PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — One of Broadway's biggest plays of 2022 is now on stage in Philadelphia: Lynn Nottage's “Clyde's,” which is playing at the Arden Theatre until March 12.
Nottage won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play “Sweat,” based on blue collar workers in Reading, Pennsylvania. While doing research for that play, Nottage also spoke with many people who were trying to resurrect their lives after leaving prison, which then inspired the creation of “Clyde’s.”
“Clyde’s” tells the story of formerly incarcerated employees at a truck stop sandwich shop just outside of Reading on a mission to craft the perfect sandwich.
Temple University graduate Tiffany Barret plays the title character, Clyde, who is the tough-loving shop owner.
“It is big audacity to hope when you have a criminal record,” she said. “It is a barrier to sometimes even getting an apartment, let alone just getting a job. So how do you live in the world when people do not give you an opportunity to actually have a shot at redemption?”
“Who doesn't deserve hope? And who gets to choose that? Does society at large get to choose that these people aren't allowed to have any hope for the rest of their lives?”
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South Philly native Walter DeShields plays Montrellous, the oldest of the workers in the kitchen. Montrellous is a sandwich master who tries to encourage and guide the others.
DeShields noted how the characters are brought together by the act of preparing food and by their experience in prison.
“There are characters from very different parts of our society, with a lot of different beliefs, and they all got to being incarcerated for different reasons,” he said.
DeShields hopes that this play will show that people who have been to prison are still people.
“They don't lose their humanity in that place,” he said. “Folks are coming home to be productive in their community, in their families, and they need employment to do that.”
“And if we can look past some of the cliche stereotypes of what we think about folks who have a criminal past, we can ensure that there are places in our community for these folks so that they can do exactly that.”
The story of “Clyde’s” is relatable to many people in Philadelphia, but especially because director Malika Oyetimein added some “Philly-isms” to it, as Barret explained.
“Like Montrellous … anybody who is from Philly, when they see him, they’re like, ‘That's a West Philly dude’,” she said. Montrellous wears Timberlands and a knit skull cap.
Barret added that another character sports some Philly sports wear in the play to add to the authenticity.
“Jason wears an Eagles hat on purpose, because [Oyetimein] wanted people in this city to be able to viscerally connect to these individuals, as soon as they saw them.”
In addition to the Philly-isms found in the play, you can taste the food of “Clyde’s” at some nearby restaurants, as the Arden partnered with Old City eateries like 3J’s Café and Campo’s to create and sell sandwiches inspired by the play.
More information and tickets can be found here.