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Backstage at Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

Apr 24, 2026

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"It's kind of a vulnerable thing," Christiani Pitts says of inviting us into her dressing room pre-show. "I've done something similar before and I kind of go out of my way to look 'right' doing it. I made a commitment to myself for this one to just do what I would be doing."

"At the end of the act, there's money raining down. I've been trying to catch one mid-performance since Boston, and I have not caught one," Pitts says of the $100 bill hanging on her mirror. "They clean it up during intermission and they left one, and I snatched it."

"I have a Robin Rainey playlist, and it's filled with a lot of Solange, A Tribe Called Quest—it ranges from new school to old school R&B and hip-hop—and that is always on. It's so good," Pitts says of her pre-show routine.

"Because she's so closed off, finding how to be closed off, but still make it read for 1,200 people has been a challenge," Pitts says of her character, Robin. "I think I've finally started to figure out how to do both things, and that's exciting, because that was hard to find."

"Before a show I like to read; I've only just got into that. I used to relax and have a scroll, but I found sometimes I was a bit wound up. I'm really trying to not do that," says Sam Tutty, who plays Dougal.

"Drinking one of these before a show," Tutty says of how he gets ready, holding up a water bottle labeled Samantha. "That's what they all call me here."

"I live here, so I feel like I have a better understanding of what everybody's laughing about on stage," says Tutty about settling into New York City. "That helps me tee up a joke better, because I have the knowledge behind it."

"That golden retriever energy, it's such a trap for an actor. You can ask yourself, why aren't people laughing at me? It's because you're overperforming," Tutty shares, reflecting on how his portrayal of Dougal has developed.

"I find that my best shows, the shows I feel that I am proudest of, are the ones where I'm relaxed and calm," says Tutty, while Hozier's "Would That I" plays off his speaker.

"Backstage, right before we start, I love to come up with why my character is running late. I have a lot of fun with that," Pitts reveals of getting into Robin's headspace.

"My favorite part of the contract is in the middle, because that's when you're at your truest," Tutty shares. "It's nice being in a really amazing swing and a rhythm."

"It really feels like we share the world in a lot of ways. Because it's just the two of us, when one person is out, 50% of the show is different," Pitts says of the close relationship between herself, Tutty and their standbys. "We found it really important to make sure we're connected on and off stage, so it's not hard to develop that chemistry right there on the spot, which is really nice."

"The show has deepened so much. Doing it for a New York audience is such a different experience, because the audience feels like they are on my side," Pitts reflects. "They really understand where I'm coming from. It's made me feel comfortable going a little bit deeper, taking up more space as the character."

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