Clyde's

 A-

Twice Pulitzer-awarded playwright Lynn Nottage (Ruined, Sweat) wrote this comedy with serious overtones and a touch of magic realism at the same time that she was working on Sweat. Both share a Reading, PA setting but are otherwise quite different. Clyde’s (formerly called Floyd’s when it premiered at the Guthrie Theater in 2019) is the name of the roadside sandwich shop owned by the titular character (Uzo Aduba, Godspell, “In Treatment”). All her employees have been recently released from jail. Taking full advantage of the fact that they are desperate, she treats them abominably and tries to squeeze any drop of hope out of them. We meet Letitia (Kara Young, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven), a young single mother with a chronically ill child; Rafael (Reza Salazar; Sweat, My Mañana Comes), a romantic Latino; newly hired Jason (Edmund Donovan, Greater Clements, Lewiston/Clarkson), who is covered with gang tattoos; and Montrellous (Ron Cephas Jones, “This Is Us,” “Mr. Robot”), an older man of philosophic bent who inspires the others with his quest for the perfect sandwich. We learn the backstory of each employee. As they work, they describe to each other their vision of sandwich perfection and occasionally make one for the others to try. Significantly, Clyde refuses to try any of Montrellous’s creations. The acting is universally superb. The set by Takeshi Kata (Cambodian Rock Band), lighting by Christopher Akerlind (Indecent, The Last Ship) and costumes by Jennifer Moeller (Sweat, Aubergine) contribute greatly to this Second Stage production. Kate Whoriskey, who has often demonstrated her affinity for Nottage’s work before (Ruined, Sweat, Intimate Apparel), directs with smooth precision. The ending will definitely get your attention. A word of caution: don’t attend when you are hungry — the rapturous descriptions of ideal sandwiches will have you salivating. (Running time 100 minutes, no intermission.)

All the Natalie Portmans

C-

MCC Theater is presenting the world premiere of this depressing family drama by C.A. Johnson (Thirst). Keyonna (Kara Young; The New Englanders) is an unhappy black lesbian high school student in D.C. who seeks escape from her bleak reality by covering her wall with photos of movie stars. Her particular favorite is Natalie Portman (Elise Kibler; Napoli, Brooklyn), who becomes her imaginary friend. Her loving older brother Samuel (Joshua Boone; Network, Actually) is having sex with their mutual friend Chantel (Renika Williams; The Climb), with whom Keyonna once shared a kiss. Samuel works in a bar once frequented by their late father, the circumstances of whose death are never explained. Their mother Ovetta (Montego Glover; Memphis) is an alcoholic who spends her hotel salary on booze and gambling rather than on the rent. She placates their landlord with sexual favors. Samuel gets into trouble with the law and Keyonna stops attending classes. Eviction looms on the horizon. A series of mother-son and mother-daughter conversations provides a showcase for Ms. Montego’s talents. The fantasy interludes in which Natalie Portman appears dressed for one of her movie roles are amusing at first, but do not really lead anywhere. The set by Donyale Werle (The Legend of Georgia McBride) is appropriately dreary. Jennifer Moeller’s (Sweat, Aubergine) costumes seemed apt. Kate Whoriskey (Sweat. Ruined) is a fine director, but not even she can work magic with this material. All in all, it made for a dispiriting afternoon. Running time: two hours, including intermission.

Cardinal

C

Greg Pierce’s (Slowgirl, Kid Victory) new work, commissioned by Second Stage Theater, could have used a few more workshops before it reached the stage of their Terry Kiser Theater. What begins as a look at what happens when a moribund upstate New York town decides literally to paint the town red to attract tourist dollars soon loses it way in a forest of subplots that jostle each other without coming together in any satisfying way. Leading the push for the paint job is prodigal daughter Lydia Lensky (Anna Chlumsky; You Can’t Take It With You, “Veep”), who has returned to her home town after an unsuccessful career as a band manager in Brooklyn. The young mayor Jeff Torm (Adam Pally; “Happy Endings”) just happens to be the jilted ex-boyfriend of her sister. The owner of the failing local bakery Nancy Prenchel (the aptly named Becky Ann Baker; Good People, Barbecue) and her developmentally challenged son Nat (Alex Hurt; Love, Love, Love, Placebo) are opposed to the proposal. Down in Manhattan’s Chinatown, entrepreneur Li-Wei Chen (Stephen Park; Aubergine) sees The Red City as an investment opportunity. His son Jason (Eugene Young; “Veep”) shows more interest in Lydia than in the family business. The focus shifts back and forth from Lydia and Jeff’s bumpy affair to the tragic impact of change on Nancy and Nat to the battle of wits between Lydia and Li-Wei to the unlikely alliance between Lydia and Jason. Is it a rom-com? Is it a serious look at urban displacement? Is it a commentary on racial stereotyping? It appears that the playwright could not decide and he eventually paints himself into a corner. I found the central character of Lydia annoying and her motivations unclear. Chlumsky and Pally apparently have a big fan base from their television work and were greeted enthusiastically when they first appeared. Baker and Hurt are both strong. Derek McLane’s (The Parisian Woman) simple set features gray brick walls with arched windows and doorways. Jennifer Moeller’s (Aubergine) costumes are apt. Kate Whoriskey (Sweat) is a fine director, but she can’t supply coherence where none exists. Despite its faults, the play has many entertaining moments and it held my interest throughout. I wish it had been given more time to find its way before getting a New York premiere. Running time: 95 minutes, no intermission.

Sweat **** A

After acclaimed productions at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Arena Stage, the timely new play by Pulitzer winner and MacArthur fellow Lynn Nottage (Ruined; By the Way, Meet Vera Stark; Intimate Apparel) has finally arrived at the Public Theater. It was worth the wait. The play might have been subtitled “Reasons To Hate NAFTA” or “How the Rust Belt Creates Trump Voters.” However, while corporate greed, globalization, racism and immigration policy all underlie the action, the play is not a sociopolitical screed. Nottage wisely keeps our attention on vividly drawn characters and on how forces beyond their control are refracted in their lives. Most of the action is set in 2000 at an after-work bar popular with employees of a metal tubing plant in Reading, PA. We meet three middle-age women — Cynthia (Michelle Wilson), Tracey (Johanna Day) and Jessie (Miriam Shor) — who have worked together on the plant floor for over 20 years. Cynthia’s son Chris (Khris Davis) and Tracey’s son Jason (Will Pullen), who also work at the plant, are best buddies. Cynthia’s estranged husband Brucie (John Earl Jelks) also frequents the bar. Stan the bartender (James Colby) used to work at the plant too until he was injured by a defective piece of equipment. Oscar (Carlo Alban), the bar’s Hispanic porter, might as well be invisible for all the attention he gets from customers. Cynthia is black, but her race has never been an issue until she is promoted to management over others. Her new position is hardly enviable when the plant owners decide to downsize. The play’s first and final scenes are set in 2008. As the play opens, parole officer Evan (Lance Coadie Williams) is conducting separate interviews with Jason and Chris, who have finished prison terms for a crime they committed eight years earlier. We flash back to 2000 to see the escalating events that led to the shocking crime and finally back to 2008 to see the consequences. It all makes for a gripping experience. The cast is uniformly excellent. John Lee Beatty’s revolving set is evocative, as are Jennifer Moeller’s costumes. Director Kate Whoriskey (Ruined) once again does Nottage full justice. Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes including intermission.

Aubergine *** B

Julia Cho’s new play at Playwrights Horizons is a flawed, uneven work, but it packs an emotional wallop. Ray (Tim Kang), an assimilated Korean-American chef, moves in with his estranged father (Stephen Park) to care for him during his final days. Ray’s former girlfriend Cornelia (Sue Jean Kim) forgives him and pitches in to help. Lucien (Michael Potts), a refugee from a war-torn African country, is the kindly, helpful home hospice nurse. Ray’s uncle (Joseph Steven Yang) flies in from Korea as soon as hears about his brother’s condition. Diane (Jessica Love) is a wealthy foodie who appears in the opening and final scenes (and, in my humble opinion, should be excised). A common thread that stitches the play together is the important role of food in our memories and family relationships. Each character gets a food-centered monologue. Some of the dialog is in Korean with translations projected on the rear wall. There are many engaging moments, but they don’t fit together all that well. Some trimming would improve the play, especially dropping the facile ending. Derek McLane’s high-concept scenic design is dominated by a huge semicircular wooden wall that looks like the side of a huge vat. It parts and swings away to reveal a semicircular interior with partial concentric rings. The circle of life, perhaps? Jennifer Moeller’s costumes are appropriate to each character. Kate Whoriskey’s direction is a bit sluggish at times. Don’t see it when you are hungry. You also might want to avoid it you have recently faced or are about to face the loss of a loved one. Running time: 2 hours 10 minutes including intermission.

Tales from Red Vienna ***

Although far from flawless, this new play by David Grimm is the most interesting thing I have seen at Manhattan Theatre Club so far this season. It presents a vivid cross-section of Viennese life right after World War I. Austria has lost its empire, the socialists are in control in Vienna, the resentful aristocrats have lost their titles and the Jews are, as so often, convenient scapegoats. Helena Altman (Nina Arianda) is a war widow forced to take extreme measures to survive. Edda Schmidt (Kathleen Chalfant) is her loyal longtime housekeeper. "Mutzi" von Fessendorf (Tina Benko) is a haughty self-centered childhood friend who has ulterior motives for introducing Helena to Bela Hoyos (Michael Esper), a handsome Hungarian socialist journalist. Rudy Zuckermaier (Michael Goldsmith) is a young Jewish grocery deliveryman with a crush on Helena. Karl Hupka (Lucas Hall) is a mysterious figure about whom I dare not say more.  In this era of 90-minute plays sans intermission, it is a novelty to see a play with three acts and two intermissions. The play starts with a gripping scene that certainly gets your attention. The rest of the first act plays out well, but the second act is considerably weaker with an abrupt turn to melodrama. For me, the final act did not provide a satisfactory resolution. Why then, you may ask, am I giving it three stars? The two main reasons are Arianda and Chalfant, who are among our finest stage actresses. It is always a privilege to see them in action. Also, I credit the play for its ambitions, even though it doesn't fully realize them. Esper needs to turn up the volume a bit and Benko needs to tone things down a smidgen. With over two weeks until opening night, I suspect that everything will be more polished by then. John Lee Beatty's set design is appropriately oppressive and Anita Yavich's costumes are very good. Kate Whoriskey's direction does not call attention to itself. Running time: 2 hours 25 minutes including 2 intermissions.