A SLICE OF LIFE WITH LAYERS OF ISSUES
The Bent, Coachella Valley’s main theatre geared towards the queer community, is currently running The Cake, playwright Bekah Brunstetter’s take on the true news story about a bakery that refused to make a cake for a same-sex wedding.
The Cake is a dramedy, with four actors generating numerous laughs and shining in the highly emotional moments. Kudra Wagner’s direction is excellent, evoking top-notch pacing from the performers. My only two complaints are that the script is uneven and that one of the actors lacked emotion in the calmer moments. Nonetheless, I recommend this enjoyable one-act production that requires the audience to think and feel.
Most people will recall the events about a bakery that refused to prepare a cake for a wedding between two men. The legal debate became thorny because of the conflict between the required equality in public accommodations and the religious freedom of the bakeshop owners. (By the way, the Supreme Court ducked the issue regarding the same-sex wedding cake and dismissed it on a technicality.) Most of us were probably rooting for the engaged couple, but that could have created a long line of troublesome issues. For example, would kosher caterers be forced to serve pork chops? What about the other infamous cake case, where a baker refused to provide a birthday cake for a bizarrely named seven-year-old, whose neo-Nazi family wanted the cake inscribed “Happy birthday Adolf Hitler,” the child’s first and middle names?
Ms. Brunstetter wisely adds dramatic tension by putting the cake controversy between close friends, instead of between a bake shop and a customer. Jen (Sarah Elizabeth Woolsey), a young woman who grew up in the South and now lives in New York City, and her girlfriend, Macy (Jessica Collins), a native of NYC, travel to Jen’s North Carolina small town to announce their engagement. They ask Jen’s deceased mother’s best friend Della (Sonia Reavis), who owns a bakery and has been accepted onto a television baking contest show, to make their cake. As Jen probably should have expected because Della is an evangelical Christian, Della clearly does not want to make a cake for a same-sex wedding, and pleads overwork for the time period in question. And so the hard feelings begin.
There are problems with the script in that Della hardens her position at oddball times, such as after being sympathetic to members of the same sex falling in love. Also, given Della’s friendly nature and obvious love for Jen, I think that she would at least once say, “Let me think about it.” There are other things I did not like about the script, which tends to concentrate on issues, not story. Overall, it’s less a universal provocation and more a super-smart After School Special, with dialogue more appropriate for 3-camera TV than theater.
The good news is that the production outweighs the script problems: These four talented actors give their all to their parts, convincingly playing the loud, angry scenes, while most were great in the quieter parts. The only male in the show is Paul Crane, who plays Della’s opinionated, bossy husband; Crane has mastered some fabulous facial expressions — keep your eyes on him.
The technical aspects are also wonderful. Mariah Pryor’s lighting is tight, delineating various areas on Jason Reale‘s extraordinary set. The adorable bake shop, with pink and aqua highlights and black-and-white tile flooring, perfectly fits Della and helps us understand her character.
Despite my issues with the script, I enjoyed The Cake, and very much appreciated its relevance to the current political situation. I recommend it for open-minded audiences (both to the left and right, because the script is balanced in the way it portrays the characters).
photos by Jim Cox
The Cake
The Bent Theatre
in association with The Palm Springs Cultural Center
Camelot Theatres, 2300 East Baristo Road in Palm Springs
Thurs-Sat at 7; Sun at 2
ends on April 12, 2025
for tickets ($42), visit The Bent
