Though welcomely aromatic, Theo Ubique’s ‘Baked’ could stand more time in the oven
Sunnie Eraso and Devon Hayakawa. Photo by Time Stops Photography.
In a season otherwise dedicated to the memory of Sondheim, Theo Ubique made space for a pair of emerging writers, and musical theatre patrons owe it to their passions to seek out the new and developing as well as the venerated. Even if—perhaps especially if—it has a whiff of the off-beat and the underrecognized.
Baked! The Musical—book, music, and lyrics by Jord Liu and Deepak Kumar—centers on Jane Huang, a daughter of Minnesota bakers faced with some good news and bad news. Good news: she’s just been admitted to Harvard. Bad news: there’s no scholarship for her, and the family bakery is in a financial strait. And so clever Jane and two friends who have ins on pot embark on a summer selling baked edibles to rake in the much-needed green.
An earnest tale, it isn’t daffily satirical like Reefer Madness: The Musical, but it perhaps has more flavor than, say, High School Musical: Troy and Gabriella Sell Drugs.
Previously a winning entry in the 2020 Chicago Musical Theatre Festival. Theo is giving Baked its first proper staging with sets, costumes, the works. Even so, the company and writers are putting their efforts into showcasing the raw material itself and asking what changes, if any, it could stand to make.
The fairest suggestion is that Baked! needs more time in the oven, more seasoning, and a pinch more of this and a dash less of that. Three specific thoughts:
Shoring up the main premise. Could Jane really not tell her parents all summer long that she didn’t receive the scholarship, and could they not find out themselves?
Dialogue, particularly between Jane’s parents, needs stronger timing and pace.
Both script and score could benefit from a more consistent balance of plot forwardness and time for emotional absorption. As is, moments meant for feeling seem inserted as an afterthought.
Otherwise, the presentation itself was solid. Recent Northwestern grad Sunnie Eraso as Jane certainly has her share of lovely moments. So do Devon Hayakawa as Jane’s best friend Kasey and Reilly Oh as misunderstood drug dealer Z. In fact, this reviewer’s favorite scene illustrates the growing closeness of Kasey and Z as they reflect on when they first met freshman year in history class. It shares the universal feeling of needing to be noticed and also explains why Z turned to dealing. This is an example of the emotional level Baked! needs to reach more consistently, particularly crucial among Jane and her parents.
All said, shows in development need audience attention and support. To that end, two upcoming dates offer some added attendance incentives. (See below.) So to those looking for new works: the kitchen is open.
Baked! runs through Oct. 8 at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre, 721 Howard Street, Evanston, IL. For tickets or more information, please call 773-939-4101 or visit theo-u.com.
Theo Ubique is partnering with the League of Chicago Theatres for an industry night on October 5th, for which $15 discounted tickets are available using code INDUSTRY15. On Oct. 6, Theo Ubique, working with the Evanston ASPA (Asian, South Asian, Pacific Islander American) community, will donate 50 percent of ticket sales to the organization and hold a post-show talkback with a panel of representatives from both Evanston ASPA and the show’s production team.
For more reviews on this or other shows, please visit theatreinchicago.com.