Review: THE CAKE at Crescent City Stage

THE CAKE, receiving its regional premiere, is the latest offering from Crescent City Stage and is now running now through June 16th. There are four more chances to experience this rich, emotional cultural reflection, which was a delight for this critic during Pride in Louisiana.

Written by Bekah Brunstetter, THE CAKE was inspired by the Supreme Court case involving baker Jack Phillips’ refusal to make a wedding cake for a gay couple. The majority ruled in favor of Phillips, protecting the owner's rights under the First Amendment, but the decision did not provide an answer to whether businesses can refuse to serve the LGBT+ community.

The story of Della, a bakery owner who lives in a small North Carolina town, is very similar to the Supreme Court case. Like Phillips, Della faces the same dilemma when asked to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding.

The difference and the instant hook? One of the two brides is Jen, whom Della loves like the daughter she never had.

From the outset, the play’s setting is both familiar and intimate, capturing the essence of a Southern bakery where everyone knows your name and every cake tells a story. The warmth and charm of Della, portrayed with genuine affection and depth by Lara Grice, draws the audience into her world where sugar, flour and eggs are mixed with a hefty dose of conservative values and religious beliefs.

Both heartfelt and compelling, THE CAKE is a witty exploration of the complexities of faith, love and acceptance, all with a generous sprinkle of humor. At first, Della could not be more thrilled to bake the wedding cake for the daughter of her late best friend. She even suggested it before Jen asked. But after learning that Jen’s fiancé is the intelligent, blunt and gluten-free Macy, the devout Della suddenly is too busy to make the cake in time for the wedding.

From the moment we meet her in the opening monologue, Della demonstrates her fixed opinions on how cakes should be made. One shouldn’t deter from the recipe. To make a great cake is all about following directions. As a Christian raised in the South, Della firmly believes that marriage should be solely between a man and a woman, even if the news of Jen’s nuptials makes her question her own sexless, childless, status-quo marriage to her husband Tim, played by Mike Harkins.

A crisis of faith begins to bake inside of Della. She’s a true believer, steeped in the culture of a small Southern town, but she becomes utterly distressed by her own decision and is horrified at the thought of losing Jen’s love. As Della unpacks her conscience with Tim, Jen and Macy duke it out on their own. Macy does not care for bigots and says Della is one. Jen is still trying to come to terms with Della’s rejection and how to stand up for herself as a sexual minority while still loving the place where she came from.

The production’s timing during Pride adds a poignant layer of relevance, highlighting the ongoing struggle for acceptance and the celebration of identity in a region often characterized by its traditional values. There will be times that the audience will both laugh and cringe at the same time. Brunstetter’s knack for comedic writing helps soothe the heaviness of the dramatic scenes, but her writing truly shines in her authenticity and ability to humanize all sides of this debate.

Nothing captures this more than Joy Donze’s sensitive and nuanced portrayal of Jen. Jen feels torn between two worlds: being true to herself and the love and fond memories of growing up in her small town. She feels terrible that she is a source of pain for Della. And when Della tells her misguided truths to Jen, it hurts that much more.

But Grice’s Della is not depicted as a villain. She is sweet and likable from the very start. She is just a woman grappling with her beliefs, which she has followed perhaps closer than any of her recipes. Macy, played by Lorene Chesley, does not give a damn about Della’s struggles and bristles over the baker’s rather hen-ish hesitant behavior. Chesley shines as this young, outspoken journalist who refuses to stop calling out what she perceives as injustice; even if it means hurting her fiancé. She carries herself with strength, but beneath that is a raw heart asking why she’s hated just because of who she loves.

The weighty social issues and the intimate relations between the two couples make this a complicated play to direct. Still, Elizabeth Newcomer handles it all deftly, allowing for the humor to shine through without sacrificing the emotional moments. THE CAKE is a successful comedy that evokes refreshing questions about internalized bias. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention there is cake at the end. So go and enjoy THE CAKE and eat it too.

THE CAKE plays at the Marquette Theatre at Loyola University, through June 16. For information and tickets, visit crescentcitystage.com.

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