Review: Lauren Shouse's Sublime Direction of THE CAKE Provides Much Food for Thought

Lauren Shouse's directorial resume is quite the impressive one and over the years she's helmed productions for Nashville Repertory Theatre that have been justifiably acclaimed both by audiences and critics alike. But despite the notoriety that seems to always accompany a "Lauren Shouse-directed production," perhaps none is more deserved than the accolades that follow in the wake of The Cake, the latest entry on her already stellar list of shows.

The second production in Nashville Rep's surprisingly groundbreaking 2022-23 season, Bekah Brunstetter's The Cake is, by turns, laugh-out-loud funny, genuinely moving, infuriating and heartbreaking, provocative and thoughtful and, under Shouse's brilliant direction of a superb cast, an authentic reflection on love and community and a testimony to what makes a family. Like Rent before it (the show that opened the Rep season that featured, for perhaps the first time, a romantic relationship between two men), The Cake offers the heartfelt and romantic pairing of two women at the center of its timely story.

Set in the small North Carolina city of Winston, The Cake focuses on what happens when a much-loved native of the town returns home to share the joy of new love by marrying her soulmate in the company of her extended family and friends. Jen (not Jenny) comes home for her wedding because that is where much of her heart still resides and in the ardor of newfound love and devotion there is no place more apropos for celebrating a relationship that will define much of the rest of her life.

In many ways, Jen is the quintessential Southern bride-to-be - regardless of the fact that she now lives in New York - and she brings with her not only a notebook filled to the brim with wedding ideas but the love of her life: Macy, an outwardly confident and equally strong-willed young woman, who lives as authentically and as fiercely as she loves. They seem the ideal young couple and although their dreams of what makes a wedding perfect may differ, they nonetheless are of one mind about what makes their union, their love, so very special.

But when they go to visit Della, the best friend of Jen's late mother and the owner of the town's best-known bakery, to talk wedding plans in general and wedding cakes in particular, Jen and Macy come face-to-face with the reality of what it means to be a same-gender couple hoping to take part in the centuries-old traditions of marriage in a community that is perhaps unready to embrace new 21st century traditions.

Brunstetter's script fairly crackles with contemporary energy and current talking points, as might be expected, but the resulting play seems far more original, even unique, in its treatment of Jen and Macy's union and, perhaps more importantly, the impact it will have on the union of Della and her husband Tim. Brunstetter's dialogue refrains from being pedantic and heavy-handed, instead giving her audiences the opportunity to make up their own minds about the events that take place. She walks a very fine line - it would be too easy to depict her characters as stereotypes - but instead she chooses to maintain their humanity. In turn, audiences will find much of themselves in the fictional characters onstage.

Shouse shows off her casting skills by assembling a cast of familiar faces and beloved personalities to bring Brunstetter's characters to life. By casting Megan Murphy Chambers in the central role of Della, she not only gives the talented actor the chance to give yet another tour-de-force performance, Shouse ensures that the audience will hear Della out, no matter how personally repugnant they may find her opinions to be. Easily one of Nashville's most versatile actors, Murphy Chambers takes on Della as confidently as any character she's ever played, investing in her with every ounce of her considerable talents to create a performance that will linger long past the final curtain. As Della struggles with her closely held beliefs and questions her own marriage and how she defines what love really means, Murphy Chambers becomes the conduit for every audience member who has ever been faced with such a conundrum. And because the actor is so universally and genuinely loved and respected by anyone who has ever witnessed a performance, Della's dramatic arc is intensely relatable and resonant.

Likewise, by casting Mariah Parris as Jen and Maya Antoinette Riley as Macy - both of whom have grown up on Nashville stages and matured as actors before our very eyes - Shouse maintains the integrity of Brunstetter's play and its characters. Jen's homecoming resonates so deeply because as theater-goers, the audience has borne witness to both Parris' and Riley's own theatrical homecomings. As we (the collective "we" of the audience, in addition to the royal "we" of the reviewer) watch Jen and Macy deal with the realities of changing mores and ideals in the contemporary South, we feel the emotional tug engendered by our personal attachments to the actors. Parris' richly conveyed onstage experiences as her character packs an unexpected emotional wallop that brings the story its heart. Meanwhile, Riley's multi-faceted Macy serves as the stand-in for audience members removed from the personal connection to the actors we feel, drawing them deeper into the sometimes difficult, oftentimes funny moments depicted onstage.

Christopher Strand, another stalwart member of Nashville's acting community, is ideally cast as Della's loving, if distant, husband. Even as the couple have drifted apart over the years of their marriage, Strand very assuredly conveys the deep-seated love that remains, even while he has some damn funny moments with Murphy Chambers.

Shouse's sublime direction of The Cake, of course, goes beyond her casting abilities and she underscores every hilarious moment with genuine affection and good humor, with every heartbreaking moment illuminated by pathos and grace. To be frank, we cannot imagine any director crafting a more delicious serving of The Cake.

Aiding and abetting Shouse in her mission to bring Brunstetter's page-bound comedy to vivid life - to allow it to soar, if you will - are members of Nashville Rep's creative team. Joonhee Park delivers a gorgeous scenic design, giving Della's cake shop the perfect ambience and creatively helping scenes to transition with some theatrical wizardry that audiences are sure to love. Alexis Grigsby costumes the four-person ensemble with equal panache, while lighting design Philip Franck illuminates the setting with his always spectacular lighting design. Further, special attention must be paid to D'Andrews Bakery, which provides the cakes that figure so prominently and adds such luster to Murphy Chambers' performance.

The Cake. By Bekah Brunstetter. Directed by Lauren Shouse. Stage managed by Teresa Driver. Assistant directed by Payton McCarthy. Presented by Nashville Repertory Theatre at Andrew Johnson Theatre, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville. Through October 30. For details, go to www.nashvillerep.org.

Photos by Michael Scott Evans

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