Change is coming to Arthur Przybyszewski's (Michael McKean) doughnut shop in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood in Tracy Letts' new play, "Superior Donuts." Whether it's the increasingly popular Starbucks across the street, his acquisitive neighbor (an amusing Yasen Peyankov), or his new employee, Franco Wicks (Jon Michael Hill, incandescent), Arthur's small, stable world is under threat.
Letts' seriocomic meditation on change may not have the epic scope of his hugely successful, multi-award-winning "August: Osage County." However, it is a poignant and delightful play, with a real affection for its characters and their world, and very worth seeing in Tina Landau's warm, finely detailed, production.
The script is strongest on character and atmosphere. Arthur, particularly in McKean's brilliantly understated performance, is a man who has let failure and limits sink into his bones. Everything from his aging-hippie wardrobe (the sharp-eyed costumes are by Ana Kuzmanic) to his pinched vocal tones express this. His banter with the nearly manic Franco, part-time doughnut shop clerk and self-proclaimed author of the great American novel, has a snap that is absolutely delicious.
Another pleasure of the play is in its pitch-perfect evocation of Chicago, and Uptown in particular. It is always a pleasure to see your own world onstage, and for an Uptown resident such as myself, seeing my neighborhood makes the play even more enjoyable.
The play is less strong when it comes to matters of plot. It takes a while for the plot to get going at all, and it relies on a few cliched elements, particularly the characters of the immaculately dressed thug with his rougher enforcer (Robert Maffia and Cliff Chamberlain) and the wise and good-hearted street woman (Jane Alderman, surprisingly moving.)
Despite these flaws, the play unquestionably succeeds, causing many laughs, a few audible gasps and many a pair of misty eyes.
Reviewed by Centerstage!
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