Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage’s Clyde’s, running at 6th Street Playhouse through March 23, is a stunning piece of theater.
Funny, poetic and dangerous, it acts as both mythical tale and starkly realistic depiction of the brutal realities faced by former felons.
Clyde’s is set in a truck-stop cafe kitchen, where four tormented souls work for the sinister Clyde, played with almost uncontrollable rage by Shanay Howell. It’s a tale of grappling for the authentic self and of keeping dreams alive in the face of incredible obstacles.
Director Marty Pistone is a good ally, as he brings the story, written by a Black woman, to life, and directs primarily BIPOC actors. This reviewer feels some imposter syndrome, as she is totally devoid of melanin; thus, this review will approach criticism with humility and allyship with our BIPOC theater peers.
The set is a marvel of craftsmanship: Full of tiny detail, operational to the extent one would want a commercial kitchen to be portrayed, it sucks one into the inner sanctum of the personal hell in which Clyde reigns. What an achievement for set designer Bruce Lackovic and props designer Ben Harper. The costumes, by Jonathen Blue, also speak loudly (those marigold Converse), making each character distinctive.
Not yet fully grounded as an ensemble, each actor finds moments of truth. Britten, as sandwich guru Montrellous, is joyfully kind and has unshakable optimism—which pits him against Clyde, who just may be the Devil herself, swaggering around the kitchen with a cigarette, bedecked in fabulous outfits and wigs. Clyde possesses serious baggage that she takes out on her staff, who are enmeshed in a kind of soul-ownership contract with her.
Characters read both as familiar archetypes (Lexus Fletcher’s Letitia and Lorenzo Alviso’s Rafael are a modern day, and rhythmically blessed, version of Rosencranz and Guildenstern) and as painfully human, like when Nate Musser’s Jason explains where he lives. Alviso and Fletcher bring the attitude and defensiveness of people who’ve lived hard lives, yet reveal softness, and provide the show’s funnier moments. Musser is most effective in his quieter moments, where his expressions flash traumatic stories.
The conflicts are fought internally, the defining confrontation is brought on by a condiment, and there isn’t a nicely tied up resolution. This story is running on a purgatorial cycle, and one leaves the theater wondering if they’ve just witnessed another go round, or the final revolution.
It’s a sneakily astonishing story and script.
‘Clyde’s’ runs through March 30 on the Monroe Stage at 6th Street Playhouse, 52 W. 6th Street, Santa Rosa. Thurs-Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 2pm. $26-$45. 707.523.4185. 6thstreeetplayhouse.com.
