Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) review
The Kiln Theatre's 'sweet treat' of a musical is a clever and instantly loveable romcom
Christmas is coming, and the nation's playhouses are filling up with festive productions, said Marianka Swain in The Daily Telegraph. If it's "A Christmas Carol" you're after, the Old Vic's winning staging is back (this time with Christopher Eccleston as Scrooge) while Mark Gatiss's adaptation is at Alexandra Palace in north London, with Keith Allen starring as the miser. Fans of "Peter Pan" can choose between a traditional staging at the Rose Theatre, Kingston; "Peter Pan Goes Wrong" in the West End; or lavish pantomimes at the London Palladium and the Bristol Hippodrome, the latter starring David Suchet as Captain Hook. Other hot tickets include Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" at the Crucible in Sheffield; "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" at the Birmingham Rep; "Oliver!" at the Leeds Playhouse; and "Hansel and Gretel" at Shakespeare's Globe.
Of the festive shows already opened, a standout "sweet treat" is "Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)", at the Kiln Theatre in London, said Swain. This charming musical two-hander, set in a wintry Manhattan, has such Richard Curtis vibes it might as well be called "Cake Actually". A clever and instantly loveable romcom, it is about a dorky Brit named Dougal and a savvy New Yorker, Robin. Her sister is about to marry the rich father he doesn't know, said Nick Curtis in the Evening Standard, and the unlikely pair are tasked with fetching their wedding cake from Brooklyn. "Do they fall in love? Whaddya think?"
"Funny, heartfelt but unsentimental", this reboot of a musical first staged in 2019 is "a charmer", said David Jays in The Guardian, enhanced by fine performances. As Dougal, Sam Tutty is as "bouncy as a knapsack full of puppies", while Dujonna Gift (Robin) artfully "blends sweet and sorrow". Somehow, the piece's creators – British newcomers Jim Barne and Kit Buchan – have "taken the trite theme of boy-meets-girl in New York and turned it into something self-referential, witty and gorgeously, undeniably festive", said Alice Saville in The Independent. It's a seasonal gem, with "an appeal that'll last long after the last tinsel comes down".
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Kiln Theatre, London NW6 (020-7328 1000; kilntheatre.com). Until 20 January. Running time: 2hrs 10mins. Rating ****
Stars reflect the overall quality of reviews and our own independent assessment (5 stars=don’t miss; 1 star=don’t bother)
Sign up to The Week's Arts & Life newsletter for reviews and recommendations.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Political cartoons for October 23Cartoons Thursday’s political cartoons include Mike Johnson's pumpkin patch, great news for crypto scammers, and a suspicious white sheet
-
The UK-made Storm Shadow missiles Ukraine is using in RussiaThe Explainer Ukraine reportedly deployed the long-range British missiles this week, following a tense meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump
-
Dry skin, begone! 8 products to keep your skin supple while travelingThe Week Recommends Say goodbye to dry and hello to hydration
-
Film reviews: A House of Dynamite, After the Hunt, and It Was Just an AccidentFeature A nuclear missile bears down on a U.S. city, a sexual misconduct allegation rocks an elite university campus, and a victim of government terror pursues vengeance
-
Book reviews: ‘Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife’ and ‘Make Me Commissioner: I Know What’s Wrong With Baseball and How to Fix It’Feature Gertrude Stein’s untold story and Jane Leavy’s playbook on how to save baseball
-
Rachel Ruysch: Nature Into ArtFeature Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, through Dec. 7
-
Music reviews: Olivia Dean, Madi Diaz, and Hannah FrancesFeature “The Art of Loving,” “Fatal Optimist,” and “Nested in Tangles”
-
Gilbert King’s 6 favorite books about the search for justiceFeature The journalist recommends works by Bryan Stevenson, David Grann, and more
-
Ready for the apocalypseFeature As anxiety rises about the state of the world, the ranks of preppers are growing—and changing.
-
A little-visited Indian Ocean archipelagoThe Week Recommends The paradise of the Union of the Comoros features beautiful beaches, colourful coral reefs and lush forests
-
Diane Keaton: the Oscar-winning star of Annie HallIn the Spotlight Something’s Gotta Give actor dies from pneumonia at the age of 79