Theater Review: The Cake

The baking craze that has swept the nation (we love The Great British Baking Show, too) has finally made its way to the stage. The Cake, written by Bekah Brunstetter (a producer on the beloved TV show, This Is Us), uses baking (and a dash of comedy) to highlight both the differences and similarities between people with different viewpoints.

Jen (Genevieve Angelson) is back in her hometown—after years of living in New York City—planning her impending wedding. And there’s one particular person she’s eager to see: Della (Debra Jo Rupp), her deceased mom’s best friend. Della owns a cake shop—she’s soon to be a contestant on The Great American Baking Show—and Jen hopes Della will agree to make her wedding cake. There one hitch, though. Jen is marrying a woman of color, Macy (Marina Anderson), and Della does not support gay marriage. Furthermore, Della’s husband, Tim (Dan Daily), tries to squash any doubts she may have (doubts she does have) by reminding her of their religious views on the matter.

The joy of this play is following Della’s exploration of her conservative views and her journey to making and owning her own ideas. Her strict adherence to baking directions is an apt metaphor for how she lives her life. She is a woman who sticks to what she was taught and never deviated from a recipe. It’s an accessible metaphor for all types of audiences to grasp. And, Debra Jo Rupp is excellent playing the conflicted yet likable Southern woman. Her ability to show her vulnerabilities and have humor and heart are integral to the character and the show.

The other actors in the show all do fine jobs with the material. Dan Daily really inhabits her husband who clings to his beliefs to stay afloat. His bafflement and perceived failure is almost a physical ache you can feel. Then, Daily also is the off-stage voice of George, the baking show host. His voice acting is spot on. Genevieve Angelson expresses Jen’s struggle: being caught between her past and present; her learned conservative belief system and her own liberal beliefs.

The weakest link in this small ensemble is the character of Macy. While Marina Anderson performs her decently, she does not make her at all likeable. The character’s aggressive personality would have been tolerable, but she never really ever listened to anyone else. All the other characters listened to each other and began to learn and grow; she did not.

Overall, though, The Cake is an enjoyable ninety minutes with some nice, heartwarming moments. Pro tip: treat yourself to a slice of cake afterward.

For more information about The Cake, click here.