Photos by Ryan Loyd, RYLO Media Design
Mmmmmm . . . a stage set filled with cakes of all shapes and sizes and colors and flavors . . . and the play that’s about to start has been billed as a comedic collision of “faith, family, and frosting.”
Can you say “layers”?
The Cake stacks one surprise on top of another—perhaps too many in its one-hour-and-forty-minutes-with-no-intermission—but it is true to its billing: religion, relationships, love, marriage, sex, and buttercream tier major talking points one atop the other in the SLO Rep production of Bekah Brunstetter’s play, running now through April 13.
The primary character is Della, proprietor of Della’s Sweets, a bakeshop that serves as the setting for most of the action. (The clever use of pullout drawers and lighting—Dave Linfield and Kevin Harris, respectively, strike again—transforms the set as needed into a couple of different bedrooms, where some action of a more intimate sort takes place. Thus the warning that “due to mature language, partial nudity, adult situations, and sexually-charged moments, this play is recommended for audiences 18 and older.”)
Della (Suzy Newman, once again proving her versatility) sets the tone of the show right from the get-go, reiterating the right way to make a cake: “You must follow the directions.” It takes time, and obedience to the recipe instructions, and—oh!—you are wrong if you don’t follow the correct steps.
Newman lays down this unconditional first layer of the story with a cheerful forcefulness that begins to falter as Della confronts the play’s central conflict. Can Della defy the bigotry of her (and her husband’s) religious background to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple, because she cares for one member of the couple like a daughter?
The playwright seems to feel that this question isn’t a big enough one to stand alone, instead introducing elements of biblical shaming and sexual dysfunction into the mix, not to mention side-tracking into Della’s upcoming appearance on the “Big American Bake Off” to provide some creative levity to the baker’s worries. Brunstetter’s recipe is a bit complex, but director Kerry DiMaggio has tidily tied all the bits and pieces into a coherent flow, where we come to understand each of the characters and most of their internal as well as external conflicts.
The casting, beginning with Newman, is excellent, with Galloway Stevens, Ksa Curry and Kaylene Howard all creating winning and sympathetic characters with whom we might enjoy spending more time. The props (by Lisa Langere, Suzy Newman, and Suzie Reynolds) and costume design (by Reneé Van Niel) add appropriate and believable dimensions, helping add up to what amounts to a most agreeable production.
Take The Cake for what it is—an even, well-rounded confection that reflects well on SLO Rep for providing its usual exceptional ingredients.