Wesley Guimarães as Rafael and April Nixon as Clyde in “Clyde’s.”
Harold Surratt as Montrellous and Cyndii Johnson as Letitia in Lynn Nottage’s Tony Award-nominated play “Clyde’s.”
The Huntington serves up laughs with a side of wisdom in ‘Clyde’s’
Foodies and theater-lovers alike will be satiated at The Huntington’s production of “Clyde’s” by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage, running March 24-April 23. In 2022, the show was the most-staged production in the country, heralded for the way it brought political themes into perspective through the lives of ordinary, relatable characters.
The action in “Clyde’s” centers on a truck-stop sandwich shop, where formerly incarcerated employees put the pieces of their lives back together while searching for the perfect sandwich. The show is a laugh-out-loud comedy, but it doesn’t turn a blind eye to societal issues. In part, the piece illustrates how difficult it can be to rebuild a life after incarceration, especially when the charges were the result of a fleeting mistake rather than a serious crime.
Harold Surratt plays the Zenlike chef Montrellous, who acts as a mentor to the staff, both in their culinary pursuits and their life challenges. The actor was a teacher for nearly 15 years and is a self-proclaimed foodie, and he identifies with Montrellous’ reflective outlook.
“The character seemed really interesting and not too far from me in terms of his rhythms and how he sees the world,” says Surratt. “There’s a great line in the play — I don’t say it but somebody else says it — ‘He’s like the Buddha, except if he’d grown up in the ’hood.’”
With
recipes flooding Instagram and innovative gastronomy gracing restaurant
tables around the city, Boston and the United States at large seem to
be going through what Surratt refers to as a “Renaissance of food.”
Though ingredients, recipes and flavors are important, the sense of
connectivity between cuisine and cook is what makes food an ideal
emotional outlet.
The
Huntington previously staged Nottage’s “Sweat” in 2020 and “Ruined” in
2011. The playwright’s works have a unique way of bringing levity and
empathy to often-harsh political issues.
For
Montrellous, focusing on food, a basic life necessity, is a way to
channel his energy into something positive and essential. He shares that
philosophy with the rest of the kitchen staff. As the characters
daydream about the perfect combination of flavors for a sandwich, they
dream about new possibilities for their own lives.
“It’s
more than just food — it’s nutrition, it’s how we get around in life,
how we think,” says Surratt. “I think people can change their lives
through the love of food and the preparation and understanding of food.”
ON THE WEB
Learn more at www.huntingtontheatre.org/whats-on/clydes