How movies, pizza (and cults) brought 'Two Strangers' together

NEW YORK – Kids always know how to keep you humble.

Just take it from Christiani Pitts, star of the delightful Broadway meet-cute “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York),” which is vying for eight Tony Awards, including best musical.

Earlier this month, Pitts and her castmate, Sam Tutty, each received their first Tony nominations for best leading actress and actor, respectively. But Pitts’ 3-year-old daughter, Zora, was none too impressed.

“I was so emotional,” Pitts recalls with a laugh on a sunny afternoon, sharing cheese and pepperoni slices with Tutty at Ignazio’s under the Brooklyn Bridge. “I picked her up from school and was like, ‘Zora, Mommy just got nominated for a Tony.’ She said, ‘I don’t like Tony!’ and ran off to do whatever it was she was doing. I was like, ‘Cool.’ This is the balance of making your dreams come true and totally facilitating someone else’s life! But I know she’s proud of me, in her own way.”

Broadway's 'Two Strangers' musical flips the rom-com on its head

“Two Strangers” is an intimate two-hander about a happy-go-lucky Brit named Dougal (Tutty), who arrives in New York for the wedding of his father, whom he has never met. Robin (Pitts), meanwhile, is the disillusioned sister of the bride, who’s entrusted with picking Dougal up from the airport and begrudgingly becomes his tour guide. Over a whirlwind 48 hours, the improbable companions let their guards down and help each other work through personal hang-ups ‒ all while tasked with transporting a wedding cake.

Created by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan, the impossibly sweet comedy is the only wholly original new musical nominated at this year’s Tony Awards. And in a season full of shows that are either ponderous or paper-thin, “Two Strangers” stands out for its deep sincerity and quietly profound connection between two human beings.

“It dares the audience to listen and engage with only two people,” says Tutty, who has been with the project since 2023. “There are moments in the theater where you can hear a pin drop. It’s such a joy as an actor to be like, ‘I don’t have to do this big 11 o’clock number for you to understand what I’m going through.’ Nothing’s forced – it’s all necessary.”

And while there is a “will they or won’t they” spark between Robin and Dougal, romance isn’t the driving engine of the story as the characters grapple with ambition, disappointment and fractured family relationships.

“They’re just regular people, and I think that’s the reason why it’s resonating with so many people from different walks of life,” Pitts says. “They feel very seen and safe in our little show.”

Christiani Pitts, Sam Tutty on the moment they became best friends

Pitts, 33, and Tutty, 28, were introduced during her audition. Because of her high heels, she towered over her future costar – not the typical casting for a rom-com leading lady.

“I was looking up your nose. It was crazy,” Tutty recalls with a grin. “You thought that you weren’t going to get it because I was too small.”

“We had an awesome audition, great chemistry. The room was light and fun,” Pitts adds. “I was so confident that it wasn’t going to happen because I knew it was a romantic thing. But I left and was like: ‘I know I’m going to see that little man in something! He’s really good!’ ”

For Tutty and director Tim Jackson, “Christiani was the obvious choice,” the actor says. “Your attitude to work is the same as mine. We both know what we need as actors and the trust that the show requires. And then you said you liked one of my favorite films, ‘Wind River,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, you’re actually cool.’ ”

“Oh, because I wasn’t s--- before then,” Pitts jokes with a playful eye roll. For her, their first real bonding moment was after a rigorous three-day stretch of rehearsals.

“It was just us in an Uber and I came to my spirit to ask him, ‘Could you ever see yourself getting in a cult?’ ” Pitts recalls. “This man didn’t know me, but I was so pleased with how brutally honest he answered the question, like: 'No, I'm not an idiot! What about you?' I genuinely appreciated his attitude of: ‘This is who I am. Take it or leave it.’ It allowed me to just be myself as well.”

The Tony Awards are a family affair ‒ and a dream come true

Tutty won an Olivier Award starring in “Dear Evan Hansen” in London’s West End, although this is his first time living in the States and appearing on Broadway. As much as he appreciates New York’s dollar slices and massive bagels, he’s equally eager to be back in the U.K.

“I will cry my eyes out when I go home,” Tutty says. “This has been the coolest experience of my life, but I’m also really pleased that this job has made me realize how much I love my family and friends and where I’m from. I’m trying to bring my girlfriend, my mum and brother to the Tonys with me, because this might literally never happen again.”

The Tony Awards will air from New York's Radio City Music Hall on June 7 (8 ET/5 PT on CBS and streaming on Paramount+). Attending drama school overseas, Tutty remembers watching the ceremony live on his laptop in the wee hours of the morning with a VPN. Pitts, meanwhile, didn’t grow up watching the Tonys with her mom, but she has many other fond memories of enjoying the Oscars and BET Awards together.

“My mom’s going to be my Tonys date,” Pitts says. “It’s going to be overwhelming to be sitting in some velvet chairs, knowing the person that got me here is right there. I might not wear eyelashes – it may be too emotional to do that.”

Over the years, she has performed in Broadway musicals such as “A Bronx Tale” and the short-lived “King Kong.”

“When I made my Broadway debut, I cried and cried because my dream came true,” Pitts says. “But a show can open and then close the following week. There's this pressure, like you don’t want to enjoy it too much.”

So for her, this Tony nomination is “the first dream I’ve ever had come true that can’t be taken away. I’ve never had that happen before – it’s really special.”