Maybe one of my mantras in 2024 should be, “You don’t need to see everything.” I’ve had to keep repeating that to myself lately as I hear about Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), a new musical playing at the Kiln Theatre in London right now.
A few months ago, I saw a promotional video of the song “New York”, performed by the shows two stars, Sam Tutty and Dujonna Gift. It’s a silly, whimsical song, sung from the perspective of someone from the UK visiting New York for the first time.
There’s pizza for breakfast,
The steam in the air,
It’s candy not sweets,
And the streets are called sidewalks there.
My town,
Where everyone has an apartment to spare with a skyline view,
And even improbable dreams come true
I’m not from the UK, and I’ve been to New York many times, but this song still captures how I feel about my second favorite city in the world (San Diego still wins). I can’t help but wonder if the whole show feels like this. Based on promotional photos, it looks like a funny and sweet romantic comedy, performed by a 2 person cast on a minimal set.
Sam Tutty is no stranger to the stage. He made a name for himself a few years ago in the West End production of Dear Evan Hansen. Check out his performance of For Forever.
At the time of this writing, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) is playing at the Kiln Theatre in London until January 20th 2024. In the meantime, I will be performing my magic to manifest a post-West End Broadway transfer.