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Superior Pedigree
New play has all the right ingredients
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The recipe for a successful Broadway debut is often anything but formulaic. Still, there are a few indicators of impending success. An outstanding and supportive company, a critically acclaimed, fresh–voiced playwright and a successful previous run off–Broadway are strong suggestions that time spent on the Great White Way will not be fruitless. Tracey Letts’ Superior Donuts possesses all of these elements, and seems to be on its way to becoming a Broadway hit.
Having previously enjoyed a successful run at the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago, Superior Donuts will make the leap to Broadway on October 1st. The story revolves around a dilapidated donut shop in an uptown neighborhood in Chicago owned by Arthur Przybyszewski. His only employee is Franco Wicks, young black men whose ideas about changing the shop for the better challenge Arthur to take on the difficult task of embracing the past and allow an unlikely and redemptive friendship to form.
The cast is led by veteran stage and screen actor Michael McKean whose comedic and dramatic chops have been seen in Hairspray on Broadway and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. He is perhaps most famous for his work on films such as Best in Show and This is Spinal Tap. He originated the role of Arthur in Chicago at Steppenwolf, and is supported by a slew of Steppenwolf standbys.
Jon Michael Hill stars as Franco. His previous work includes The Tempest and The Unmentionables at Steppenwolf. The cast also includes Kate Buddeke as Officer Randy Osteen, Cliff Chamberlain as Kevin McGee and Jane Alderman as Lady Boyle. Tina Landau whose most recent work includes The Tempest and Superior Donuts at Steppenwolf, directs. Landau teaches drama at Yale and also returns to acting in Donuts with a role in the Ensemble. The play is written by Tracy Letts, who was the recipient of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his work, August: Osage County.
Tickets are currently on sale through Telecharge.com or by calling 212–239–6200. Superior Donuts will perform Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday thru Saturday at 8pm, Wednesday and Saturday at 2 pm, and Sunday at 3pm.