Two Strangers Review

The Cast of Two Strangers

Talk about a sweet treat! Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) is exactly what the West End needs right now.

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) first premiered at the Kiln Theatre last year and transferred to the West End’s Criterion Theatre at the beginning of the month. The new musical has been described as one part ‘rom’ and two parts ‘com’ and we now see why.

The comedy musical follows the story of Dougal, a naive but overly positive Brit who has flown all the way to New York to attend his father’s second wedding - a father he’s never even met. He’s met at the airport by the sister of the bride, Robin, who is New York born and bred and finds his upbeat and optimistic attitude entirely annoying. They spark an unlikely friendship and it's obvious that they can both learn a lot from the other.

The hit musical stars Dujonna Gift (Hamilton/ Motown: The Musical) as Robin and Sam Tutty (Dear Evan Hansen/ Once on this Island) as Dougal, who are both reprising their roles from the run at the Kiln Theatre. There’s no doubt that the duo have unbelievable chemistry, brilliant comedic timing, and voices to match. The pair give hugely relatable performances under Tim Jackson’s direction and prove that you don’t always need a huge ensemble to capture an audience for 2 and a half hours.

Two Strangers is reminiscent of the old-school rom-coms that current millennials know and love from the early 2000s but that you don’t see around as much nowadays. It also brilliantly captures the pressure we feel as millennials to know exactly what we want out of life. This is perfectly summed up when Dougal finds out Robin works in a coffee shop, he assumes that she must be doing it to pay the bills while she pursues her dreams of being a dancer or something to which responds that ‘she just works in a coffee shop.’ Something that I’m sure many audience members can relate to.

Jim Barne and Kit Buchan’s sharp-witted and laugh-out-loud script may be one of the funniest on the West End right now. It’s fast-paced, keeps you on your toes, sentimental in parts, and yet never comes across as too self-indulgent. Two Strangers is a guaranteed laugh-a-minute with a musical score that is for the most part fun, catchy and memorable.

This funny and heartfelt musical is everything you need for a great night out in the West End. Two Strangers is filled with friendship, family, and a huge amount of fun.

Go see this show. You won’t regret it.