What’ll It Be Lyrics – Two Strangers

Song Overview

“What’ll It Be” is Robin’s first real look-in - a morning shift mantra that turns into a quarter-life inventory. The number arrived publicly with a Kiln Theatre performance clip on October 30, 2023, and later appeared on the Studio Cast EP released February 21, 2024, before taking its place as track 2 on the Original London Cast album that July.

Review & Highlights

Review

The song works because it turns small talk into x-ray. Robin’s server patter - “What’ll it be?” - becomes a mirror she can’t dodge, and the lyrics keep circling the same question until it stings. The arrangement leans contemporary musical theatre with pop clarity: steady pulse, piano comping, and a melody that lets the voice sit conversational, then lift into a clean belt. Studio releases keep vocals up front and radio-tidy without sanding off the character grain.

Plot

On the surface, Robin takes orders. Underneath, she’s clocking the city, her job, her friends, and that quiet throb of “is this it?” The verse lists keep time like footsteps to work; the chorus admits she’s waiting for a corner she can’t quite see. It’s the morning after years of mornings - the life audit you conduct in a café window.

Creation History

Written by composer Jim Barne and lyricist Kit Buchan, the number first reached audiences via the Kiln Theatre run in late 2023, with Dujonna Gift originating Robin in London. It was captured for a performance video ahead of opening, then recorded for the EP and later the 15-track Original London Cast album. Lux Pyramid produced the releases.

Key takeaways

• Everyday banter becomes a diagnostic tool - the hook is a question and a dare.
• Production favors intimacy so the lyrics land like thoughts you overhear.
• Placed after the opener, it sets Robin’s compass: restless, guarded, awake.

Song Meaning and Annotations

This is a city song that refuses the postcard. Robin isn’t bewitched by skyline clichés; she’s inventorying the grind. Each “Another…” stacks like receipts - another block, another Friday, another winter - until the chorus breaks the loop and asks the bigger thing.

Stylistically, it’s contemporary MT fused with pop ballad syntax: verse lists, pre-chorus lift, and a chorus that opens syllables wide. The rhythm sits mid-up, but the vocal phrasing leaves room for side-eye and sighs. That tension - brisk tempo vs. reflective text - is the character study.

The emotional arc starts practical and turns vulnerable. She’s “serving” you this morning, but the mask slips: the mirror questions, the late-night windows, the “are you happy?” cross-exam. The song is less about decision and more about permission to want one.

“And everybody says ‘You’ve got your head screwed on alright’”

Compliments read like pressure. The line catches the social performance of competence, the way friends script your role and you nod along.

“Is there something ’round the corner in the distance?”

Classic city image: corners as portals. She’s searching for a turn that changes the view - career, love, or just proof she’s not stuck.

“At a city you can’t quite see”

That’s the thesis. The city isn’t the backdrop; it’s the antagonist and the test. The lyric pins urban life’s optical illusion - close, bright, and somehow out of reach.

Production and instrumentation

On record, the mix puts voice right at the lens, with piano, kit, and light guitars building a clean pop chassis. It’s engineered for clarity - the kind of track that reads in earbuds and onstage. The EP and album masterings list If I Believed Ltd as rights holder.

Context

“What’ll It Be” followed the show from Kiln Theatre to the Criterion and on to A.R.T., where new star Christiani Pitts carried the song in 2025, complete with a fresh promo video. The number’s portability - café to camera to curtain-up - says a lot about its construction.

Key Facts

• Artist: Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York) company - lead vocal by Dujonna Gift
• Composer: Jim Barne; Lyricist: Kit Buchan
• Producer: Lux Pyramid
• First public video: October 30, 2023
• Digital EP release: February 21, 2024
• Album release: July 26, 2024 - Original London Cast Recording
• Length: 3:07
• Genre: Musical theatre, pop
• Key / Tempo: D major, ~126 BPM
• Label / Rights: If I Believed Ltd
• Track #: 2 on Original London Cast album
• Language: English
• Style notes: contemporary MT ballad with belt-friendly chorus

Questions and Answers

Who produced “What’ll It Be” in its commercial releases?

Lux Pyramid, credited across the project’s recordings and sing-along editions.

When did the song first surface publicly?

October 30, 2023 via a performance video released ahead of the Kiln Theatre opening.

When did it hit streaming as part of an official release?

February 21, 2024 on the eight-track Studio Cast EP, later included on the Original London Cast album.

Who sings it in London and in the U.S. premiere?

Dujonna Gift originated Robin in London; Christiani Pitts performs it in the A.R.T. production, featured in a 2025 promo video.

Where does it sit in the show’s flow?

It follows the opener and functions as Robin’s first character statement - the interior monologue she hides behind customer-service charm.

Awards and Chart Positions

UK charts: the Original London Cast Recording reached no. 28 on the Official Album Downloads Chart and no. 14 on the Official Soundtrack Albums Chart in August 2024.

How to Sing What’ll It Be

Range & placement. The role is written for a soprano/mezzo who can lean into contemporary belt. Keep verses speech-lean, then open vowels for the chorus lift.

Tempo & key. Typical recordings sit around 126 BPM in D major - bright enough to feel like city footfall without rushing the thought. If your mix sits lower or higher, a whole-step shift won’t break the song’s color.

Breath strategy. Plan a sip before each “What’ll it be?” hook so you phrase the question as one intent, not three short lines. Keep consonants crisp - it’s still customer-service cadence.

Acting beat. Let the smile be functional early on and let the mirror lines land bare. The turn from patter to confession is the pay-off.

Additional Info

A 2025 promo video from A.R.T. reintroduced the song stateside with Christiani Pitts, underscoring how neatly it travels from London origins to American premiere. The official site and streaming listings confirm the project’s rights holder as If I Believed Ltd, with tidy runtimes that match the cast album.