In “Clyde’s,” sandwich-making becomes a pathway to healing, reflecting the full range of life’s flavors.
Written by African American playwright Lynn Nottage, “Clyde’s” is an intense, dark comedy about re-entry, survival and hope as a group of formerly incarcerated individuals work to perfect the art of sandwich making in a truck stop diner — all under the close surveillance of their rotten boss. Directed by Josiah McCruiston, “Clyde’s” is a powerful and bittersweet commentary on second chances, onstage at Fonseca Theatre now through May 17.
“Clyde’s,” which debuted on Broadway in 2021, is somewhat of a companion piece to Nottage’s 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Sweat.” Both plays take place in Pennsylvania and share the character Jason, now a line cook at Clyde’s after serving time for his actions in the previous play. However, audiences don’t need to be familiar with “Sweat” to understand or even enjoy “Clyde’s,” as the characters on stage fill in all the necessary gaps through various screaming matches and half-hearted attempts to gossip and warm up to each other.
“Clyde’s” is an ensemble show of complex, hardworking parolees struggling to survive on a measly diner paycheck and whatever slice of hope they can hold onto in that tiny kitchen.
Led by Montrellous (Jamaal McCray), an older Black gentleman with a sort of woo-woo spiritual vibe, Letitia or Tish (Shandrea Funnye), a recently released single mother to a disabled child, and Rafael (Ian Cruz), the funny, romantic recovering addict, embark on a mission to create the perfect sandwich — plating up their dreams for a better life.
Their methods may seem frivolous in the fast-paced work environment that is a truck stop diner, but for them, it’s about way more than just a sandwich; it’s about success and redemption and wanting something more for themselves. Food is the throughline that connects these characters to their past, their present and their future. Food is community; each ingredient spells out hope, with the perfect sandwich representing a second chance at freedom.
Jason (Dave Pelsue) comes into Clyde’s as a new hire, full of rage and slightly averse to correction, covered in tattoos, including those with white supremacist gang affiliations, which has everyone initially on edge. It doesn’t take long for Jason to buy into the dream, though, to find his own flavor and balance within the kitchen.
Soon enough, he’s attempting his own perfect sandwich in the early hours before opening. It’s a trial-and-error for Jason, just as it is for Rafael and Tish. Still, it’s the carefully constructed dream that keeps them going.
Clyde (Chandra Lynch), however, is a villain you love to hate. Always with a cigarette in hand, she’s incredibly brazen and mean just to be mean. Formerly incarcerated herself, Clyde intentionally hires other formerly incarcerated individuals, knowing they can’t get a job anywhere else. Instead of championing them, Clyde makes it her mission to humiliate and harass them any chance she gets. She brings unavoidable heat to the kitchen, creating undue tension that’s bound to boil over.
The way this show is lit, plus the addition of music, gives “Clyde’s” an all-around romantic feeling — whenever Clyde isn’t onstage threatening her workers, of course. Lighting emphasizes movement, and the characters are always moving, dancing around each other as they cook to various songs on the radio and share stories of their lives and struggles. Characters flirt and tease in a comfortable rhythm, and ingredients are swapped like spoken word poetry, bathed in soft hues of pink and blue.
It’s a fast-paced two-hour show set entirely in the dingy kitchen of the truck stop diner. You’re asked to suspend your disbelief as characters mime cooking — chopping invisible vegetables with very real-looking knives, flipping invisible burger patties on a grill that sizzles and smokes and tasting invisible sandwiches with the most insane ingredient combinations that had the women sitting next to me audibly Ooh-ing and aw-ing.
Though the show tackles issues of homelessness, substance abuse, violence and systemic oppression — both within and outside of the American prison system — the true heart of the story is in the biting humor. You’re guaranteed to laugh as much as you gasp as these characters navigate the rough waters of the lunch rush and dance on eggshells around their nasty, manipulative boss in their quest to combine all the right flavor profiles and remember they are worthy of more.
“Clyde’s’” is showing at Fonseca Theatre May 1-17. The show is approximately two hours with no intermission and is recommended for audiences aged 18+ due to mature language, content and themes.
Tickets are $15-$20. For more information, visit fonsecatheatre.org/buy-tickets. Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe has a bachelor's in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and has previously worked for Indy Maven, The Lantern, and CityScene Media Group. In her free time, Chloe enjoys live theatre, reading, baking and keeping her plants alive.
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