Mary Beacon, Betsy Hogg, Kim Martin-Cotton, Geoffrey Allen Murphy, and Evan Zes add fuel to the fire, building the conflict in the action, while adding some well needed humor.

Photo courtesy of Mint Theater Company

This is my first experience with Mint Theater Company, and I intend to return for future productions.  Mint Theater's mission is to find and produce “worthwhile plays from the past that have been lost or forgotten… (and) create new life for these plays through research, dramaturgy, production, publication, readings, and a variety of enrichment programs.”  Days to Come is playing at Theatre Row through October 6.  Be sure to see it.

Domenick Danza