They Carry a Cake Onstage, and Share Dumplings Off

Christiani Pitts and Sam Tutty, the two stars of the new musical Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), met for a blustery afternoon stroll as the show settled into its Broadway run. A sudden rainstorm swept through; Pitts said she noticed an older woman holding onto her bags, a small metaphor for New York — things might be thrown at you, but you keep moving.

Every night at the Longacre Theater the pair make up the entire cast. Tutty plays Dougal Todd, a chipper Brit visiting for his estranged father’s wedding; Pitts plays Robin Rainey, a no-nonsense New Yorker who meets him at the airport. Their peregrination takes them from a Flatbush bakery to a Fifth Avenue department store and, for the actors, began at Uncle Lou, a Cantonese restaurant on Mulberry Street where they shared dumplings.

Tutty originated the part in London and had only visited New York for short work trips, including an audition for Dear Evan Hansen — the role that won him an Olivier Award in 2020; he says that "walking with purpose" makes him feel at home.

United States, New York

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