Review: THE CAKE at The Bent

In 2012, Colorado bakery owner Jack Phillips refused to bake a cake for couple David Mullins and Charlie Craig because he said it went against his religious beliefs. The couple won the case in the Colorado Supreme Court, but in a ruling written by Justice Kennedy, the United States Supreme Court said “The neutral and respectful consideration to which Phillips was entitled was compromised here” reversing the Colorado Supreme Court decision.

That ruling is the basis for The Cake by Bekah Brunstetter who also has This is Us writing and producing credits. In her story, our protagonist, devout Christian North Carolinian, Della (Sonia Reavis), owns a bakery, and is asked by her goddaughter, Jen (Sarah Elizabeth Woolsey), to bake a cake for her wedding to a black woman, Macy (Jessica Collins). The play explores how religious doctrine often wields uncompromising choices when it comes to loving.

In our open, Della is in her bakery in full on chatty mode with Macy, and although she doesn’t know who Macy is, Della’s going on, perhaps a little too much, about baking and how she’s been chosen to be a contestant on The Great American Baking Show while Macy, oddly, takes notes. We clear that up later with one line from Della, “I can’t let a reporter from New York, leave with just the bad taste of my coffee, have some cake.” But the choice of having Macy poking around like she’s casing the joint or trying to get some dirt, was a little odd. We put that aside, and get wrapped up in Della's story as she seamlessly steps in and out of the past through the magic of Mariah Pryor’s lighting, and the use of voiceover.  

Debra Jo Rupp originated the role of Della, you probably recall her from That 70s Show, playing the mom. She is a wonderful comedic actor, and Brunstetter may very well have had her in mind when she wrote it. That was back in 2017. I imagine there was some very high comedy going on in that production. While there is absolutely comedy going on in this production (and a lot of it) director Kudra Wagner made some satisfying choices in how high. 

Reavis’s Della has a shoreline filled with undercurrents bringing a rich complexity to what could have been very different in the hands of a less thoughtful actor and director. This Della seems equally thrilled and nervous about having a conversation with a black female journalist from New York right there in her bakery - who doesn't like cake but will drink her bad coffee. Della cajoles her, never losing that southern hospitality, but due to Macy poking around it almost feels like an unwelcome game of cat and mouse. When Jen enters, and the truth is eventually revealed, we immediately know what Della’s struggle is, and Jen’s understanding of what she’s asking of Della is a poignant moment. Even more layers are revealed as Macy comes to understand Jen’s need to have Della in her life on this important day despite her beliefs.

The most interesting aspect of the play, to me, is not the struggle between religion and human rights - that is important but it’s on the menu every day. What’s special is Della’s unexpected personal growth and how that growth impacts her and her marriage. Again, it’s unexpected, and unexpected is the best kind of entertainment.

Let’s talk about Jason Reale’s terrific set. Della’s bakery is adorably decorated in pink and green with southern charm and small-town hominess. Scalloped wooden canopies accentuate the shelving, with every detail attended to - even the cross above her bedroom door in the one eighteenth of play staged there, or the hideaway bed that pops out within the bakery turning it into the room where Jen and Macy are staying. Reale’s set was aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and incredibly functional to boot. Clever and well executed.

There is, of course, more to this play than what I have told you because I don’t do spoilers. To find out what happens and how we get there is just one ticket away.  

Let me entice you some more with the actors:

We’ve already discussed Reavis as Della, but also giving a terrific performance is Sarah Elizabeth Woolsey as Jen, who knows she is asking something of Della that might crack her open a little. Della was best friends with Jen’s mom who passed away, and Jen Means no harm to Della, she just loves her, and wants to be accepted for who she is by participating in the biggest day in her life. Woolsey gives us a very strong performance as Jen, her disappointed understanding, and hope for a different outcome are right there on her sleeve. Very nice and nuanced work by Woolsey.

Helping in Della’s ultimate metamorphosis, is Tim, Della’s confused, but loving husband, deftly played by Paul Crane. He, too, undergoes a metamorphosis, and Crane does a terrific job of finding his moments. 

Rounding out the cast, in her first stage role, is Jessica Collins as Macy, the agitator to Jen’s negotiator. Aside from the awkward start, Collins holds down and at times owns the stage. There is already talent there, and I look forward to seeing her growth as an actor.

As a friend said after seeing the play, “That was not at all what I expected. It was really fun!”

Now playing through April 12 at The Bent. 

Tickets Here

**All photos courtesy of Jim Cox

Production:

Kudra Wagner……Director

Emma Bibo………Stage Manager

Jason Reale……..Set Design

Mariah Pryor…….Lighting Design

Denee Dentice….Costume Design

Tessa Walker……Properties Design

Cast:

Jessica Collins….Macy

Paul Crane……...Tim

Sonia Reavis……Della