Eggs. Flour. Sugar. Marijuana. A hint of deception. When precocious high school senior Jane Huang (Sunnie Eraso, Communication ‘23) gets denied a scholarship she needs to pay her Harvard tuition, these are the main ingredients of her Plan B and the premise of “Baked! The Musical,” which completed its run at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre Sunday.

With the help of her best friend Kasey (Devon Hayawaka) and drug-dealing classmate Z (Communication senior Reilly Oh), Jane attempts to raise money for her tuition by selling –– you guessed it –– cannabis-infused pastries. The headquarters? Her family’s bakery.

It’s a zany plot that immediately raises a few questions: How do her parents not smell the cannabutter in the oven? Can you earn enough money selling edibles in one summer to pay for four years of college? Why did she only apply to one scholarship? Don’t think about it too much, and it’s an enjoyable watch.

Still, the score was not so enjoyable, a forgettable mush of piano-led sing-talking that has come to dominate the sound of contemporary musical theater. During intermission, I struggled to remember the songs from the first act. “Get Baked,” the musical’s rather tepid showstopper, is the only song that had any staying power in my mind.

All things said, it was not a terrible show. Mariel Saavedra, who played Jane’s mother Yunzhou, was a highlight. A secondary plot focuses on Yunzhou’s grief following her father’s death, whom she had not seen in years  since she didn’t have enough money to fly back to China. Meanwhile, she has to support her family emotionally as it goes through its share of struggles: the bakery is close to closing and Jane’s father, Mingli (Nick Joe), struggles with his relationship with his daughter. Saavedra approached the role with a wonderful balance of pathos and comedy.

Hayawaka’s impeccable comedic timing as Kasey and her powerful singing voice made her a standout performer amongst the cast. Kasey undergoes a personal evolution, reckoning with the realization that much of her identity is wrapped around supporting Jane and her endeavors.

Scenic designer Mara Ishihara Zinky’s immersive restaurant-style set allowed for dynamic and spacious blocking choices by director Grace Dolezal-Ng. Throughout the show, actors weaved around dinner tables filled with audience members. With such an open set, it was impossible for the actors to conceal any acting flaws, given the distance of a traditional stage. And though the cast’s acting was engaging and humorous, many members were not particularly impressive.

Despite its misgivings, “Baked! The Musical” is a show I’d watch again. Theater centering Asian and Asian American stories are few and far between, and it was an overall charming production. Hopefully, writers Deepak Kumar and Jord Liu will continue to workshop the script and score. Theo Ubique’s production was part of the show’s developmental process, so the show will inevitably go through some changes in the future. With some tweaks, it has the potential to be a remarkable show.

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Twitter: @jahariia

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