Donuts: Recommended

Last night we saw Superior Donuts at Steppenwolf. It's written by Tracy Letts, who recently won a Pulitzer and a Tony for his amazing show August: Osage County. I am impressed that this script feels as strong as that one. In it's funniest moments, I think it's funnier. Superior Donuts is set now in Chicago. It's filled with Chicago references, many were so current we got them, and many that only the older sections of the audience chuckled for. It felt like a hometown audience, we laughed at all the right places, and gasped together just where we were supposed to. The acting was superb and the story was engaging and moving.

And speaking of the acting, reading the program we realized that the main character was going to be played by Michael McKean. If you're like me and struggle with names, he's a staple in Christopher Guest movies, starting with playing the lead singer in This Is Spinal Tap. As ehs pointed out, some people may be more familiar with the 144 episodes of Lavernne and Shirley he was in. Either way, it was great to see him perform in person. The set is tiny, pushed right to the front of the stage. All the action is up close. You really catch the smaller moments this way, and in a lot of ways those are what this play is all about. The small choices that look big, and the power of place and memory.

If you're in Chicago, I would recommend trying to catch this production before it closes on August 24.

And last night, instead of dreaming about any of the play's themes or plotlines, I dreamt I made donuts. Boy were they delicious!