Superior Donuts

Superior Donuts
Poster for the Broadway production
Written by	Tracy Letts
Date premiered	2008
Place premiered	Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Original language	English
Genre	Comedy
Setting	A small donut shop in Uptown, Chicago
Official site

Superior Donuts is a play by American playwright Tracy Letts. Its world premiere was staged by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago in 2008, and it premiered on Broadway in 2009.

The play focuses on the relationship between despondent Arthur Przybyszewski, a former 1960s radical who owns a rundown donut shop in Uptown, Chicago, and Franco, his energetic but troubled young African American assistant who wants to update the establishment with lively music and healthy menu options. Dialogue scenes are separated by soliloquies in which Arthur discusses his past and reminisces about the city as it was in his younger years.

The play, directed by Tina Landau, was performed at the Downstairs Theatre in Chicago by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company between June 19 and August 24, 2008.

Again directed by Landau and with the Steppenwolf cast intact, the Broadway production began previews at the Music Box Theatre on September 16, 2009 and officially opened on October 1, with Michael McKean as Arthur Przybyszewski and Jon Michael Hill as Franco. Also in the cast were Yasen Peyankov as Russian appliance dealer Max Tarasov, James Vincent Meredith as local beat cop James Hailey, Jane Alderman as wise-crazy alcoholic Lady Boyle, Kate Buddeke as Randy Osteen (a cop who takes a liking to Arthur), Cliff Chamberlain as thug Kevin MaGee, Michael Garvey as surprise visitor Kiril Ivakina, and Robert Maffia as loan shark Luther Flynn. The show closed on January 3, 2010.

Despite its limited run on Broadway, Superior Donuts is slated to be produced by many regional theatres in the 2010-2011 season. Pittsburgh Public Theater, Arden Theatre Company (Philadelphia), Denver Center Theatre Company, The Studio Theatre (in Washington, DC), San Diego Repertory Theatre, TheatreWorks (California) and Mad Cow Theatre (Florida), Artists Repertory Theatre (Portland, OR) are all producing Superior Donuts in 2010-2011. The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, Sacramento's Capital Stage, and Chicago's Mary-Arrchie Theatre will be producing Superior Donuts in their 2011-2012 season. The Purple Rose Theatre (http://www.purplerosetheatre.org) in Chelsea, Michigan, led off its 2012-2013 season with Superior Donuts.