‘THE CAKE’
WEDNESDAY 7/8-SUNDAY 7/26. Argenta Contemporary Theatre. $30-$60.

For better or worse, the premise of “The Cake” is ripped straight out of the headlines of yesteryear. Inspired by the much-talked-about (and eventually much-litigated) rift between a gay couple and a religious baker who in 2012 refused to make them a wedding cake, the play concerns a similar tension between two young brides-to-be, Jen and Macy, and Della, a proxy mother to Jen who’s also a religious baker. While culture wars around queerness surely still whirl in 2026 America, I wonder how much today’s audiences will struggle with Della’s perspective, which writer Bekah Brunstetter apparently took great pains to portray with “humanity and heart,” according to The New York Times. Still, if there’s anyone who can salvage such an unsympathetic role, it’s Natalie Canerday, a Russellville native who, among dozens of other film and TV roles, played the sweet small-town mother in 1999’s “October Sky.” Get tickets at argentacontemporarytheatre.org.

Daniel Grear is the print editor at the Arkansas Times. He also writes about culture. Send tips to danielgrear@arktimes.com
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