| IF YOU GO |
| “Superior Donuts” |
| Where: The Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW |
| When: 8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday; through Jan. 2 |
| Info: $44 to $65; 202-332-3300; studiotheatre.org |
It’s not about doughnuts. Forget the images of fried, sugar-laden rings of dough and steamy mugs of piping hot coffee, the occasional big-bellied cop popping in for a midshift break. Well, actually, the latter works fine in Tracy Letts’ searing, smart pseudo-comedy at the Studio Theatre.
But the doughnuts? They’re completely beside the point.
A couple of friendly police officers are peppered throughout Letts’ play, but they’re merely peripheral, just like the carbohydrate coma-inducing treats in its title. The real setting here is a beat-up doughnut shop in Chicago’s urban Uptown neighborhood, a contemporary microcosm of culture and commercialism, where homegrown Mom-and-Pop type shops are forced to compete against mega-chains like Starbucks and an arsenal of consumer-craving big box stores. It’s rough keeping Superior Donuts afloat, especially in an increasingly health-conscious climate, and the owner knows it. In fact, he’s resigned himself to the fact that it’s only a matter of time before his destiny will slip away, the glowing neon “Open” sign dimmed for good. And that’s prime territory as far as Letts’ story is concerned, a beautifully constructed tale of America at-large.
“Doughnuts are my life,” growls Arthur, the product of a hard-working immigrant family who has made fresh doughnuts their legacy. His ex-wife has recently died, and, estranged from his only daughter, he finds coping with life in general a daunting everyday task. Enter Franco Wicks, a local college dropout in desperate need of a job. And whether or not Arthur is hiring is questionable at best.
It’s this unlikely — and inevitable — relationship forged between a complacent old white guy and a young but exceptionally literate black kid that forms the heart of Letts’ story, and when Franco gets himself mixed up in a bleak gambling situation, he has much bigger problems than Arthur cajoling him to go back to school over a pan of burnt doughnuts.
Letts has penned in an incredibly profound fable, a modern drama that discovers beauty in an ugly slice of life. Transcending codes of class, race, age, and the standards of social etiquette, Letts stirs up friendship with violence, ethnicity with honor, courage with cowardice. We care about his characters here, and we fret over their fate.
But it isn’t just the brilliant, perceptive writing that makes us believe in the weight of “Superior Donuts.” Under Serge Seiden’s skillful direction, there are marvelous touches imbued throughout Letts’ work, a solid production that features adept acting with nuanced interpretations by his cast. Johnny Ramey has an ineffable, infectious charm as Franco, in a lightning bolt performance that shines alongside Richard Cotovsky as the draft-dodging, doughnut-crafting Arthur. And while Barbara Broughton lends a very human face to the rituals of addiction in her much smaller role as Lady Boyle, it is ultimately Cotovsky’s fabulous old hippie, torn between his conscience and his cash flow, that makes “Superior Donuts” a delicious, substantial piece of theater.
