Grace Ake (1:07)

Tell me on the Sunday podcast Grace Ake.

Matt Tammanini (1:09)

Grace we are recording late because the reviews are now in for the Broadway premiere of Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York, which opened up on Broadway on Thursday night. And thankfully the reviews were embargoed for a reasonable time of 10pm rather than this hullabaloo of 11s and midnights. So thank you to everybody over at the Longacre Theater for making that happen. But it did official, we have all the reviews. We're going to dive into those. This of course is a transfer from London where it started as a tiny little fringe like show, moved to London, went to the West End and had an acclaimed run over there before moving to New York. It features a book and score written by Jim Barn and Kit Buchan and is directed and choreographed by Tim Jackson with Azmaret Gibber Michel being the associate director and choreographer. We saw Tim and Azmaret standing outside the Longacre after we saw the show kind of going over notes together. So that was fun. The show is a two hander and features Sam Tuddy, the Olivier Award winner for Dear Evan Hansen over in London as Dougal and Christiani Pitts as Robin. Now Tuddy did the show in the UK before bringing it to New York. Pitts is new to it in North America, having done the out of town tryout at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts as of recording time. Did they like it? Has not released their complete roundup, but I do have enough of the reviews to kind of give you a fairly good look at how things are. I think the reviews are mostly mixed to positive and we'll get into those, but the one that matters the most, the New York Times Laura Collins Hughes made the show a critics pick, Writing Quote the effervescent new musical comedy Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York, which opened on Thursday at the Longacre Theater, is the most charmingly simple show on Broadway right now. A stellar debut for its authors Tim Barn and Kit Buchan and the actor Sam Tutty, who plays the irrepressible Dougal. This twinkly two hander delivers lavishly on the promise of a rom com, laughter, escape and fantasy. Directed by Tim Jackson, this well honed production also taps into our brains theatrically with its clever pop score and a cityscape that is more suggested than realized. As gleefully as the musical follows the formula of the rom com genre, it also has a welcome comfort with ambiguity and stashed up its sleeve some psychological bombs. The action floats along so comfortably both in and out of song that it seems odd to interrupt that momentum with an intermission. But the second act brings a stark shift in tone, getting darker for a while before rebounding with great silliness and gratifying sympath. Diving into some of the other reviews, Jackson McHenry writing for Vulture was mixed Writing Quote as you grow, you do the hard work of parting with the vision of the world you had in your head. That's a dynamic repeated throughout Two Strangers. Dougal is learning to give up both his realized image of a foreign city and the relationship with his father he thinks he could reignite during this trip. And Robin, that's Pitts's character, learns to abandon the myth she's telling herself about her own failure. When the show's creators zero in on those feelings, something a lot more specific and wistful than a love story between two strangers, the piece comes alive. If only it stayed there. And Grace, since you and I have both seen the show, I'm only going to give one more critical review, but I'll have the links to the Broadway World Review Roundup and to did they like it in the show Notes if you want to read more, but I can't believe I'm doing this. I'm agreeing with him far more than I ever would like to, but Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post said, quote, the musical comes dangerously close to cloying sentimentality at times, but Dougal's dry sense of humor and Tudy's first class delivery prevents the story from ever getting too soupy. Now, Grace, you went and saw the invited dress. I saw it on Sunday. I saw it on Sunday, yeah. So why don't you go first, tell me what you thought of two strangers carry a cake across New York.

Grace Ake (4:45)

I had heard so many lovely things from people that saw this in the uk. I had known people that saw this at the Edinburgh Fringe. I had known people that were, you know, followers and fans of this show from the uk, but I'd had a few friends that saw it in Boston. I was not one of those people. I only got to see it on Broadway for their invited dress. So just like, full disclosure, I saw invited dress. However, I have learned that, like, it is pretty true to the invited dress rehearsal run that I got to see. It was so lovingly, surprisingly special. When people tell me a lover and I would say aficionado of Nora Ephron, they look. People looked at me and said, it's like When Harry Met Sally. It's a meet cute. It's a rom com. And I said, I'll be the judge of that. That's exactly my wheelhouse. Like, you can't just say that to someone like me. And they were fully right. It is a darling. And I don't mean that in an infantilizing way. I mean it in a genuine, warm hearted, lovely, excellent, nuanced performances from both of those actors. I look forward to the chance to see my friend Vincent Michael go on eventually, hopefully one day. But it was truly like, what a remarkable, lovely piece to have on Broadway. I just want to shout out again the fact that Kevin McCollum has been able to pull really small, really great pieces of musical theater from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival specifically, but also just in general choosing to invest in a fully original show with two actors that do not carry, like, film and television fame, but are so remarkably talented in their own right. Like, I'm just, I'm really grateful that this show is on Broadway and just more power to them. I recommend it to every single person that's coming through, especially around the holidays right now.

Matt Tammanini (6:33)

Yeah, it is a show that's actually set at this time of year. So that certainly helps it right now. But I agree with you. This is. It was a surprisingly wonderful show. And I will say I'm gonna push back a little bit on the rom com of it because I, for the most part, for like the first, at least for the first act and even a decent amount of the second act, I got less rom com vibes and more like buddy comedy road trip vibes. And certainly the rom com comes in as well. But I was kind of getting more of that kind of like fun, odd couple, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope kind of road trip thing.

Grace Ake (7:08)

It wasn't. I didn't need it to be this, like, sweeping romance at all. And when I say rom com, I just mean in a. There's a level of romance and there's a level of comedy. But it was. I would take a friend to see it. Like, I genuinely don't think it is a couple's lovers, friends to lovers thing. I think it's like a just remarkably sweet piece of theater between two individuals. And like, like I said, and I don't know if you all heard on the show the other day, my friend Vinnie, who is the standby for Sam, Teddy in the show, did physically carry my wedding cake, that is a coconut cake, like in the show, across a couple of streets to get to the Algonquin Hotel for our after party. So he really put in the work, you guys, you've got to see him. If and when he has those dates to go on, I will tell you. But he really did carry a cake.

Matt Tammanini (7:56)

Meta. So meta. But yes, the performances are great. Sam and Cristiani are both. I mean, delightful is the only way. And again, not to infantilize anything, but it's just like. Or to demean their performances. But they are delightful in the best way, but also deep as well. I think the performances are tremendous. The comedy is. I mean, I don't know that I've seen a more genuinely funny, like, adult funny comedy. Like, we have like, musical comedy things where they. You laugh as well. But this just felt like really sharp writing and smart writing.

Grace Ake (8:30)

It's remarkably earnest.

Matt Tammanini (8:32)

It's just.

Grace Ake (8:33)

It's like so genuine. I never thought, like, oh, God, please. Like, it's corny. It's not corny. It's like, it's corny in the moments that you want it to be. And it's very. It's blatantly frank when it needs to be. It's just really perfect.

Matt Tammanini (8:47)

Yeah, it's great. And the songs are good as well. I don't know that the score is its strongest point, but there were no bad songs. And I'll tell you, the opening song that Sam Tutty sings, I have had part of that song stuck in my head. Same since I saw it. Yeah. The New York. It's been stuck in my head since Sunday. So. Love the show. Recommend it. It's a pretty thin season in terms of the number of new musicals and unless Lost Boys is out of this world, great. I would be shocked if this is not the leader in the clubhouse for the best musical for Tony. You know, there could be other musicals that we don't know that are coming in which could upset that apple cart. But right now, like this, to me, from what I've seen and what we know has already been announced, it's the best thing out there. So I love it and completely recommend it. I'll talk a little bit more about my thoughts on the travelogue episode, so check that out on Patreon. All right. Speaking of the Tony Awards, yesterday we got the first round of eligibility determinations from the Tony Awards administration committee. Nothing too, too of the ordinary here, but the productions discussed were Call Me Izzy, Mamma Mia, Art, Waiting for Godot Punch, Ragtime, Liberation, Little Bear, Ridge Road, and Queen of Versailles. Some of the bigger ones, I guess. Again, none of them a surprise. But Christine Sherrill, who plays Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia. Is going to be eligible for best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical. All three of Casey Levy, Brandon Uranowitz and Joshua Henry will also be considered in their respective lead categories. This one's kind of interesting. Leanne Pender, who is the movement director for her work, is going to be considered eligible for best choreography. Susanna Flood, who is the lead in Liberation, is going to be eligible in the leading actress in a play category. We'll have the complete determinations. There are some other design ones that were mixed in, but for the most part, everything stuck to their opening night credits. All right, Grace, we've got some show and casting news that I want to get into and we're going to start over at Circle in the Square theater because two things were announced from just in time yesterday. One that they are extending. They're adding a new set of block of tickets through March 29th of 2026. That puts it essentially at a year on Broadway. And that will be Jonathan Groff's last day playing Bobby Darin. What this doesn't say is that this is going to be closing. In fact, it says Grof successor is to be announced Now, I have heard some pretty crazy rumors. I mean, maybe not crazy, it actually makes a ton of sense. Somebody that I spent about an hour watching on TV today because he is currently a big part of one of the biggest shows on television. That's the rumor. I don't know if that's true or not, but Jonathan Groff leaving just in time. So if you want to see him in this role, and I highly, highly recommend that you do, check it out by March 29th. But Grace, this is. It's so funny to think of a show starring like the Reign, a reigning Tony winner and one of the biggest stars on Broadway, like in Underdog. But to me, this feels like such an underdog story that this has become such a sensation. I initially thought maybe this gets six months and now it's going to be running for a year. And then talking about replacements, this just makes me happy that this show, which doesn't seem like it has the pedigree despite being a bio musical, to be a huge, massive Broadway hit, but that is exactly what it's become.

Grace Ake (12:16)

None of this has to do with Bobby Darin. It all has to do with the box office power of Jonathan Groff. And you underestimate white women. Matt, I just gotta say, like, you, you really, you've not talked to 60 year old white women because let me tell you, I spent time with my mom last week. She said, I think it's the greatest musical I've ever seen. And I was like, Margaret, I love that for you. Like, it's the way it's, it's truly, it's, it's the way that like, women have like latched on to this man since Merrily and Beyond before ever since Glee. He has a rabid fan base and like you look at how he sold Little Shop of Horrors when they, you know, initially brought that revival off Broadway. Now it's like a soaring success. I think that when you build the right vehicle for him, he soars. He just really does. So this is not shocking to me. I never was like, oh, it's the little engine that could. Like when they said circle in the square, I was like, yeah, it's going to sell out without question. So congratulations to all of them. I have also heard those rumors. I'm very intrigued by them. I think that if we, if they are correct, and I think that they are, it's going to continue on.

Matt Tammanini (13:25)

Yeah. When you said I underestimated the power of white women, this replacement also falls in that exact demographic. We, we aren't going to say Matt, you.

Grace Ake (13:35)

You aren't a person that went to Clay Aiken's tour. You don't know what I've been through. Like, if you've never been a Claymate, you don't know these fans.

Matt Tammanini (13:44)

Clay Aiken is not who we're talking about, by the way. At least that's not who I'm talking about.

Grace Ake (13:48)

But it could.

Matt Tammanini (13:50)

It very well could. But I think that this new replacement will have people feeling good. We just haven't met him yet. So we will figure out what happens with that coming up soon. Now, Grace, this is an announcement about an actor that appeals to a certain demographic of women as well, and a demographic that I believe you fall into because yesterday it was announced that coming up on December 15th at Carnegie hall at the Bridges of Madison county reunion concert, Hunter Foster will not be able to perform due to a scheduling conflict. In his stead will be one Paul Alexander Nolan. So Paul Alexander Nolan will join Stephen Pasquale, Kelly o', Hara, Derek Klena, and the rest of the original Broadway cast of Bridges. So, again, lots of screaming women, probably. When it comes to Paul Alexander Nolan.

Grace Ake (14:35)

Oh, no, I'm a Pan fan. You can't say that this is too much for me.

Matt Tammanini (14:40)

I know. Be still your beating heart, I'm sure. Speaking of shows that are box office successes thanks to the power of their stars, it was announced yesterday that Waiting for Godos, starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winters, has recouped its initial $7.5 million investment in just eight weeks. They did it through November 9, making it the first production to announce that it has made its money back from the 2025, 2026 season. No surprise here whatsoever. They knew exactly what they had to do to make this a financial success. And when you have someone like Keanu Reeves, especially in it, you knew this was going to happen. It was just a matter of time. And then moving Off Broadway, the off Broadway hit that has been really a really strong surprise for almost a year now in two different incarnations. Pen Pals has announced another extension that will be its final. It's its fourth extension as it's running at the Dr. 2 Theater. And in a return engagement, it is now going to play through March 15. They have announced a slew of new cast members that will be coming in. If you remember, this is a show kind of like Love Letters, where two longtime friends write back and forth to each other and is always done by two women. Coming up here, actually, starting later, starting next week, we'll have Paige Davis and Montego Glover in December It'd also be Donna Lynn Champlin, Emily Skinner, Beth Leavel, Randy Graf are coming up in January. Now we know in February there will be a pairing of Gina Torres and Carmen Cusack. And the final group will be Tony nominee and Disney icon Jodi Benson with Marsha Mitzman Gavin. But starting in February, from February 4th through the 15th, which is right there around Valentine's Day, recent Broadway alum and veteran of the Office, Melora Hardin will be joining the production with tbd. Does not say who it's going to be, but I will just tell you that I got a call on Thursday from TBD to see what I'd heard about this show and what I thought. So keep that in the back of your mind and hopefully that'll be announced soon. Now, Grace, the final bit of show and casting news is actually a kind of somber bit because yesterday it was announced by herself on her Instagram that Shayna Taub will be taking a leave of absence from the Broadway production of ragtime from January 6 through March 29. She posted an incredibly vulnerable and open letter on her Instagram where she talks about that even though the fact of playing Emma Goldman in a production of Ragtime is a childhood dream, that she needs to take a both physical and mental break after experiencing a miscarriage. She talks about the fact that she has had three pregnancies over the past few years that have ended in loss. One during the run of Suffs, another one that happened back in May, and then one actually the week that Ragtime opened. So this is a an incredibly remarkable thing to put out there publicly, especially with all of these losses happening at such critical times in both her personal and professional life. But our thoughts are with Shayna. She is planning of course to come back after this hiatus. We don't know who's going to be stepping in in her stead, but obviously we want to send out the best to Shayna. Two time Tony Award winner Shayna Taub is one of the best. And to have her be this frank and open with everybody I think is remarkable and very important as well. All right, for something a little bit more exciting, Grace, it was announced this week that a number of Broadway ad agencies won some awards and AKA NYC was the most represented, taking home multiple Clio Entertainment Awards, including a Silver Clio for AKA's Arts Insiders Sunset Boulevard campaign. So are you now award winning marketing executive Grace Hockey?

Grace Ake (18:35)

I am a Clio Award winning human being, yes.

Matt Tammanini (18:41)

Congratulations.

Grace Ake (18:42)

Crazy. Thank you. I didn't. I found out on Saturday. I'm really honored and excited. And I thanked Jamie Lloyd for saying yes to the project yesterday because it was, I mean, it was in due part to his direction. So it was really, really cool. But I love getting to do what I get to do. I'm very privileged and grateful for that work. And I love getting to do things that enhance the art form that we all love so much, which is live theater. So, yeah, I thought that was a really cool, lovely recognition. And what a bizarre, wonderful thing to get the week of my wedding. It's been a crazy thing.

Matt Tammanini (19:26)

Yeah. Yeah. AKA also won Cleo's four campaigns for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Buena Vista Social Club, Good Night and Good Luck and Ragtime. Over in London, AKA Branch won things for the Donmar Warehouse as well as Paddington Spotco. Another Broadway agency won things for Death Becomes her and Once Upon a Mattress. Outside of the stage World, Sereno Coin, which is another Broadway agency, one for their work with the Museum of Modern Art. So lots of these agencies that are kind of the unsung under, you know, the unsung fabric of how we know about Broadway shows are some of the best. And it really is a credit to all of the work that you guys do. All right, Grace, let's wrap up with a recommendation. And this one is a little. We're a little biased on this because this is a new single released by Kennedy Coughlin, who is currently playing Jersey in the national tour of Hell's Kitchen. It was produced in part by our friend Robbie Roselle. But to celebrate the release of Wicked for Good, Kennedy, who is a former tour Elphaba, did a mashup of I'm not that Girl and Defying Gravity, kind of a stripped back version of those songs. You are probably listening to it right now under my talking. The single will be available to stream on all platforms at midnight. So if you're listening to this, like right when it comes out in Patreon, you'll have to wait till midnight. Otherwise, it is available now to stream, but I'll have a link to that in the show notes.

Kennedy Coughlin (20:57)

Don't dream too far Door sight of who you are don't remember that rush of joy it could be that boy But I'm not that girl.

Matt Tammanini (21:23)

All right, everybody, that's all that we have for today. Thanks for listening to Today on Broadway. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram odderadio. If you want more Broadway radio, head over to patreon.com broadwayradio Grace, where can people find you?

Grace Ake (21:31)

You can find me at Grace Hockey.

Matt Tammanini (21:33)

All right, everybody, have a wonderful Friday, a wonderful weekend. We'll be back to talk to you on Monday.

Kennedy Coughlin (21:48)

Blithe smile, Lithe limb. She who's winsome, she wins him.