Review: CLYDE'S at Burbage Theatre Company
The production runs now through April 12.
As always, I try to go see a show without knowing much about it beforehand. That being said, one of the many reasons I was excited to see Clyde’s by Lynn Nottage at Burbage Theatre Company in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, is that I genuinely love Lynn Nottage’s work. Having said that, I had not yet read or seen Clyde’s, and more so, I had not yet been to a Burbage Theatre production. I was beyond thrilled to experience both of these firsts.
At its core, Clyde’s is a play about a sandwich shop, which we can reasonably assume is somewhere in rural America. The characters are all formerly incarcerated individuals, each at a different point in explaining how they have gotten there and what they are hoping might come next. What unfolds is not simply a story about second chances, but a story about dignity, identity, and the very real struggle of trying to rebuild a life when the world has already decided who you are, and that you are beyond redemption. They also, are in search of the "perfect" sandwich, which becomes a way for these characters to search for purpose, control, and even hope, in that this sandwich could finally be the sandwich.
Of course, life is never just about a sandwich.
Before Clyde’s begins, the set itself is detailed in a way that I did not fully understand was possible. The walls were dingy. There were cracks in the tiling. One of my favorite small details was the soap dripping down and stuck to the wall beneath the soap dispenser, right next to the wash your hands sign. Behind the set, where Clyde gives orders to her employees, there is a health rating of a C posted on the wall. I have seen sets before that have blown me away, but something about the scenic design by Trevor Elliott was a story in and of itself. It made the play feel even more alive, and I truly could not get over it.
One thing that did give me pause, was that I could not fully tell what time period the show was set in. At one point, the character of Rafael pulls out a silver flip phone and he then says something along the lines of, “don’t use up my minutes” which made me believe we were likely somewhere around 2005. For me, the release of the first iPhone is always a bit of a litmus test for time period markers. However, there were other elements that complicated that sense of timing. Jason has tattoos that represent white supremacy, some of which are more modern. On top of that the character Rafael was sporting a Deathly Hallows tattoo on his forearm, which I found myself slightly distracted by, as that symbol did not appear until the final Harry Potter book was released in July 2007. So, while I am guessing we are somewhere in the mid 2000s, there were enough mixed signals that I found myself unsure.
The ending, for me, was incredibly powerful, and there is a twist that I genuinely did not see coming. Upon reflection, I did start to remember a couple of moments that quite bluntly hinted at the major reveal, but in the moment, I did not piece it together. Pay attention to the music playing before the show begins.
MJ Daly, who played Clyde, was phenomenal. I was lucky enough to see her after she had finished for the night, as I was standing at my car speaking to a friend, and I had to break a rule of mine and tell her how truly fantastic she was. Clyde made me uncomfortable. Clyde made me want to know more about her. Clyde made me hate her. There is an art to being a villain that not many people can master. It is not about seeing someone and saying, “Wow, they are awful, they are bad, they are someone to fear!” Villainy is subtle. It is about understanding that villains are complex. They make you realize there is more to them than what is on the surface, and that there is no way that a person is entirely all good or bad. With a good villain, there is something in them that raises alarm bells, something that lets you know this is not someone to trust, even when you cannot immediately explain why. MJ Daly does this perfectly.
Next, Jason Quinn, who played Montrellous. I have been fortunate enough to see Jason around the theater scene for some time now, and was truly excited to see that he was going to play this character. When Jason is acting as Montrellous, also known as Monty, there is a poignant moment where he gives a hug to one of the characters, and all I could find myself thinking, because of the power in his acting, was that if I could just get a hug too, my whole life would feel just a little better. He draws you into his character that well.
Ashley Aldarondo, who played Letitia, is the kind of actor who surprises you. She moves through such a wide range of emotions while remaining deeply human throughout. Letitia feels she is failing as a parent, and we see that in how she responds to those around her. She feels as though she may never be good enough for the men she wants to attract and have in her life, and again, we see that reflected in her reactions. There is something beautiful about her performance.
That said, I was uncomfortable at times because the projection was occasionally very loud, nearly yelling, while the characters were having “normal” conversations. At first, I wondered if this was simply because of where I was sitting in the theater, however, when other actors delivered lines without that same vocal intensity, the contrast felt more powerful to me. I do not say this to discount Ashley’s performance, as this could very well have been a directorial choice, but it did make me pause. When a Latina character who is already navigating themes of struggle, motherhood, and survival is consistently directed toward heightened volume, it risks brushing up against the “loud Latina” stereotype that appears far too often in media. Letitia is such a layered and vulnerable character that moments of restraint might allow her complexity to resonate even more strongly. Ashley clearly has the range to communicate depth without needing to push the volume, which is why those quieter moments felt particularly powerful.
Next comes Arturo Puentes as Rafael. I did not expect to love this character as much as I did. When all of the characters were on stage together, it was Rafael and Letitia whose delivery at times felt louder than necessary, especially in contrast to the restraint of the other actors. That being said, you are truly missing out if you do not watch what Arturo is doing in the background. There is a scene where Letitia is talking about her dream date, and I do not want to spoil it, but watch Rafael as Arturo plays him. I found my heart growing and growing and growing, and in a way, it was the things he did not say that made him one of the strongest actors on stage without even trying to be.
Last but not least, we have James Lucey, who plays Jason, and I loved his performance. He plays closed off while still being vulnerable at the same time. His character is often quiet, but that quiet carries an incredible amount of stage presence, and his facial expressions are some of the most powerful we see.
This brings me to the trio of actors Ashley, Arturo, and James. Very rarely, if ever, have I seen a cast with such chemistry and such visible care for one another on stage. As I was watching them, I truly felt like I was witnessing strangers who slowly become friends, and not in a neat or simple way, but in a way that felt layered and complex. Every interaction made me feel like I wanted to know more about these three people, more about their pasts, and more about what might happen to them after the play ends.
Clyde’s is a must-see. I have barely even begun to process everything about this production, and I am already wondering if I have time to go back, simply because of how much I truly loved it. I am blown away by my first experience with Burbage Theatre Company, and I cannot wait to return.
As for me, I will say this. My perfect sandwich came from a tiny sandwich shop in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It was a grilled cheese on what I believe was a panini-style white bread, with a blend of cheeses, tomatoes, and fresh basil from their garden. It sounds simple, but something about that sandwich has stayed with me for nearly 15 years.
And I have a feeling I will be thinking about Clyde’s the same way.
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