During the Tony-contending musical Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), star Sam Tutty belts out an infectious tune that’s aptly titled “New York.” The tune details the excitement his alter ego Dougal experiences after making the trip from the U.K. to the Big Apple for the first time. T
he show and the actor have followed a similar journey; Tutty joined Two Strangers during its time in London before it crossed the pond to Cambridge, Mass., where Christiani Pitts climbed aboard as Robin, the born-and-bred New Yorker who becomes Dougal’s reluctant tour guide. Now, it’s on Broadway, and both stars — the only two actors onstage — have earned first-time Tony nods for their deeply intertwined performances. Speaking with Gold Derby, Tutty says that he and Pitts clicked “straightaway from the chemistry read.”
“She was incredible, she was hilarious, she was confident, and just so interested in the work,” Tutty says of his co-star. “She performed and she asked questions as if she’d already got the job, and never at any point did that come across as egotistical or presumptuous. It was all just purely because she loved the text and she loved the work.”
In a separate interview, Pitts says that the duo made a key discovery after their out of town run. “We found in Boston that he’s more like a Robin and I’m more like a Dougal,” she says, adding that they derived character research just by observing each other in their daily lives.
“After one of our first rehearsals together, we got in the Uber, and I immediately start talking to the Uber driver, which is so Dougal-coded,” says Pitts, “Sam is looking at me like, ‘Do you know this man? Why are you just sparking conversation?’ I’m an open book and he’s the complete opposite, so that’s allowed us to have a lot of fun on stage because we’re not being ourselves in any way.”
The bond between Pitts and Tutty creates an irresistible charm onstage that encapsulated by the “American Express.” The tune depicts Dougal and Robin shirking responsibilities and embarking on an epic spending spree using someone else’s credit car. “For the first time these characters get to completely release all that they’ve been carrying, in a really reckless manner,” Pitts notes.
Tutty, meanwhile, offers a more practical take on the song. “It’s great because it means we’re near the interval, and I can have a sit down,” he jokes.
Not only do the pair demonstrate perfect vocal harmonies during “American Express,” but the excitement of grabbing posh outfits, and sitting down to expensive dinners allows for the actors to bond while racing around a turntable set crowded with mountains of luggage. “We were hyper-aware that it could just look like two idiots running around a stage,” notes Tutty. “Thanks to our director, Tim Jackson, everything was guided with intent. [Even] when things feel silly and funny, the foundation is so justified, it makes it even funnier and even more enjoyable.”
The demands of that song do leave the performers with little time to catch their breaths, though. “I have so little time offstage, I have to decide if I’m going to have a sip of water, blow my nose, or have some honey,” reveals Pitts. “I can’t do all three!”
Thankfully, not every moment on stage is as intense. The book by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan isn’t afraid to take its time with extended scenes of dialogue — an increasingly rare occurrence in contemporary Broadway musicals. The actors appreciate the opportunity these moments provide for nuanced character exploration.
“The book is so strong, [so] when the songs come in they don’t do anything but lift the text even more,” Tutty says, noting that he also appreciates the moments of silence and stillness he’s allowed onstage considering that Dougal has such a “busy” personality. “It’s louder when he’s quiet compared to when he is literally running around the stage.”
“There’s so much of my character’s journey specifically that just happens off the page,” echoes Pitts. “One of my favorite things is finding the moments where she’s completely checked out into something else that she has to do, which is difficult because we know acting is listening and responding. When your character actively cannot listen because she is completely distracted, that’s been the hardest and the most rewarding thing to play because it’s just such a challenge.”
Both actors see their Tony nominations as signs that they are exactly where they’re supposed to be in their lives and careers. “I moved back to the south with my daughter thinking that was what life was supposed to be with a young child — more space and a slower pace,” admits Pitts, adding that she had decided not to move back to New York without a role booked. Just a few days into Two Strangers‘ Boston run, she learned that the production was moving to Broadway. “It’s just been very kismet,” Pitts says, smiling. “It literally feels like a manifestation realized.”
It isn’t lost on Tutty how rare it is for a London actor to be brought along for a show’s Broadway ride and earn a Tony nomination in the process. “My whole life, the Tonys have felt so far away — literally,” he says. “I just can’t wait to celebrate everyone; we’ve put in such an ungodly amount of hard work that a win would be great. …But the fact that I’m in this position is already a win for me. It’s just such a joy.”
