THE CAKE on the Crescent City Stage
THE CAKE, receiving its regional premiere, is Crescent City Stage’s latest offering and runs now through June 16. There are four more opportunities to experience this rich and emotional cultural reflection, which made this reviewer happy during Pride in Louisiana.
Written by Bekah Brunstetter, THE CAKE is inspired by the Supreme Court case involving baker Jack Phillips’ refusal to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple. The majority ruled in favor of Phillips, protecting the owner’s rights under the First Amendment, but the decision did not answer the question of whether businesses can refuse to serve the LGBT+ community.
The story of Della, a bakery owner who lives in a small town in North Carolina, is very similar to the Supreme Court case. Like Phillips, Della faces the same dilemma when she is asked to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding.
The difference and the instant appeal? One of the two wives is Jen, whom Della loves like the daughter she never had.
From the outset, the room’s setting is both familiar and intimate, capturing the essence of a Southern bakery where everyone knows your name and every cake tells a story. Della’s warmth and charm, played with genuine affection and depth by Lara Grice, draws the audience into her world where sugar, flour and eggs mix with a healthy dose of conservative values ​​and religious beliefs.
Both heartfelt and compelling, THE CAKE is a witty exploration of the complexities of faith, love and acceptance, all with a generous pinch of humor. At first, Della couldn’t be more excited to bake the wedding cake for her late best friend’s daughter. She even suggested it before Jen asked. But after learning that Jen’s fiancĂ© is smart, straightforward, and gluten-free Macy, devout Della is suddenly too busy to make the cake in time for the wedding.
From the moment we meet her in the opening monologue, Della demonstrates her strong opinions on how cakes should be prepared. You should not deviate from the recipe. To make a good cake, you have to follow the instructions. As a Christian raised in the South, Della firmly believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman only, even though news of Jen’s nuptials makes her question her own sexless, childless marriage to husband Tim , played by Mike Harkins.
A crisis of faith begins to brew inside Della. She’s a true believer, steeped in small-town Southern culture, but she becomes completely distraught over her own decision and is horrified at the thought of losing Jen’s love. While Della reveals her conscience with Tim, Jen and Macy fight alone. Macy doesn’t care about bigots and says Della is one of them. Jen is still trying to come to terms with Della’s rejection and stand up for herself as a sexual minority while still loving the place she comes from.
The production’s timing during Pride adds a layer of poignant relevance, highlighting the ongoing struggle for acceptance and celebration of identity in a region often characterized by its traditional values. There will be times when the audience will laugh and cringe at the same time. Brunstetter’s talent for comedic writing helps ease the heaviness of the dramatic scenes, but his writing really shines with its authenticity and ability to humanize all facets of this debate.
Nothing captures this better than Joy Donze’s sensitive and nuanced portrayal of Jen. Jen feels torn between two worlds: being true to herself and the love and good memories of her childhood in her small town. She feels bad about being a source of pain for Della. And when Della tells Jen wrong truths, it hurts even more.
But Grice’s Della is not portrayed as a villain. She is sweet and friendly from the start. She’s just a woman struggling with her beliefs, which she may have followed more closely than any of her recipes. Macy, played by Lorene Chesley, doesn’t care about Della’s difficulties and bristles at the baker’s rather hesitant behavior. Chesley shines as this outspoken young journalist who refuses to stop speaking out against what she perceives as injustice; even if it means hurting her fiancĂ©. She carries herself strong, but underneath is a raw heart that questions why she’s hated just because of who she loves.
The heavy social issues and the intimate relationships between the two couples make it a complicated play to stage. Yet Elizabeth Newcomer handles it all deftly, allowing the humor to shine through without sacrificing the emotional moments. THE CAKE is a hit comedy that raises refreshing questions about internalized bias. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that there’s cake at the end. So go enjoy THE CAKE and eat it too.
THE CAKE plays at Loyola University’s Marquette Theater through June 16. For more information and tickets, visit crescentcitystage.com.
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