Rehearsals of ‘The Cake’ at Greater Lewisville Community Theatre. (Courtesy Harry Friedman)
It is no new phenomenon, but when the suburbs take on an LGBTQ story for its stages, it’s easy to notice – at least for the community. Queer stories seem to thrive lately in places such as Irving, Arlington and Plano. And not just obvious ones like La Cage or Cabaret, but more contemporary productions and newer stories. Somewhere over the rainbow is apparently in the suburbs.
Last year, Theatre Arlington staged The Cake about a baker asked to make a cake for a same-sex wedding. On Friday, Greater Lewisville Community Theater (GLCT) opened its version of the Bekah Brunstetter dramedy.
Director Harry Friedman talked about staging the show that expands the LGBTQ conversation to his neck of the woods.
“It would go back to selecting the play in the first place where most of the discussion happens,” he said by phone.
Like most theaters, they have a selection committee for each season. Originally the theater intended to do Native Gardens, but the show was already “taken” for lack of a better word by Dallas Theater Center which opened the show on Friday.
Friedman, who is also GLCT’s artistic director, wanted a show for this company that was socially relevant and made a statement.
For Friedman, he hopes the show will convey a message of communication.
“This certainly has a point of view for standing up for LGBTQ rights and the relationships are so beautifully written. But I definitely want it to have the message of how we communicate with people we disagree with,” he said.
The Cake centers on Della, a baker who is vying for a place on a competitive baking show on television. Her goddaughter Jen shows up along with her fiance Macy with the announcement that they are getting married as well as coming out of the closet to Della. When Jen requests Della to bake their cake, Della has to wrestle with her own internal struggles about doing so.
We’ve seen the headlines and court cases, but Brunstetter’s approach to the story is what appeal to Friedman.
“I immediately fell in love with the script and how the playwright handled it,” he said. “I might even define the heart of the play differently.”
On paper, Della might be the villain, but Brunstetter doesn’t make it easy for the audience.
“The notion of Della having these deep-rooted beliefs is really secondary to her journey. It’s difficult to hate any of these people. You like Della and Jen even defends her,” he said. “The play really has all these points of view which have much more impact.”
Anompact on suburban theater lovers.
Friedman noted how Denton County may lean a bit conservative, but that GLCT and its neighbors have been able to tell a variety of stories on their stages and on their own terms
“We’ve been able to do it, Lakeside [Community Theater] has been able to do it. Denton maybe. We’ve ll gotten to do these stories and address issues through theater,” he said.
Also, don’t take the ‘burbs for granted. Diversity is everywhere. With that comes several stories from different perspectives to be told.
“Art is the mirror of society and we should reflect what’s going on. If we can show that progress is being made, we should be progressing,” Friedman said.
The Cake runs through Feb. 26 at Greater Lewisville Community Theater.
–Rich Lopez
