Review: CAKEWALK Lacking Nutritional Value

Cakewalk

Written by Colleen Curran, Direction & Scenic Design by David J. Miller; Costume Design, Jess Huang; Lighting Design, Michael Clark Wonson; Sound Design, J Jumbelic; Stage Manager, Kayla Morello

CAST (in order of appearance): Victoria George, Kelley Estes, Ashley Risteen, Aina Adler, Maureen Adduci, Matt Fagerberg

Performances through March 19 by Zeitgeist Stage Company at Plaza Black Box Theater, Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont Street, Boston, MA; Box Office 617-933-8600 or www.ZeitgeistStage.com

Zeitgeist Stage Company takes a winter break from its recent fare of serious dramatic subjects of particular interest to the LGBT community to offer up Cakewalk, a sugary confection about a cake baking competition in a small Vermont town during its July 4th festivities. Written by Montreal playwright Colleen Curran, a long-time friend and colleague of Artistic Director David J. Miller, Cakewalk premiered in 1984 at the Blyth Festival in Ontario and has been produced numerous times in Canada and the United States, including a run Off-Off Broadway. Curran gives us half a dozen quirky characters and Miller fields an endearing roster of gung-ho contestants, but the recipe lacks nutritional value.

Zeitgeist regular Maureen Adduci (Augusta Connors Hancock) anchors the cast as the matriarch submitting her daughter's ornate wedding cake as her contest entry. Needless to say, the bride-to-be (Ashley Risteen) throws a hissy fit when she finds out, but losing out to her mother's desire may be the least of Tiffany's troubles. Vivien Leigh Cleary (Victoria George), whose mother loved Gone With the Wind, is a nun-in-disguise as a "civilian," which leads to some compromising situations with Taylor, the one male entrant (Matt Fagerberg), an absent-minded archaeologist. Rounding out the contestants are Vivien's friend Martha (Aina Adler), who runs the local health food cafe and suffers from mood swings, and Ruby (Kelley Estes), a very competitive cub scout leader who wants to win at all costs to make up for her disappointments in life.

The humor in Cakewalk is primarily character-driven, augmented by a bit of door-slamming farce and a dollop of physical comedy. The slight story is slow to pick up steam (very little happens until there is a rush of resolutions near the end of the play) and, despite Miller's penchant as a director to keep things moving, the pace is not quick enough to glide over the slow spots. Perhaps the timing will improve as the run proceeds and the actors own their characters more comfortably. At this point, Adduci and Risteen convey the mother-daughter dynamic and Fagerberg exudes Taylor's social awkwardness. George telegraphs Leigh's interest in Taylor a little too soon and Estes would be more credible if she were slightly less demonic. Given the complexities of her character, Adler has a tough task to make Martha sympathetic and likable, but she gives a spirited performance that should find its footing.

Miller's set design gives the appropriate air of a tired, worn kitchen "at the once-popular Bayview Inn," complete with stains and scorch marks on the walls. Lighting design is by Michael Clark Wonson, designer J Jumbelic provides offstage sounds of a honking car horn and radio announcements, and Jess Huang cobbles together costumes that shed a lot of light on the personalities of the characters. The set decoration is minimal, but the focus deserves to be on the contestants' cakes. I won't tell you who wins, but I'd vote for the wedding cake.

Photo credit: Richard Hall/Silverline Images (Victoria George, Matt Fagerberg, Ashley Risteen, Maureen Adduci, Aina Adler, and Kelley Estes)

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