Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Bekah Brunstetter’s THE CAKE takes on topical issues in the guise of wholesome comedy

• By drediman
• March 6, 2019
• No Comments

Debra Jo Rupp in Manhattan Theatre Club’s production of “The Cake” by Bekah Brunstetter at New York City Center’s Stage I. Photo by Joan Marcus.

Last night, Bekah Brunstetter’s new play The Cake opened Off-Broadway at New York City Center’s subterranean Stage I, courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club. The play tells the story of a New York City lesbian couple who travel to the south to a small town in North Carolina (across the Blue-Red state divide) to tie the knot. When Della, the skilled but socially conservative local baker – who also happens to be one of the bride’s longtime family friends – is asked to bake their wedding cake, her conscience works overdrive to makes sense of the situation, forcing her in the process to examine the current state of affairs in her own life.

The play is the kind of straightforward, easily digestible – and often times easily dismissible – play that I sometimes miss amidst all the experimental theater-making that’s currently fashionable amongst the next generation of playwrights (just compare Ms. Brunstetter’s work to a play like the shocking semi-headscratcher “Daddy”, which also opened last night). Indeed, although there’s nothing revolutionary about The Cake, watching it is as comforting as consuming an episode of “The Great British Baking Show” or one of those inoffensive sitcoms you grew up with. In fact, both comparisons are manifested quite literally in Ms. Brunstetter’s sturdily-penned script. However, what makes her play truly stand out is the way it deftly and stealthily takes on important, topical social issues in the guise of warm, wholesome comedy.

The attractive production, directed by MTC artistic director Lynne Meadow, is well-paced and charmingly designed (the set is by veteran scenic designer John Lee Beatty). The acting is solid from top to bottom, exuding a familiar congeniality that suits the material like a glove. As Della, Debra Jo Rupp – perhaps most famous for starring as the matriarch in that 90s That 70s Show – delivers a winning, deceptively layered performance that mirrors the qualities of the play itself. It’s a performance that sneaks up on you with its sweetness, only to fascinate us with the complexity and vulnerability of her character’s point of view. Even if the rest of the cast doesn’t balance the sweet-and-savory qualities of their respective characters quite as masterfully, they provide Ms. Rupp’s performance and Ms. Brunstetter’s play more than adequate support.

RECOMMENDED

THE CAKE
Off-Broadway, Play
Manhattan Theatre Club at New York City Center Stage I
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through March 31