Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) is not more than a dessert

If you’re tired of using “Empire State of Mind” for your New York City Instagram story, try “New York,” the pop-styled opening number from the new musical Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York). Jump in at 44 seconds for a hook that captures a New York pulse of momentum and longing.

The show was first staged in 2019 Ipswich and Northampton under the title The Season. This two person musical-comedy opened on Broadway in November 2025.

Two Strangers offers a classic story about a goofy guy’s brief romance with a woman whose icy exterior hides a softer core. The show features a memorable soundtrack, atmospheric lighting and jump-in jokes. The production is like a pleasant after-dinner dessert; enjoyable to have, but not something you’ll regret skipping.

The plot follows two young people from opposite sides of the Atlantic coming together for a brief 48 hours for a wedding. Dougal (Sam Tutty), is a wide‑eyed British guy visiting New York for the first time for his father’s wedding. He soon meets Robin (Christiani Pitts), the bride’s younger sister, who is stuck in the monotonous routine of her job. What unfolds is familiar to avid rom-com viewers: they create a bit of trouble, spark a quick romance, heal each other’s trauma and move forward with some hope.

The inventive use of scenic design is one of the most refreshing surprises out of the somewhat basic story. Two towers of suitcases are the entire set, meant to stand in for iconic NYC sites such as John F. Kennedy International Airport, the subway and the Plaza Hotel. The stacks of suitcases smoothly change into these places through the cast’s imaginative performances and the floor carousel’s movement. The identical-looking suitcases hide different worlds inside. Every time the actors open one, it transforms into something new — a fridge, a wardrobe, even a trash bin. It delivers an addictive thrill of unboxing, you can’t help but anticipate the next opening and find a bigger surprise.

The playwright Kit Buchan and composer Jim Barne try hard to pack Dougal’s lines and songs with creaky Americana clichés. His big number “New York” opens with “It’s the capital city of the USA.” The use of pre‑21st century idioms like “See you later, alligator” combined with Dougal behaving like a country bumpkin make you wonder if the United Kingdom somehow still has no access to the internet. It’s hard to believe that someone who appears to be so offline is the one who teaches Robin about Tinder.

The moments when Dougal cheerfully calls Robin “Auntie Robin,” then adds, “I’m your nephew,” land funnier than the show’s carefully inserted U.S. gags. Even after leaving the theater, the image of his freshman-like innocence meeting her speechlessness still brings a sense of joy.

Apparently, the production team wants to add depth by exploring Robin’s struggles as a mundane young striver in New York. Yet all we learn is that she’s dissatisfied with her current situation, without any sense of what she longs for. Her tension with her sister and her unexplained distance from her grandmother also add to the confusion. 

By the end of the show, audiences still don’t understand why Robin avoids visiting her grandmother — even after receiving a loving birthday message. Instead, the play sends her to her favorite Chinese restaurant alone, so Dougal can show up with a birthday surprise and a mock wedding before he departs. Clearly, romance matters more to the story than creating in-depth characters.

Despite the show’s somewhat stereotypical plot, packed with cheeky lines and somewhat flat characters; the musical itself provides an entertaining night at the theater.

The final scene of the show features Robin opening her fortune cookie and reading “that next year she will be happy.” In the words of Carrie Bradshaw, “I can’t help but wonder” — do young people rushing through big cities still believe a brief encounter can change anything?