The Red Velvet Cake War: A Review

By Neeha Zaman

Published 11/22/21

For the past few months, members of CHS’s fall play’s cast & crew worked tirelessly to put on this year’s production of “The Red Velvet Cake War,” a play repeatedly described as “riotously funny,” and their efforts came to fruition last week. I saw the play on opening night, November 18th, and didn’t know what to expect. It was quite funny and I found myself unexpectedly laughing at lines like “Hey ladies, look who’s hair.”

The plot follows the three Verdeen cousins, Gaynelle, Peaches, and Jimmie Wyvette, as they rush to put on a family reunion while simultaneously trying to win a seemingly unwinnable bet to bake the better red velvet cake. Along the way, they face more setbacks like a broken AC, a court-appointed psychologist, and a meddling dog, not to mention the rest of the Verdeen family. Leads Danielle Dennehy (2022), Zan Lennon (2022), and Jordan Jarrell (2022) were perfect as Gaynelle, Peaches, and Jimmie Wyvette respectively; I was amazed by all of their performances, as they managed to portray the characters exactly as expected while adding their own flair.

The entire cast was incredible, with other highlights including Kira Amaan as Cee Cee Windham, a local TV personality who seemingly has a feud going with her cameraman. While I didn’t have any one favorite scene, everyone’s performances came together to make this play a memorable and funny experience!

If you didn’t make it to any of the performances of “The Red Velvet Cake War” but still want to see one of CHS Drama’s productions, consider seeing the spring musical, “Chicago.” I, for one, am intrigued to see how the CHS production will differ from the Broadway musical.