‘CAKE’ // Metro Arts and IMRSE

‘CAKE’ was flavoured.

Historical accuracy is out and meta-theatrics with a sprinkling of twerking is in. Huzzah!

IMRSE and Metro Arts are throwing it back to the French Revolution and inviting audiences to join Marie
Antoinette’s royal court in their production of ‘CAKE’, a high energy and overtly pink exploration of cancel culture and the power of reputation.

We all know she’s on her way to the guillotine but ‘CAKE’ invites audiences to watch the Queen of France dance, party and fornicate her head off first. A messy path to the end, some of the choices made along the way are her own, some are coerced and some are completely exaggerated or even fabricated. After all, why let accuracy get in the way of a good story?

Co-written by Daniel Gough and Emma Churchland, this is a story that is well aware of its theatrical nature. Opening with a direct address to the audience by Marie-Therese played by Meg Ham, it’s immediately obvious that the characters are well aware they are in a play. In fact, she outright states it. “This is a play and Marie Antoinette is a real bitch.”

Witty and scandalous from the get-go, the central themes are already appearing within this opening. The meta nature of the piece paired with the acknowledgement of the known ending establishes that this is a narrative in which the protagonist does not have control of their own story.

Playing in the thrust, characters not only talk to audiences but also put their butts in their faces too. It’s intimate, it’s saucy and it’s a lot of fun choreography. Riddled with dance numbers throughout, these twerk-heavy sequences led by the ensemble act not only as a means to move set pieces but also illustrate the lavish lifestyle of the nobility. Acting as either the Royal Court members or the peasants, the ensemble never dances when they’re poor. These counterparts are further distinguished through costuming. Pink puffy collars and even pinker blushed cheeks paint a clear image of nobility. And of course, poor people wear brown.

Also dressed pink and puffy are the leading characters, Marie-Therese, King Louis and of course, the Queen herself, Marie Antoinette. Portrayed by Meg Ham, Calum Johnston and Samantha LeClaire respectively, this is a bold leading cast with a flare for camp and comedy. Ham is devious as Therese with her unapologetic treatment of both the audience and her fellow characters alike, she pokes and prods the story along, delighted by the drama. Johnston beautifully brings King Louis to life with a hilariously awkward physicality and a bumbling persona complete with excellent comedic timing. The cherry on top of the cake, LeClaire’s depiction of Marie Antoinette is fierce and layered as she tackles the meta task of playing not just the French Queen but also an actor losing the plot.

‘CAKE’ is flavoured sweet and satirical and although its characters may be French and from a past time, it’s a very clear reflection of politics that remain today. Cancel culture is complicated. Stories have many sides. Someone can be terrible in some ways but of course, completely human in other ways. And why not explore these themes through dance, debauchery and the occasional ‘good dicking’?

‘CAKE’ is served with sauce and begging to be eaten up.

‘CAKE’ is being served at Metro Arts until Saturday 16 November 2024. For more information about this production, visit Metro Art’s website.