“With cake so good you could take a nap in it, a surprise lesbian wedding, and a reality show announcer whose narrative style can get a little too personal, this sweet comedy just might make you laugh until you cry.” – from Pandora Productions’ description of “The Cake”
Pandora Productions will continue their 2021-2022 season with “The Cake,” a play by award-winning playwright and screenwriter, Bekah Brunstetter (“This is Us”). Brunstetter wrote the play as a response to her parents disapproval of same-sex marriage.
The play centers around a lesbian wedding and the struggle of Della, a North Carolina baker and Christian. The play takes on the issue of religious beliefs versus personal relationships.
There have been many stories about queer weddings and issues with the cake, so it should be a unique experience to explore that issue further in this play. Here’s to hoping the protagonist finds it in her heart to put the cake before her learned hate.
A New York Times reviewer felt the play didn’t fulfill some of its promises in its early run, feeling that Brunstetter worked maybe too hard to make the character of Della a sympathetic one, and that the performance by Debra Jo Rupp (“That ‘70s Show”) was too sweet, but Pandora is another company, and this is another production.
It will be good to see how Pandora digs into the text of the play and how they iron out any rough spots, perhaps including how the character of Della should be seen. It’s a tough question to approach. How appropriate is it to ask for tenderness towards a character whose personal beliefs get in the way of their business? It’s a conundrum that cuts both ways. Do we need to patronize businesses when our own beliefs clash?
Find all of this out when “The Cake” runs at the Henry Clay Theatre, January 7,8,13,14,15 and 16. Times vary. Tickets are $22 in advance and can be purchased online at PandoraProds.org or by calling 216-5502.
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