A.R.T. presents rom-com ‘Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)’

Susan Saccoccia

A recipient of NEA Arts Journalism fellowships in dance, theater and music, Susan reviews visual and performing arts in the U.S. and overseas.

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The American Repertory Theater is presenting the North American debut of a London hit, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York).” The romantic-comedy musical is on stage through July 13 at the Loeb Drama Center in Harvard Square, Cambridge.

Performed by two actors and a five-member musical ensemble, the play follows the 24-hour encounter of Dougal, 25, an effusively enthusiastic Brit who has just landed in New York for the second wedding of his ex-pat father, and svelte, stressed urbanite Robin, 26, the bride’s sister, who picks him up at the airport.

In the opening scene, sounds convey the tension of airport arrival — a BBC broadcast and percussive waves of jagged music — as the two characters meet by literally bumping into one another at the baggage claim carousel.

Their personalities collide as well as their bodies. Dorky Dougal exuberantly anticipates his first taste of Manhattan, and even more, his first encounter with his wealthy ex-pat father, who left the infant Dougal and his mother in England. Dougal expects Robin, whom he regards as his newfound cousin, to guide his tour of Manhattan. But Robin, late for her downtown waitress job is all business. After fetching Dougal, she has to pick up the $2,000 cake her sister has chosen for the wedding, using the credit card of Dougal’s father.

Sam Tutty (Dougal) and Christiani Pitts (Robin) in A.R.T.’s North American premiere of “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York).” PHOTO: Nile Scott Studios and Maggie Hall.

Both have baggage of their own. As Dougal later confides, he has traveled 4,000 miles to meet his father, who has been absent from his life since his birth; and he frequently calls his mother back in England to reassure her. And, as true to the form of a romantic comedy their unlikely friendship grows, Robin confesses to a motherless upbringing and little hope of happiness.

Written and composed by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan, the musical opened in 2023 at London’s Kiln Theatre, and in 2024 moved to the far larger Criterion Theatre in the city’s West End. These productions as well as A.R.T.’s were staged by Tim Jackson, director and choreographer; Soutra Gilmour, set and costume designer; and Jeffrey Campos, music conductor and keyboardist. Joining them at the Loeb is Jack Knowles, lighting designer.

Their stylish, contemporary take on musical theater has a minimalist set. The baggage carousel’s pyramid of rectangular shapes suggesting luggage morphs into the various settings that Robin and Dougal visit over 24 hours, including a subway car, a hotel room, a coffee bar and the skyscrapers of mid-town Manhattan. Its rotating platform also conveys the distances the pair travels on foot during their multi-borough journey.

Performing behind a transparent scrim curtain, the musicians are visible in silhouette. While accompanying the actors as they sing, they often simply inject doses of color and mood.

Bringing the two characters to life are Sam Tutty as Dougal, the role he played in the two London productions; and Christiani Pitts, whose vocals and acting add dimension to Robin.

Attired by Gilmour in costumes designed for movement, their funky casual outfits are later replaced for the inevitable night on the town promised by the rom-com formula, when Robin dons a ravishing gown and Doug gains a snazzy tux to suit a stay at the Plaza Hotel — all purchased, as you might guess, with his father’s credit card. As they step out in style the staging parodies the razzle-dazzle of a musical with strobe lighting, billows of smoke and snow.

The growing friendship between Robin and Dougal is a catalyst for the production’s most satisfying moments. Tutty’s Dougal, at first an entertaining caricature who easily leaps off suitcases to express glee later conveys his character’s vulnerability and growing insight into Robin.

Tutty’s comic timing heightens the fun of brief verbal exchanges with Robin. Commenting on the chilly night, Robin says, “I’m cold.” Dougal replies, “You’re not as cold as you think you are.” Receiving an invitation from Justin, a promising match on a dating app, Robin tells Dougal, “I’m not in his league.” Dougal deftly coaches her to respond, and learning that Justin has named his dog Rufus, says “That is so Justin.”  

Pitts conjures more of a Robin than in the script. At the lunch counter where Robin works, she bursts into a lyrical self-portrait; and showing Dougal the neighborhood where her grandmother lovingly raised her, she sings of “the real New York.” But when asked by Dougal if she visits her beloved grandmother, Robin says no, without explanation.

While lacking the depth to sustain its two-hour length, this musical is meticulously staged and often entertaining and touching, carried by the charisma of Pitts and Tutty.