Take the Cake
Written by Stacie Barra
Directed by Timothy C. Amos
at Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston (map)
thru Sept 6 | tickets: $20 | more info
Check for half-price tickets
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Good intentioned, but ultimately clumsy and tasteless
Factory Theater presents
Take the Cake
Review by Lauren Whalen
Things I learned while watching Factory Theater’s Take the Cake: “acting” means “yelling.” Jobs like police officer and unidentified corporate personnel can only be held by men, as women aren’t nearly competent enough. In fact, women can barely manage to do things like blog or bake without completely, utterly screwing things up (to the point of endangering the lives of others). The death of a beloved neighbor is hilarious, as is a disfigured child. Dark comedy is loud and crass. In short, Take the Cake is a clumsy and stereotypical attempt at sassy fun, ultimately resembling a direct-to-video movie from the 1990s that no one ever rents.
Described in the press release as “Bridesmaids” meets “Breaking Bad,” Take the Cake has good intentions and a potentially humorous concept. However, Barra’s writing is nothing short of terrible, with screechy, annoying characters and floppy, inconsistent plotting. Until I double-checked the program, I actually thought Take the Cake was written by a man whose understanding of women came solely from watching subpar romantic comedies. Barra’s not a bad actress (she has some funny moments as the overzealous, Type A mommy), but her characters cross the border from predictable to insulting. She also doesn’t seem to have given thought to how drugs work: throughout the play, I questioned whether a substance could really be so immediately addictive and toxic. If the play were better written, one could suspend disbelief for 80 minutes, but the inconsistent writing makes one question the script’s central concept.
A production is only as good as its script, so Take the Cake is doomed from the start. The acting isn’t much better: McKenzie and Roy don’t seem to grasp that they’re in a studio theater space, and therefore yelling each line isn’t necessary. As the play’s sole male character (and voice of reason), Anthony Tournis isn’t given much to do except look befuddled at the wacky (read: grating) actions of the bumbling women surrounding him. Like Barra, Pasko manages to get some laughs out of the script, but they’re few and far between.
I’m all for female-driven plays with witty characters and a dash of dark humor. If Take the Cake possessed an iota of intelligence, I would be much more forgiving of its many, many flaws. If enthusiasm were the sole ingredient to a good production, this Cake would receive four stars, but a strong production requires so much more.
Rating: ★
Take the Cake continues through September 6th at Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston (map), with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays 3pm. Tickets are $20, and are available by phone (866-811-4111) or online through OvationTix.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at TheFactoryTheater.com. (Running time: 80 minutes, no intermission)
Photos by Dan Tamarkin
artists
cast
Laura McKenzie (Caroline), Stacie Barra (Holly), Corrbette Pasko (Margo), Anthony Tournis (Officer Stone), Cheryl Roy (Edith)
behind the scenes
Timothy C. Amos (director), Johnny Moran (producer), Phil Claudnic (stage manager), Paul Foster (lighting design), Jason Moody (graphic design, sound design), Mike Sanow (technical director), Jermaine Thomas (assistant stage manager), Zach Polzulp (scenic design), Aliza Fagan (property design), Patrick Holland (video trailer designer), Gary Nocco (costume design), Dan Tamarkin (photos)
14-0804
