Thank you, everyone who replied, for the wealth of information and
the great suggestions.
During rehearsals we were using a Trader Joe's angel food cake, just
because it was the cheapest cake in the store and the easiest to dry
out without having it turn into powder. We had cut a single slice
that Cecily kept serving over and over again. This worked out fairly
well, although it didn't fit the description of any of the cakes in
your replies, and Opening-Night triage determined that we would
continue to use it for opening weekend.
Once things have settled down (and I can keep my eyes open) I will
try a foam-rubber layer cake. I liked the ideas of a tea loaf and a
heavy fruity cake, but as one responder commented, we want the prop
to "read" cake to the audience, and I think a layer cake will both
read and be pretty.
Opening night went well. What a play (of course)! and I have a great
cast.
--Ruth Anne
On Jul 6, 2010, at 5:00 PM, Sharon Collier wrote:
Of course, Gwendolyn never eats the cake, so it can be made of foam
rubber,
colored to look like a frosted layer cake. That way, there is no
chance of
ants, spilling onto the costume, storage during the run, etc.
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:h-costume-
[email protected]] On
Behalf Of Ruth Anne Baumgartner
Sent: Saturday, July 03, 2010 5:55 AM
To: Historical Costume
Subject: [h-cost] OT to Victorian re-enactors
Hello the list:
Getting ready to open The Importance of Being Earnest (I am director,
costumer, and props person) and still have not settled on what
Cecily cuts
and serves a large piece of to Gwendolen during the tea scene:
Cecily. [Severely.] Cake or bread and butter?
Gwendolen. [In a bored manner.] Bread and butter, please. Cake is
rarely seen at the best houses nowadays.
Cecily. [Cuts a very large slice of cake, and puts it on the tray.]
Hand that to Miss Fairfax.
I have looked at people's Tea Party pages, cookbooks, and photos
that come
up on Google Image search, but I have not found what I consider a
reliable
image for the prop for this scene. Things come up anywhere from fancy
cookies to huge decorated cakes reminiscent of diner dessert displays.
I would welcome advice from any of the knowledgeable people on this
list,
particularly those who participate in Victorian tea parties or similar
events. Earnest is 1895; Cecily Cardew is a wealthy young woman
living in a
manor house in the English countryside.
Thanks in advance!
--Ruth Anne Baumgartner
scholar gypsy and amateur costumer
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