Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) review

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".

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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)

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