‘The Cake’ a rich and complex delight

Founded in 1994, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble has a unique mission statement. They are dedicated to advancing the lives of women through theater and celebrating women’s work. Their latest production, a powerful staging of Bekah Brunstetter’s timely play, ‘The Cake,” continues this mission and is a worthy addition to their legacy.

The staging of a play is an awful lot like baking a cake. You must use all the correct ingredients, you can’t rush the process and the whole thing turns out a lot better if it’s made with plenty of love. “The Cake” clearly follows its “recipe” to a T, and the result is a beautifully moving work of art.

New Yorker Jen (Tuckie White) always has planned on a Pinterest-perfect wedding in her conservative North Carolina hometown, complete with a cake made by her late mother’s best friend, Della (Tara Mallen). Della’s cakes are legendary and have secured her a coveted spot as a contestant on the fictional “Great American Baking Show.”

Initially, she’s is overjoyed to make the cake for Jen’s special day, but when she finds out there will be two brides and no groom, Della is forced to confront some of her most deep-seated beliefs. Over the course of its roughly 90-minute runtime, audiences watch Della struggle between what she feels is right and what she always has been told is right.

Brunstetter’s script is a triumphant exploration of love of all kinds (romantic, familial, self, etc.) and the universal need to feel and celebrate that love. But for all its sweetness, it does not sugarcoat the ugly fact that prejudice and previously unacknowledged bigotry has the power to stand in its way. She deftly mixes humor and heart, leaving the audience in fits of laughter in one moment and in tears the next.

This masterful balancing of emotional elements is to be expected from the accomplished Brunstetter, who currently is a writer for and producer of NBC’s popular powerhouse family drama “This Is Us.”

Director Lauren Shouse seizes upon the script’s heart, and under her skillful guidance, the play’s four central characters are rendered as vividly realized three-dimensional individuals complete with some pretty damning flaws. There are no clear-cut villains here, although depending on where audience members stand ideologically, there is the temptation to take sides.

The small, but extremely talented cast, rises to the challenge that Brunstetter and Shouse have set for them, and it would be criminal to suggest their performances are anything less than stellar. Tuckie White’s portrayal of Jen, who starts off as the quintessential DIY bride, evolves beautifully over the course of the show. White unfolds her character with a raw sort of grace and skillfully tackles some of the most demandingly vulnerable moments.

Krystel McNeil, who plays Jen’s fiancée, Macy, is an exceptionally engaging performer whose subtle charm and passionate ferocity makes it nearly impossible not to watch her when she’s on stage. The play’s lone male character, Della’s husband, Tim, is brought to life by Keith Kupferer. At times, it could be easy to write Tim off as less than essential in this story that focuses so keenly on its women, but Kupferer brings a softness and humor to the character and reveals Tim’s own inner struggles.

Tara Mallen’s Della is at the show’s center, from whose initially innocuous Paula Deen-esque southern charm emerges the play’s central conflict. Mallen is a brave and honest performer whose incredible range captures the desperation of someone who suddenly finds herself in the throes of a crisis of identity. She has the rare ability to tug on the audience’s heartstrings even when they find themselves fundamentally disagreeing with her.

Arnel Sancianco’s bakery set is a cake-like delight in pastel pink and quaint floral prints that seems every bit an extension of Della.

The play’s multiple locations are achieved through a combination of pull-out furniture and Cat Wilson’s colorful and atmospheric lighting design. And Janice Pytel’s contemporary costume design cleverly communicates their characters’ distinct personalities.

It has been no easy task to articulate how deeply moved I was when I left the theater after the final bows. I have struggled to put into words exactly why it made me feel the way it did and what precisely made it so impressive. Ultimately, though, I have to fall back on that baking metaphor. Like a successful baked good, this production is more than the sum of its parts. Yes, each of its individual components is crucial and wonderful on its own, but when combined in just the right measure, they create something truly remarkable.

However, “The Cake” at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble is no mere confection that is content to please for a moment and then disappear. Rather, it is a rich and complex delight that demands that its audiences savor its emotional subtleties and its surprisingly powerful depths. It is an example of the rare and beautiful, purely human theater that is an absolute privilege to witness. Watching it is a profoundly moving experience. It tackles its challenging, ripped-from-the-headlines subject matter with honesty and sensitivity. I can say with no reservations whatsoever it would be a shame if you denied yourself this wonderful treat.

Note: “The Cake” contains mature language and content.

• A 17-year veteran of the theater, Kathryn McCord of Crystal Lake holds a master’s degree in English from Northern Illinois University. She is a former college English instructor and now works at the Crystal Lake Public Library.