{"id":2169710,"date":"2025-11-21T03:06:20","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T03:06:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2169710"},"modified":"2025-11-21T03:06:20","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T03:06:20","slug":"two-strangers-carry-a-cake-across-new-york-review-a-hilarious-new-star-bursts-onto-broadway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/two-strangers-carry-a-cake-across-new-york-review-a-hilarious-new-star-bursts-onto-broadway\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York)&#8217; review: A hilarious new star bursts onto Broadway"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2025%2F11%2F115855792.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"inline-module inline-module--review alignleft\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n\t\t<span class=\"inline-module--review__eyebrow subsection-heading-semi__label\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tTheater review\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"inline-module--review__title subsection-heading-semi\">\n\t\t\tTWO STRANGERS (CARRY A CAKE ACROSS NEW YORK)\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"rating\">\n<div class=\"rating__stars\">\n<div class=\"rating__star rating__star--filled\"><?php \/**\n * Review star.\n * \n * @package nyp-editor\n *\/\n\n??><\/p>\n<style><![CDATA[\n\t.review-block-star {\n\t\t--review-block-star--empty-color: #585858;\n\t\t--review-block-star--fill-color: #000;\n\t}\n]]><\/style>\n<p><svg class=\"icon-star review-block-star\" stroke=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\" fill=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\" stroke-width=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" height=\"13px\" width=\"13px\">\n\t<defs>\n\t\t<lineargradient id=\"half-gradient\">\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"50%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\"\/>\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"0%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\"\/>\n\t\t<\/lineargradient>\n\t<\/defs>\n\t<path d=\"M3.612 15.443c-.386.198-.824-.149-.746-.592l.83-4.73L.173 6.765c-.329-.314-.158-.888.283-.95l4.898-.696L7.538.792c.197-.39.73-.39.927 0l2.184 4.327 4.898.696c.441.062.612.636.283.95l-3.523 3.356.83 4.73c.078.443-.36.79-.746.592L8 13.187l-4.389 2.256z\">\n\t<\/path>\n<\/svg>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rating__star rating__star--filled\"><?php \/**\n * Review star.\n * \n * @package nyp-editor\n *\/\n\n??><\/p>\n<style><![CDATA[\n\t.review-block-star {\n\t\t--review-block-star--empty-color: #585858;\n\t\t--review-block-star--fill-color: #000;\n\t}\n]]><\/style>\n<p><svg class=\"icon-star review-block-star\" stroke=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\" fill=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\" stroke-width=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" height=\"13px\" width=\"13px\">\n\t<defs>\n\t\t<lineargradient id=\"half-gradient\">\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"50%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\"\/>\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"0%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\"\/>\n\t\t<\/lineargradient>\n\t<\/defs>\n\t<path d=\"M3.612 15.443c-.386.198-.824-.149-.746-.592l.83-4.73L.173 6.765c-.329-.314-.158-.888.283-.95l4.898-.696L7.538.792c.197-.39.73-.39.927 0l2.184 4.327 4.898.696c.441.062.612.636.283.95l-3.523 3.356.83 4.73c.078.443-.36.79-.746.592L8 13.187l-4.389 2.256z\">\n\t<\/path>\n<\/svg>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rating__star rating__star--filled\"><?php \/**\n * Review star.\n * \n * @package nyp-editor\n *\/\n\n??><\/p>\n<style><![CDATA[\n\t.review-block-star {\n\t\t--review-block-star--empty-color: #585858;\n\t\t--review-block-star--fill-color: #000;\n\t}\n]]><\/style>\n<p><svg class=\"icon-star review-block-star\" stroke=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\" fill=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\" stroke-width=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" height=\"13px\" width=\"13px\">\n\t<defs>\n\t\t<lineargradient id=\"half-gradient\">\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"50%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\"\/>\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"0%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\"\/>\n\t\t<\/lineargradient>\n\t<\/defs>\n\t<path d=\"M3.612 15.443c-.386.198-.824-.149-.746-.592l.83-4.73L.173 6.765c-.329-.314-.158-.888.283-.95l4.898-.696L7.538.792c.197-.39.73-.39.927 0l2.184 4.327 4.898.696c.441.062.612.636.283.95l-3.523 3.356.83 4.73c.078.443-.36.79-.746.592L8 13.187l-4.389 2.256z\">\n\t<\/path>\n<\/svg>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rating__star rating__star--empty\"><?php \/**\n * Review star.\n * \n * @package nyp-editor\n *\/\n\n??><\/p>\n<style><![CDATA[\n\t.review-block-star {\n\t\t--review-block-star--empty-color: #585858;\n\t\t--review-block-star--fill-color: #000;\n\t}\n]]><\/style>\n<p><svg class=\"icon-star review-block-star\" stroke=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\" fill=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\" stroke-width=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" height=\"13px\" width=\"13px\">\n\t<defs>\n\t\t<lineargradient id=\"half-gradient\">\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"50%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\"\/>\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"0%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\"\/>\n\t\t<\/lineargradient>\n\t<\/defs>\n\t<path d=\"M3.612 15.443c-.386.198-.824-.149-.746-.592l.83-4.73L.173 6.765c-.329-.314-.158-.888.283-.95l4.898-.696L7.538.792c.197-.39.73-.39.927 0l2.184 4.327 4.898.696c.441.062.612.636.283.95l-3.523 3.356.83 4.73c.078.443-.36.79-.746.592L8 13.187l-4.389 2.256z\">\n\t<\/path>\n<\/svg>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Two hours and 30 minutes with one intermission. At the Longacre Theatre, 220 W. 48th Street.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Like unwrapping a present under the tree, you\u2019re not quite sure what you\u2019re in for at the start of \u201cTwo Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York),\u201d the little musical from London that opened Thursday night.<\/p>\n<p>Will I need to keep the gift receipt? By the end of the feel-good holiday comedy, though, it\u2019s been a great Christmas. We\u2019ve got a brand new Broadway star.<\/p>\n<p>His name is <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/09\/25\/lifestyle\/show-and-tell-curtains-up-on-kid-friendly-theater\/\">Sam Tutty<\/a>, the 27-year-old British actor who is making a must-see NYC debut at the Longacre Theatre.<\/p>\n<p>With a crisp pop voice \u2014 he played the title role in <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/06\/07\/dear-evan-hansen-to-end-six-year-tony-winning-broadway-run\/\">\u201cDear Evan Hansen\u201d<\/a> in the West End \u2014 he\u2019s hilarious, Shirley Temple endearing and effortlessly magnetic as a puppy-dog Englishman who\u2019s just landed in the five boroughs for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>Tutty\u2019s co-star in the two-hander, Christiani Pitts, is lovely as the Brooklyn-born city dweller who picks him up at JFK. Chemistry is essential here, and the well-cast pair blindingly spark. But the truth is that Tutty is not only carrying a cake, but an entire show.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter\">\n<div class=\"inline-module inline-module--more inline-module--columnist inline-module--more--thirds\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<h2 class=\"inline-module__heading subsection-heading subsection-heading--single-line \">\n\t\t\tMore From\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"subsection-heading__sub\">Johnny Oleksinski<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The guy takes a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/11\/19\/lifestyle\/thanksgiving-2025-meal-and-grocery-deals-return-at-walmart-more\/\">Costco<\/a> sirloin and turns it into Peter Luger.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s not to say the musical by the writing team of Jim Barne and Kit Buchan is lousy. \u201cTwo Strangers\u201d is never less than likable. But I simply cannot imagine it working nearly as well without its extraordinary male lead.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Christiani Pitts and Sam Tutty star in \u201cTwo Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York).\u201d <span class=\"credit\">Matthew Murphy<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cTwo Strangers\u201d is reminiscent of a seasonal Netflix meet-cute. The 2023 flick \u201cLove at First Sight\u201d with Ben Hardy and Haley Lu Richardson immediately comes to mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Tinder, flirty texting and high costs of living all play a very 2020s role.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Chatty, jokey Dougal (Tutty) is greeted at the airport by Robin (Pitts), a busy introvert he\u2019s never met before and we soon learn is the younger sister of Dougal\u2019s dad Mark\u2019s new bride.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Travel is the look <em>du jour <\/em>in director Tim Jackson\u2019s sleek but not robotic production.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The clever set of silvery suitcases by Soutra Gilmour suggests there\u2019s been an explosion at the Samsonite factory. Like lost souls Dougal and Robin, the luggage reveals hidden secrets as the story rolls on.<\/p>\n<p>The bright-eyed tourist has never spent time with his pop before, either, and is in his dream town of New York for just 48 hours to attend dad\u2019s wedding. He\u2019s bursting with excitement, even though his scant knowledge of the Big Apple comes from \u201cHome Alone 2.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Dougal meets Robin at the airport after landing from London. <span class=\"credit\">Matthew Murphy<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIs that Times Square?!,\u201d Dougal asks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo,\u201d replies struggling barista Robin. \u201cThat\u2019s Queens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With just $60 in his pocket, he wants to dive right into everything the city has to offer. So she begrudgingly lets him tag long to pick up the cake in Flatbush.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is not a spiritual journey,\u201d Robin insists.<\/p>\n<p>Spoiler alert: It is.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Sam Tutty is making a must-see New York debut. <span class=\"credit\">Matthew Murphy<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Dougal sees everything \u2014 from his bedbug-infested hostel, to a cool hat on the subway, to a boiled hotdog \u2014 with childlike wonderment. As the snow falls, Robin, as emotionally calloused as any New Yorker, begins to melt.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What elevates the show from an assembly-line rom-com is the way Barne and Buchan balance the genre\u2019s baked-in cliches with sharp left turns and nuanced commentary about life experience and personal connection. \u201cTwo Strangers\u201d ain\u2019t packing snow, but it\u2019s not powder either.<\/p>\n<p>The musical comes dangerously close to cloying sentimentality at times, but Dougal\u2019s dry sense of humor and Tutty\u2019s first-class delivery prevents the story from ever getting too soupy.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>As Robin, Christiani Pitts has the more flamboyant role.  <span class=\"credit\">Matthew Murphy<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That\u2019s a challenge as the score is practically a soup kitchen of watered-down Broadway pop ballads with an occasional \u201cThe Tango Maureen\u201d-style tune for laughs. This is the rare musical where the songs are greatly outshone by the book.<\/p>\n<p>Next to Dougal, Robin is the less flamboyant role with one too many personal complications. She keeps her cards close to the vest, and the vulnerable Pitts brings on the waterworks as Robin\u2019s hardened exterior begins to crack.<\/p>\n<p>Yet it\u2019s Tutty the crowd walks out onto 48th Street buzzing about. You\u2019ve just gotta see him carry this cake. The kid\u2019s got layers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source celebrity.land \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Theater review TWO STRANGERS (CARRY A CAKE ACROSS NEW YORK) Two hours and 30 minutes with one intermission. At the Longacre Theatre, 220 W. 48th Street. Like unwrapping a present under the tree, you\u2019re not quite sure what you\u2019re in for at the start of \u201cTwo Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York),\u201d the little [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2169711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25174],"tags":[344468,21741,345885,24047,345886],"class_list":["post-2169710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gossip","tag-broadway","tag-entertainment","tag-musicals","tag-theater","tag-theater-reviews"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Two-Strangers-Carry-A-Cake-Across-New-York-review-A.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2169710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2169710"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2169710\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2169712,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2169710\/revisions\/2169712"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2169711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2169710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2169710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2169710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}