"Superior Donuts" at Steppenwolf
"Superior Donuts" at Steppenwolf
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"Superior Donuts" at Steppenwolf
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Post #1 - June 28th, 2008, 10:24 pmSteppenwolf Theatre opened "Superior Donuts" by Tracy Letts tonight. Set in an Uptown doughnut shop, the play follows interactions among the shop owner (an aging hippie of Polish descent); his youthful black employee; and various neighborhood denizens.
It's beautifully acted, and -- barring a few quibbles -- potently written, but as regards the main interests of this group, a bit disappointing: It barely touches on doughnuts and only generically on Uptown.
It's worth seeing, but you might want to go for the cheaper rush seats. At $68 for regular tickets, especially if you're looking for upbeat culinary pleasures, you'll get a lot more mileage from a tank of gas and a trip to the Southeast Side or the northwest suburbs.
Despite many funny lines, "Superior Donuts" is also not a comedy, as the theater bills it. Regular theater goers won't be surprised that Steppenwolf took a light confection and turned it into heavy drama.
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Post #2 - August 9th, 2008, 1:33 pmLAZ wrote:It's beautifully acted, and -- barring a few quibbles -- potently written, but as regards the main interests of this group, a bit disappointing: It barely touches on doughnuts and only generically on Uptown.
I actually learned more about doughnut-making than I expected to! (Importance of hand-forming, exact-right boiling time, etc.)
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Post #3 - August 23rd, 2008, 4:23 pm"Superior Donuts" is not a great work of theater as Tracy Letts' "August: Osage County" supposedly is (sorry I missed it), but it was a pleasant way to while away a summer evening, watching a local, and somewhat predictable, drama. Not a comedy at all, despite the advertisements. But it did make me want to go out and get some donuts, but I think that superior donuts are pretty well limited to the southside these days.Toast, as every breakfaster knows, isn't really about the quality of the bread or how it's sliced or even the toaster. For man cannot live by toast alone. It's all about the butter. -- Adam Gopnik
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Post #4 - August 23rd, 2008, 7:51 pmGAF wrote:I think that superior donuts are pretty well limited to the southside these days.
There are some excellent spots in the northwest suburbs and at least one decent place on the Northwest side. See the sidebar linked in this article:
Chicago not quite a heavyweight in the doughnut world, but some local contenders have a fighting chance
