SUPERIOR DONUTS Reviews

I saw the show tonight....I don't have a playbill so I don't know anyones name except the leads and I am still marinating in the show but here are my thought

I had a BIG of problem with these inner monologue moments that McKean's character often goes in and out of. I don't remember anything he said in any of the SEVERAL because they completely took me out of the story line. I could see them starting or ending each act, a la Beverly in AOC, but they just happen abruptly and sound like someone reading paragraphs from a book and less like insight into McKean's character.

Also- The TERRIBLY SLOW and OBVIOUSLY fake fight choreography killed me. It doesn't help that the fighting is between older gentlemen who probably aren't super limber.

Other than that, I found it interesting. NO WHERE NEAR as brilliant as AOC. Loved Jon Michael Hill. We wll be seeinf more from him for sure. I thought the guy playing the Russian dude needed a bit more time to settle into his character - they didnt seem like one as people. Still felt really put on. And the Cop lady talked too much with her hands which seemed very unnatural and kind of annoyed me.

I was entertained and certainly laughed out loud but it reminded me too much of American Buffalo (which I saw someone else mention in another thread...therefore making me feel less bad about having that opinion). I really wanted to love this and I will probably forget all about it by the weekend.

The Associated Press is Very Positive:

"Sometimes doughnuts can have nutritional value — at least dramatically.

Such is the case with "Superior Donuts," Tracy Letts' appealing, sweet-tempered comedy-drama that opened Thursday at Broadway's Music Box Theatre...

Be warned, though. "Superior Donuts" is unashamedly sentimental, certainly a change of pace for the author of the combative "August: Osage County" and such offbeat works as "Killer Joe" and "Bug." But it's got heart and more than a few laughs, a recipe that makes for an evening of fine entertainment."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091001/ap_en_re/us_theater_review_superior_donuts

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I must be out of the loop.. I thought this play sucked. Did they rewrite it during previews?

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Talkin Broadway is Very Positive.

"...truth is what Superior Donuts is most deeply about. Letts investigates in this play how you can find it and what it means when you do, when you should hold on to some ancient version of it and when you should trade it in for a newer model, and what relationship (if any) it has to succeeding at your chosen goals. One suspects that the way Letts has fused all this together won’t capture the public imagination quite the way his last play did - the end result isn’t flamboyant or audacious enough for that. But it’s warmer, more human, and more thoughtful, in every way living up to the mantra of Franco’s book, which defines these characters’ lives and, Letts argues, should probably define all of ours, as well: “Never stop moving.”

http://www.talkinbroadway.com/world/index.html

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USA Today is Very Positive.

"Letts' second Broadway outing, Superior Donuts (***1/2 out of four), which opened Thursday at the Music Box, marks an even greater departure from August than that play did from his earlier efforts. Donuts— which, like August, arrives via Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre — is considerably shorter and less patently ambitious. But the key difference lies in its soft, warm center. No one who has studied Letts' writing could say that the guy doesn't have a heart, but he has never worn it on his sleeve as unabashedly as he does here."

http://www.usatoday.com/life/theater/reviews/2009-10-01-superior-donuts_N.htm

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I loved the show...I'm so glad it's getting good reviews.

Backstage is Very Positive:

"A misanthropic old man is brought out of his shell by a bubbly youngster. Individual entrepreneurship is crushed by creeping consumer monoliths like Starbucks and Whole Foods. The little guy takes on nasty criminals and, though beaten and bruised, wins a moral victory. Though these plot points may sound like fodder for a made-for-TV movie, in "Superior Donuts," Tracy Letts uses them to fashion a funny and moving evening of theater. Just as he rethought the dysfunctional-family play in "August: Osage County," here the playwright brings quirky twists to familiar themes and finds universal truths in them. This transfer from Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company, directed with no-nonsense toughness by Tina Landau, handily avoids sentiment and delivers a slice of life as fresh and tasty as a doughnut right out of the oven."

http://www.backstage.com/bso/reviews-ny-theatre-broadway/ny-review-superior-donuts-1004017987.story

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"Or maybe it's just the spark of a writer whose words are so alive with poignancy and wit that they take hold of you even in a less than perfect context."


Absolutely spot-on.

Charles Isherwood is Positive:

"If "Superior Donuts," directed with an apt light touch by Tina Landau, possesses the nostalgic appeal of a classic sitcom, it is also hampered by some of the genre's standard flaws. A subplot about Franco's gambling debts feels contrived, like one of those dubious byways cooked up by writers in the later seasons of a series, when inspiration flags and the characters' interactions have begun to go stale. The ancillary characters: the two cops, the blustery Russian and the eccentric old lady who frequents the shop (Jane Alderman), might have come straight from the Sidekicks, Neighbors and Friends rack, although the excellent actors imbue them all with a sharp specificity...

Don't construe the sitcom comparison as a simple sneer. Who doesn't like to spend the occasional evening, clicker in hand, with a few episodes of a beloved old favorite? The style and setting of Mr. Letts's new play strongly evoke Norman Lear's groundbreaking shows of the 1970s, which mixed smart jokes and social commentary in satisfying proportions. "Superior Donuts" may be familiar and unchallenging, but it's also comfortable - and no, there's nothing wrong with that."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/theater/reviews/02donuts.html

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Updated On: 10/1/09 at 10:23 PM

John Simon is Very Positive (he gives the show four stars):

"For the second time this week comes to Broadway a play from Chicago and again with cops, though not in principal parts.

“Superior Donuts,” by Tracy Letts, is superior to “A Steady Rain” starring Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman. While not a prize-winning epic on the level of his “August: Osage County,” it’s a pleasing boulevard comedy nonetheless.

What is impressive about Letts -- that rare phenomenon of actor turned successful playwright -- is his scope. His “Killer Joe,” “Bug” “Osage” and now this are very different plays and all of genuine interest."

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601098&sid=azQrlpnof5uE

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Lets hope it runs. I need a job.

Love this show !!! (Btw, I think they made some changes to the "fight" scene, according to people that have seen it recently. )

Going back on Tues. Thrilled with these reviews !!!