Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre (Chicago, IL)
Michael McKean (This is Spinal Tap, Laverne and Shirley) stars in Superior Donuts, a provocative new comedy by 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Letts. Arthur (McKean) owns a decrepit donut shop in the uptown neighborhood of Chicago. Franco, a black teenager who is his only employee, wants to change the shop for the better. Set in one of Chicago's most diverse communities, this world-premiere highlights the redemptive power of friendship.
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The last date listed for Superior Donuts was Friday August 15, 2008 / 7:30pm. (view all dates)
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I was looking forward to this play, and wasn't disappointed. The first act was much more enjoyable than the first but it was very funny and true to Chicago.
Probably one of the best plays I have seen this year.
The writing was perfect. The timing and interface between the actors, especially the donut shop owner and the young writer, was incrediable.
The stage set was delightful. Reminded me of a donut shop I frequented as a child.
There were four of us who saw the play together and about six others who saw it at another time. We had a very lively discussion about the play. All of us enjoyed it very much.
My sister purchased the tickets as I am visiting from London, UK. The name of the show sounded good fun. I hadn't come across the writer before and didn't really know what to expect. I was amazed at how brilliant Tracy Letts writing was and very impressed that it took him only a year to write the play. Not only were the "big laughs" extremely funny but the subtleties tucked away in the language were surprising and rewarding for the audience. Tracy Letts is a brilliant craftsman. This fantastic play was supported by brilliant acting, given by confident actors who know their craft. Arther P, Franco, Lady were wonderful characters to engage with. I was glued to my seat.
Well done and I hope more of Tracy Letts's plays come to London.
The Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre presents world-premiere productions and fresh interpretations of classic and contemporary plays in its state-of-the-art 515-seat theater, where no seat is more than 40 feet from the stage.
The Steppenwolf Upstairs Theatre is a 299-seat proscenium theater that reflects Steppenwolf's commitment to the intimacy of the actor-audience relationship. Each season, one
Superior Donuts was developed as part of Steppenwolf’s New Plays Initiative. Steppenwolf is recognized as a national leader in the development and production of new work for the American canon. Through this initiative, the company maintains ongoing relationships with writers of international prominence and rigorously discovers and supports the work of early and mid-career playwrights.
Ensemble member Tracy Letts (playwright) received the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his critically acclaimed play August: Osage County, currently playing on Broadway following a sold-out run at Steppenwolf in 2007. Mr. Letts is also the author of Man from Nebraska, which was produced at Steppenwolf in 2003 and was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize; Killer Joe, which has been produced in Chicago, London and New York; and Bug, which has played in New York, Chicago and London.
Ensemble member Tina Landau (director) most recently directed Steppenwolf’s 2007 production of The Diary of Anne Frank. Other Steppenwolf directing credits include The Cherry Orchard, The Time of Your Life (also Seattle Rep, A.C.T.), Theatrical Essays, Maria Arndt, The Ballad of Little Jo, The Berlin Circle, Time to Burn and her own play, Space (also NYC’s Public Theater, Mark Taper Forum).
Featuring ensemble members Jon Hill, Yasen Peyankov and James Vincent Meredith, with Jane Alderman, Kate Buddeke, Cliff Chamberlain, Michael Garvey, Robert Maffia and Michael McKean.
Michael McKean has appeared in hundreds of movies and TV shows, creating a rogue's gallery of unusual and durable characters. Film credits include Steven Spielberg’s "1941," "Young Doctors in Love," Rob Reiner’s "This Is Spinal Tap" (on which McKean shared screenwriting and composing credits), "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," "Coneheads," "The Brady Bunch Movie," "True Crime" and about seventy others, including Christopher Guest’s "The Big Picture" (also co-wrote), "Best in Show," "A Mighty Wind" and "For Your Consideration." TV credits include “Laverne and Shirley” (as Lenny), “Friends,” “Murphy Brown,” “Law & Order,” “Smallville,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and more. McKean made his Broadway debut in 1990 with Rupert Holmes’ Accomplice, which netted him a Theater World Award. After this, McKean made his Broadway musical debut in Hairspray, followed by Woody Allen’s original stage production, A Secondhand Memory. Next up came his debut at the Williamstown Theatre Festival Mainstage in Tom Stoppard’s On the Razzle. McKean then appeared in the successful Broadway revival of The Pajama Game with Harry Connick Jr. before starring on London’s West End in a new play titled Love Song. McKean is currently appearing on Broadway in the 40th anniversary revival of Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming.
Steppenwolf Theatre Company is an internationally-renowned company of thirty-five artists whose talents include acting, directing, playwriting, filmmaking, and textual adaptation. Steppenwolf has redefined the landscape of acting and performance by spawning a generation of America's most gifted artists, including Joan Allen, John Mahoney, John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf, Martha Plimpton and Gary Sinise. No other American theater ensemble has survived as long and thrived as much as the Steppenwolf company of artists, who return home to Chicago to do the work they love.