Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York). Book, music, and lyrics by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan. Directed and choreographed by Tim Jackson. Music supervision by Nick Finlow. Scenic and costume design by Soutra Gilmour. Lighting design by Jack Knowles. Sound design by Tony Gayle. Hair and wig design by Cheryl Thomas. Associate director and choreographer Asmeret Ghebremichael. Orchestrations and music production by Lux Pyramid. Music direction by Ted Arthur. Music coordination by John Miller.
Cast: Christiani Pitts and Sam Tutty.
Theater: Longacre Theatre
Tickets: Telecharge.com

Christiani Pitts and Sam Tutty Photo by Matthew Murphy

If it does, it will be joining a growing subset of rom-coms that steer away from happily-ever-after and go for carpe diem connections in the here and now. It worked for Oliver and Claire in Maybe Happy Ending. It worked for Kimberly and Seth in the 2023 Best Musical Tony winner Kimberly Akimbo. So, maybe another happy ending is in store for Robin and Dougal in Two Strangers.

If it does, it will be in large part due to the sweet, committed, funny, and tender performances by the two actors who carry not only a cake, but the entire two-hour (plus intermission) production in their hands. That, along with a genial score by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan, who are also responsible for the book, make this a real treat as we enter into the holiday season.

And it certainly doesn't hurt that the show is also a big-hearted tribute to the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn, with a step into Queens, where it all begins, in the international baggage claim area at JFK Airport. That's where our characters, Dougal, a visitor from England, and Robin, his reluctant ride into the city, meet for the first time.

If comparisons to Maybe Happy Ending come to mind, do know that the male star of Two Strangers is less like Oliver the helperbot and more like Buddy, the joyfully wacky title character from Elf. While Elf is not scheduled for a New York production this year, a pretty terrific substitute for Buddy is on hand with Dougal, the irrepressible, energetic-as-a-puppy English lad, played by the irrepressible, energetic-as-a-puppy English actor Sam Tutty. He may be unfamiliar to American audiences, but he made a name for himself back home five years ago when, at the age of 22, he won the Best Actor Olivier Award for his performance in the title role of the West End production of Dear Evan Hansen.

If Dougal were Irish, he would be a leprechaun, a magically delicious, if at times irritating, lucky charm who has flown in for a 36-hour visit to attend the second wedding of his wealthy businessman dad. They've never actually met, these two, but Dougal imagines his biological father to be just as eager to connect. Fortuitously (for him and for us), Dougal winds up spending most of his time with the sister of the bride-to-be, the pragmatic New York-cynical Robin. She is played by the equally excellent Christiani Pitts, who has experience working with wild-and-woolly co-stars, having appeared as Ann Darrow opposite the title character in the 2018 Broadway production of King Kong.

Two Strangers is essentially about how Robin and Dougal, who seemingly have little in common, form an affectionate bond as they embark on their great adventure, that of picking up and delivering the wedding cake as part of Robin's long to-do list for her sister, with whom she has a rocky relationship. She is determined to stick to the plan; he is determined to stuff his 36 hours with as much New York visitor experiences as he can cram in. While the script is hardly deeply philosophical, it does manage to take us past the Christmastime fun and foibles phase as both characters wind up being unexpectedly supportive of one another and manage to have a great time along the way.

Director/choreographer Tim Jackson (he choreographed the recent Broadway revival of Merrily We Roll Along) keeps the lid on both the slickness and the treacliness and allows a surprising degree of honesty to shine through. The songs are far better than the typical pop scores we have been fed in heavy doses elsewhere, while doing the job of revealing the characters and moving the plot along. One standout is the opening number, a tribute to the Big Apple and titled, simply, "New York." It is catchy enough to give "Empire State of Mind" a run for the money.

Soutra Gilmour's cleverly functional set design keeps one foot in the JFK terminal, though I would have liked to have seen some variants to the industrial color scheme (occasionally softened by Jack Knowles' lighting changes). Tony Gayle's sound design throws in appropriate and recognizable New York background noise. But it is the tight-knit team of seeming-opposites that must do the heavy lifting, both of the titular cake and of the entire show. Tutty and Pitts do just that and make Two Strangers a terrific feel-good addition to this theater season.