A Work in Progress

Baked! The Musical

A real cause for celebration, the magnificent and unique Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre has opened its 26th season of musicals and concert productions. Fred Anzevino’s crowd-pleasing, critically lauded venue, always recognized for its high quality entertainment presented in an intimate setting, is beginning the year with a Season of Sondheim. But before those three sublime Stephen Sondheim musicals take to the stage, Theo is doing something else it does that makes Anzevino’s theatre so special. They’re giving a pair of fledgling writer/composers an opportunity to fully stage their new musical.  

Deepak Kumar and Jord Liu have written the book, music and lyrics for a perky and pleasant original play that’s set in and around an Asian bakery. Having just graduated from high school, Jane (Sunnie Eraso) is preparing to attend Harvard in the Fall. Jane’s parents are so proud of her. The only catch is that her mother, Yunzhou (Mariel Saavedra) and father, Mingli (Nick Joe), who run the Chinese bakery, are already having financial problems. There’s no way they can afford the tuition for their daughter’s college education, so everyone’s counting on the full-ride scholarship, for which Jane’s a finalist. If Jane doesn’t win Harvard’s financial assistance package her parents will have to sell the bakery, which has been in the family for generations.

Jane learns early in the play that she hasn’t been awarded the scholarship but she keeps this information from her parents. Jane, teamed with her bestie, Kasey (Devan Hayakawa) is determined to come up with some way to make enough money to pay for her Harvard education. After brainstorming several ideas the two friends decide to open a popup bakery. It may be difficult to raise the kind of money that Jane needs for her tuition by just selling mooncakes. But when the girls run into Z (Reilly Oh), a high school druggie who sells marijuana in the park, they persuade him to join forces in their money-making efforts, for a percentage of the profits. And this is where the problems arise.

Kumar and Liu’s musical is charming and sweet. It sports some interesting characters, revolves around money problems—something that most Americans can identify with—provides some laughs, a few good songs and features an honest depiction of family and friends. However, despite six years of writing and rewriting, this new musical by this pair of earnest 22-year-olds is still a work in progress. 

First, the characters aren’t fully fleshed out. Jane is an optimistic, independent young woman who loves her family and values her friendships. She wants a better life through a good education. Fine. The problem is that, contrary to the character we’ve been initially introduced to, Jane suddenly makes a series of bad decisions and makes an about-turn. We like the Jane in Act I; when a conflict arises in the second act, Jane turns cold and unsympathetic to everyone. It just seems implausible.

Actually, all of the characters are merely two-dimensional. It’s only through the excellent portrayals brought to this production by some of the talented actors, in particular like Reilly Oh and Devan Hayakawa, that we feel any empathy at all. Sunnie Eraso is peppy and pleasant in the beginning of the play, but by Act II we kind of change our view of her.

Another problem is the length of the show. The story, which is rather like a television sitcom, could easily be shortened to an 80 or 90 minute one-act. At over two hours, with a 15-minute intermission and a couple of unnecessary song reprises, the musical fizzles out in the last few scenes. Part of the problem may be the direction by Grace Dolezal-Ng. On the positive side, she stages the story all over Theo. The two primary acting areas are clearly visible to the entire audience. But there are several instances, especially in the scenes involving Nick Joe’s Mingli, where the pacing is simply too slow. Dramatic pauses are fine if they’re not overused. In the bakery scenes often a line is delivered, then there’s a pause, then another line, then another pause. You get it. The audience starts to yearn for more of Sunnie Eraso’s uptempo portrayal of Jane. In truth, this talented actress is who keeps this story hopping.

Some of the songs are quite good, although the tunes are toe-tapping, the lyrics are often trite. “Last Hurrah,” the catchy “Let’s Make a Deal,” “Follow the Recipe” and the title song, “Get Baked” are pretty good. “One Second Per Second” is too long and should at least be shortened. Act II, which has more spoken dialogue and plods along to its expected climax, has the fewest songs, and two of the five tunes are a reprise from Act I. Only the return of “Last Hurrah” is worth hearing again. The finale doesn’t end the story with a bang. “That’s It,” sung by then entire cast, is just kind of okay.

The production is presented on a modest scale. Tyler Miles as Musical Director has done a fine job; and their onstage band, with Noel Streacker on percussion and Miles on keyboard, provides excellent accompaniment. Josiah Croegaert’s costumes are realistic, but nothing flashy. Mara Ishihara Zinky’s scenic design is rather bland. In particular, the bakery is a vast wall with a few framed family photos bunched up on one end and a menu of baked goods and prices in the middle. The bakery counter has the necessary details, and one table and some chairs indicate that customers might choose to eat their baked goods in the shop. Otherwise, the space is really unimpressive and nondescript.

It’s important to support new playwrights, composers and their works. Fred Anzevino does a great job of this. The production now playing is a good beginning for a show that can still use some work. It’s fun and supports good values, especially painting a fine portrait of an Asian-American family and community. This is, however, a work of art in progress that’s still finding itself.  

Somewhat Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented September 7-October 8 by Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre, 721 Howard Street, Evanston, IL.

Tickets are available in person at the box office, by calling 773-939-4101 or by going to www.Theo-u.com.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.