Superior Donuts
| Superior Donuts | |
|---|---|
 Poster for the Broadway production | |
| Written by | Tracy Letts |
| Date premiered | 2008 |
| Place premiered | Steppenwolf Theatre Company |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Setting | A small donut shop in Uptown, Chicago |
| Official site | |
| IBDB profile | |
Superior Donuts is a play by American playwright Tracy Letts. Its world premiere was staged by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago in 2008, and it premiered on Broadway in 2009.
Synopsis
The play focuses on the relationship between despondent Arthur Przybyszewski, a former 1960s radical who owns a rundown donut shop in Uptown, Chicago, and Franco, his energetic but troubled young African American assistant who wants to update the establishment with lively music and healthy menu options. Dialogue scenes are separated by soliloquies in which Arthur discusses his past and reminisces about the city as it was in his younger years.
Production history
The play, directed by Tina Landau, was performed at the Downstairs Theatre in Chicago by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company between June 19 and August 24, 2008.[1]
Again directed by Landau and with the Steppenwolf cast intact, the Broadway production began previews at the Music Box Theatre on September 16, 2009 and officially opened on October 1, with Michael McKean as Arthur Przybyszewski and Jon Michael Hill as Franco. Also in the cast were Yasen Peyankov as Russian appliance dealer Max Tarasov, James Vincent Meredith as local beat cop James Hailey, Jane Alderman as wise-crazy alcoholic Lady Boyle, Kate Buddeke as Randy Osteen (a cop who takes a liking to Arthur), Cliff Chamberlain as thug Kevin MaGee, Michael Garvey as surprise visitor Kiril Ivakina, and Robert Maffia as loan shark Luther Flynn.[2] The show closed on January 3, 2010.[3]
Despite its limited run on Broadway, Superior Donuts is slated to be produced by many regional theatres in the 2010-2011 season. Pittsburgh Public Theater, Arden Theatre Company (Philadelphia), Denver Center Theatre Company, The Studio Theatre (in Washington, DC), San Diego Repertory Theatre, TheatreWorks (California) and Mad Cow Theatre (Florida), Artists Repertory Theatre (Portland, OR) are all producing Superior Donuts in 2010-2011. The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, Sacramento's Capital Stage, and Chicago's Mary-Arrchie Theatre will be producing Superior Donuts in their 2011-2012 season. The Purple Rose Theatre (http://www.purplerosetheatre.org) in Chelsea, Michigan, led off its 2012-2013 season with Superior Donuts.
Directed by Kate Powers, the play was performed in May 2011 for an audience of prisoners and community guests by a cast of prisoners who participate in Rehabilitation Through the Arts at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. The Sing Sing cast was visited in rehearsal by Michael McKean, who shared his insight as Arthur Przybyszewski.
Critical reception
In his review of the original Chicago production, Charles Isherwood of the New York Times said the play "has a lot in common with the deep-fried breakfast food of the title. It’s insubstantial and sweet, with virtually no nutritional value. Still, minor though this comedy is, it is also hard to dislike. Who doesn’t hanker for a doughnut now and then?"[4]
In reviewing the Broadway production, Isherwood called Superior Donuts "a gentle comedy that unfolds like an extended episode of a 1970s sitcom" and "a warm bath of a play that will leave Broadway audiences with satisfied smiles rather than rattled nerves." He felt if the play "possesses the nostalgic appeal of a classic sitcom, it is also hampered by some of the genre’s standard flaws. A subplot about Franco’s gambling debts feels contrived, like one of those dubious byways cooked up by writers in the later seasons of a series, when inspiration flags and the characters’ interactions have begun to go stale. The ancillary characters... might have come straight from the Sidekicks, Neighbors and Friends rack, although the excellent actors imbue them all with a sharp specificity. The relationship at the heart of the play, between Arthur and Franco, is also not without its formulaic aspects. Mr. Letts’s depiction of this budding cross-racial, cross-generational friendship feels a little retrograde, as both Arthur and Franco reveal dimensions that confound each other but help ease the awkwardness between them... But Mr. Letts treads gently, underplaying the surrogate-son aspect of their dynamic."[5]
In 2010, Jon Michael Hill was nominated for a Male Supporting Actor Tony for his work in this play.
References
- ↑ Superior Donuts production history at Steppenwolf.org
- ↑ Jones, Kenneth."Tracy Letts' Superior Donuts, With McKean and Hill, Opens on Broadway" playbill.com, October 1, 2009
- ↑ Jones,Kenneth."Broadway Runs Out of Superior Donuts on Jan. 3" playbill.com, January 3, 2010
- ↑ New York Times, June 30, 2008
- ↑ New York Times, October 2, 2009