A hopelessly romantic modern musical that'll leave you beaming throughout, Two Strangers is all you could want from a feel-good evening of musical theatre.
A hopelessly romantic modern musical that'll leave you beaming throughout
Boasting witty dialogue and belter performances from the talented Dujonna Gift and Sam Tutty, Two Strangers tells the heartwarming love story of two people from world’s apart falling gradually into love. The production, debuting at London’s Kiln Theatre in 2023, has received much acclaim in its short history, now moving seamlessly into position as an easy West End hit.
As the spoiler of a title suggests, the show follows two strangers on a mission to move a cake across NYC. Native New Yorker Robin and bubbly Brit Dougal are the mismatched pairing, thrown together for the wedding of Robin’s sister and Dougal’s (much older) dad.
Following the trope of any good rom-com, there’s no instant attraction between the pair, and Dougal’s guileless, puppy dog act rubs cynical Robin up entirely the wrong way. With time and a fair bit of lyrical convincing from Dougal, Robin begins to embrace the cliché NYC experience, duetting with Dougal on the subway, in a Brooklyn bar, a tuxedo store and a Chinatown restaurant. Quite the journey… and all in one day!
While the musical numbers give goosebumps, at times, the static blocking and uninventive lighting do little to enhance the show, leaving us to rely on Gift and Tutty’s impressive vocal power and emotional depth of character to pull us through.
Luckily, with two such talented leads it’s easy to ignore the lack of good choreography. Going from a radio debut to the West End is no mean feat, and it’s my hope that the longer the production runs, the more it will mature into its West-End-worthy status. To satisfy audiences paying Piccadilly prices, surely one decent dance number is not too much to ask?
