Clyde's (2021)

Lynn Nottage’s brilliant, darkly comedic contemporary drama 'Clyde's' turned the stage of the Hayes Theater into an intense, real-time crucible of survival and redemption under the banner of Second Stage Theater in 2021. Set inside the steam-filled kitchen of a gritty truck stop sandwich shop, the narrative tracks a tyrannical, ex-con owner named Clyde who pathologically exploits her vulnerable staff of formerly incarcerated kitchen workers. Despite her systematic emotional abuse, the line cooks band together under the guidance of a mindful chef, combining their spirits to construct the structurally perfect sandwich as a vehicle to reclaim their dignity. Directed by Kate Whoriskey, the powerhouse staging starred Uzo Aduba, Ron Cephas Jones, and Kara Young.