Thinking of my recent time in London makes me want to go back! One of the many great things about the West End is the options. You can see all the long running shows, but there are plenty of fantastic new possibilities too, nearly all within walking distance of each other! Two Strangers Carry A Cake Across New York was a new-ish show when I visited and turned out to be a fantastic find. It was playing at the cozy Criterion Theatre and I managed to find a last minute technically-restricted-view-but-actually-fine seat.
The Plot
I went into it relatively cold, although I couldn’t stop myself from listening to a couple of songs and reading a few lines of the basic plot. It’s about a guy from England heading to New York to attend his estranged father’s second wedding. The sister of the bride picks him up from the airport and the two are, well, quite different from each other. You might ask how on earth are they going to hold the audience’s attention for a full-length musical with a cast of two and such a simple story?
I thought the same. But, hey, it was on in the middle of London so I wasn’t exactly worried and was sure it would be good. I was not disappointed.
Two Strangers was really good. It holds its own with any of the bigger shows. My friend happened to be in London a few weeks later and couldn’t get a ticket. As the season came to a close it was completely sold out. Not. One. Seat.
So what makes it so good?
It’s simple and clever. It’s crazy but still believable. The premise is basic but as time goes on the story gets complicated, surprising, and nuanced whist remaining super funny and entertaining.
You can’t help but be fond of the two characters. Dougal is a simple guy – perhaps immature, perhaps exactly what you’d expect given his story – whose childlike excitement provides plenty of humour and warms you instantly to him. Robin, from New York, is more serious and as the show goes on one better understands where she is coming from too.
The “New York” studio recording is a fun intro to the two characters. “This Is The Place” and “American Express” I particularly liked. But actually they’re all good and powerful within the context of the story.
The whole package: songs, set, book, it all makes for a warm and satisfying night out. At the end of the day it all hangs on two actors managing to pull it off with minimal props and effects and they absolutely do.
Two Strangers opens in Boston this month including with Sam Tutty from the original cast; hopefully we will be treated to it in Australia one day too.
