TWO STRANGERS (CARRY A CAKE ACROSS NEW YORK) Previews- Page 5

[barcelona20]

Posted: 11/13/25 at 9:22am

Matt Rogers said: "barcelona20 said: "kdogg36 said: "barcelona20 said: "You and others love the show. I did not, mainly because the show sets her up as a victim, but then turns out she is the victim of her own bad decisions. I think it destroys all the goodwill built up prior to the reveal, but others, including yourself still feel empathy for her. That is what I don't understand."

Building on what I just posted, have you not made a few bad decisions? I certainly have. I think the fact that she's suffering for some bad decisions is exactly what makes her a character worthy of empathy."

Did you ever hear of a spoiler alert???????"

Sorry, my apologies. I had posted with spoiler boxes in previous posts, but then others just commented on it without the spoiler boxes, so I figured it was already spoiled.

[CJRochester]

Posted: 11/13/25 at 9:26am

Delete

 

 

Updated On: 11/13/25 at 09:26 AM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 11/15/25 at 5:18pm

What an utterly charming gem of a show.

Sam Tutty and Christiani Pitts are unbelievably winning. They had me completely wrapped up in their characters and the story from the very first moments. It certainly helps that they're working with such a strong book and score.

I also loved the design elements - simple, clever, and consistently effective.

In a season without a ton of excitement in the new musicals department, Two Strangers feels like a much-needed beacon of light. A truly delightful surprise!

[OuttaTowner]

Posted: 11/15/25 at 5:35pm

Couldn’t agree more. This show was so damned charming, especially Tutty who is phenomenal!  One of the few shows that Ive seen over the past few years that I’d gladly sit through again. I hope this show and its stars receive warm reviews, and it catches fire with the public like MHE!

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 11/15/25 at 7:17pm

So DAMN charming. Sam is an absolute star and such a cutie. Also love the really neat design elements. I hope it sticks around a long time and is wildly successful.




 

Updated On: 11/15/25 at 07:17 PM

[Skip23]

Posted: 11/16/25 at 12:59am

 
Sweet Act 1.  Falls apart in Act 2.  Too much navel gazing. 

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 11/16/25 at 2:47am

nah.  both acts work.

We thought Joshua Henry had the best shot with current shows open.  Not anymore.  Sam is such a star and makes this work in a big way with more stage time.

Updated On: 11/16/25 at 02:47 AM

[SingingEachtoEach]

Posted: 11/16/25 at 2:04pm

I saw this recently and I think the strong performances from the two performers, particularly Tutty, really carry the show.  I don't think it's quote Maybe Happy Ending level, but it's charming and creative and I enjoyed it a lot.

[yyys]

Posted: 11/16/25 at 10:11pm

Cute and very funny but man, too many bland songs. 

[Cowboysfan84]

Posted: 11/18/25 at 10:14am

Hello everyone. Quick question. I was thinking of getting tickets to the show this Friday which will be the first performance after opening night on Thursday. I apologize if this is a silly question, but would both leads be in the show the night after opening night. Again, sorry for the silly question. Thank you in advance. 

[Falsettolands]

Posted: 11/18/25 at 12:09pm

Cowboysfan84 said: "Hello everyone. Quick question. I was thinking of getting tickets to the show this Friday which will be the first performance after opening night on Thursday. I apologize if this is a silly question, but would both leads be in the showthe night after opening night. Again, sorry for the silly question. Thank you in advance."

Highly, highly unlikely they wouldn't be in. The understudies haven't even had put-in's yet.

[Cowboysfan84]

Posted: 11/18/25 at 1:24pm

Falsettolands said: "Cowboysfan84 said: "Hello everyone. Quick question. I was thinking of getting tickets to the show this Friday which will be the first performance after opening night on Thursday. I apologize if this is a silly question, but would both leads be in the showthe night after opening night. Again, sorry for the silly question. Thank you in advance."

Highly, highly unlikely they wouldn't be in. The understudies haven't even had put-in's yet."

Thank you!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 11/19/25 at 10:07am

I liked this, albeit with reservations. 

A 2.5hr two-person musical is very tricky to pull off and the show sidesteps some of the issues that conceit presents, but certainly not all. 

They could've very easily trimmed this to be 90-100 minutes, and it would be all the better for it. The biggest problem the show has is overstaying its welcome. 

Pitts and Tutty are both strong. Tutty, especially, is really working overtime and it is mostly very effective, although I did find his shtick somewhat grating once the second hour set in. Yet another reason to trim the material. I fear an actor without Tutty's innate warmth would flounder in this role and the whole show would suffer accordingly. 

The material is mostly good. The score has some really clever lyrics and memorable melodies. Unfortunately, there are quite a few generic, forgettable songs in the mix as well. I wished the orchestra was a little bigger, but they sounded great. The sound balance was off, though - either the orchestra was too quiet or way too loud. The book, however, is markedly less successful. Some genuinely funny jokes and touching moments, but there are stretches of book scenes that feel endless. And it leans into "twee" a bit too aggressively at times. 

An original Broadway musical is no easy feat, and ultimately the pluses do outweigh the negatives. With some tightening up, this could’ve been a must-see. As it stands, it’s a worthwhile-see, and in this day and age, that’s certainly nothing to turn your nose up at.

Updated On: 11/20/25 at 10:07 AM

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/19/25 at 10:14am

Falsettolands said: "Cowboysfan84 said: "Hello everyone. Quick question. I was thinking of getting tickets to the show this Friday which will be the first performance after opening night on Thursday. I apologize if this is a silly question, but would both leads be in the showthe night after opening night. Again, sorry for the silly question. Thank you in advance."

Highly, highly unlikely they wouldn't be in. The understudies haven't even had put-in's yet."

 

they have a weird schedule around the holidays. they're doing 9 shows in 5 days between Christmas and New Years. Odds are the understudies will be on for one of those 9 performances.

 

[inception]

Posted: 11/20/25 at 8:32am

Wickedrocks makes some good points.  I was laughing loudly to most jokes early.  It's a strange plot & I'd be interested to learn more about the writing process.  The spoilers people were discussing earlier are all correct, but they don’t really explain the circumstances- it is left the audience to make their own guesses. Maybe I'm predisposed to thinking the Dad a player & to blame.

So the show could be tightened. But maybe they also could have explained some things better?

This morning I was thinking this reminds me of another UK import - Curious Incident of Dog... I know I saw it Fall 2014, but could I tell you all thst happened in the plot 11 years later?  Not at all.   But I do remember a set full of flashing LED lights.  I think I'll remember the cool set here.  If I continue to listen to the cast album I'll probably remember the plot more.   There are 2 really good songs. 

Being a 2 hander this will get done all over forever once it gets licensed,  so it's good I might not remember everything 10 years from now.  It will be new again & I can laugh again at the jokes that tickled me the first time.

[inception]

Posted: 11/20/25 at 8:52am

Just realized that sounds like I am discounting the performances of the actors, or suggesting that they are forgettable.   Didn't mean that.  This will make Tutty a star, and let's hope he does something good with that.

There's going to be people who want a film version- & quick before he ages out of the role like what happened with DEH.   I think they should resist & keep this as just a stage show.

But let's hope he's looking at projects ASAP  and let's hope in this era there will actually be some good projects for him.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 11/20/25 at 10:27am

How did I not realize until now that Christiani's father is Byron Pitts, the "Nightline" co-anchor?

(Most likely because she was overlooked in A BRONX TALE and KING KONG.)

 

[ER765]

Posted: 11/20/25 at 10:49am

WiCkEDrOcKS said: "I liked this, albeit with reservations.

A 2.5hr two-person musical is very tricky to pull off and the show sidesteps some of the issues that conceit presents, but certainly not all.

They could'vevery easily trimmedthis to be 90-100 minutes, and it would be all the better for it.The biggest problem the show has is overstaying its welcome.

Pitts and Tutty are both strong. Tutty, especially,is really working overtime and it is mostly very effective, although I did find his shtick somewhatgrating once the second hour set in. Yet another reason to trim the material. I fear an actor without Tutty's innate warmth would flounder in this role and the whole show would suffer accordingly.

The material is mostly good.The score has some really clever lyrics and memorable melodies. Unfortunately, there are quite a few generic, forgettable songs in the mix as well. I wished the orchestra was a little bigger, but they sounded great. The sound balance was off, though - either the orchestra was too quiet or way too loud. The book, however, is markedly less successful. Some genuinely funnyjokes and touching moments, but there are stretches of book scenes that feel endless. And it leans into "twee" a bit too aggressively at times.

An original Broadway musical is no easy feat, and ultimately the pluses do outweigh the negatives. With some tightening up, this could’ve been a must-see. As it stands, it’s a worthwhile-see, and in this day and age, that’s certainly nothing to turn your nose up at."

Nailed it, as usual. Love reading your theater thoughts! 

Updated On: 11/20/25 at 10:49 AM

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 11/20/25 at 11:22am

SingingEachtoEach said: "I saw this recently and I think the strong performances from the two performers, particularly Tutty, really carry the show. I don't think it's quote Maybe Happy Ending level, but it's charming and creative and I enjoyed it a lot."

We enjoyed it more than Maybe Happy Ending and found the performers more compelling.

[corninthesky]

Posted: 11/20/25 at 11:51am

CoffeeBreak said: "SingingEachtoEach said: "I saw this recently and I think the strong performances from the two performers, particularly Tutty, really carry the show. I don't think it's quote Maybe Happy Ending level, but it's charming and creative and I enjoyed it a lot."

We enjoyed it more than Maybe Happy Ending and found the performers more compelling."

Shocking to hear that from you!

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 11/20/25 at 11:57am

ER765 said: "Nailed it, as usual. Love reading your theater thoughts!"

 

Love WiCkEDrOcKS. Funny, sane, insightful, and kind!

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 11/20/25 at 12:03pm

[BJR]

Posted: 11/20/25 at 12:09pm

It’s so rare to hear such universal praise for a show. I admit I had little interest in this and but person after person gushing about it is convincing me. 

[Shoreline Star]

Posted: 11/20/25 at 12:25pm

Both performers are great, but Tutty is a star-in-the-making.

Loved him in this, and can’t wait to see what he does next!

[Ptero2]

Posted: 11/20/25 at 3:01pm

My two cents:

* This could easily sleepwalk into Best New Musical, Score, and Book, but it could have very well been shut out of all those if it had come out last year. It's a fun enough time but it doesn't do much to go beyond just being a fun enough time. 

* The plot, as others have mentioned, is quite similar to MHE. Where this fails and MHE succeeds is nailing the emotional turn without abandoning what made the show work in the first half. Early into act 2, everything becomes dead serious for way too long and the plodding humorless book scenes kill a lot of its momentum heading into the last quarter of the show. The central conflict just isn't really that compelling, and it feels convoluted on top of that. 

* Songs are hit and miss. Loved the act 1 opener and act 1 closer in particular. Some of Christiana's solo songs drag.

* Tutty is a star and should be able to get a Tony nom for this. No shot of winning in this field, of course. 

* The set is simple and done well. There are some fun surprises with it throughout the show. 

Updated On: 11/20/25 at 03:01 PM