Review: CLYDE'S at Portland Center Stage

There were multiple times during CLYDE’S that I wished time would stop so I could absorb it all. Now running at Portland Center Stage, Lynn Nottage’s Tony-nominated play about formerly incarcerated people working at a sandwich shop is rich and profound, but in a sneaky, subtle way. You think they’re just talking about sandwiches and then all of a sudden it dawns on you that the humble sandwich is indeed a metaphor for life.

CLYDE’S is a fast-paced, high energy comedy about four people recently out of prison who work for Clyde (Andrea Vernae), the owner of a truck stop sandwich shop and also the boss from hell. She’s loud, brash, a walking HR violation, and also the only one would give them a job.

The four workers are Montrellous (Setareki Wainiqolo), a serene sandwich guru who has been there the longest and becomes a mentor to the rest – no one knows what he did time for; Rafael (Pascal Arquimedes), who got high and tried to hold up a bank with a BB gun; Letitia (Lauren Steele), who robbed a pharmacy for a very understandable reason; and Jason (Orion Bradshaw), the new guy who shows up with white supremacist face tattoos and a lifetime’s worth of barely contained rage.

They are all trying to put their lives together in a world that’s mean and unforgiving, especially for those who are justice-involved (about 1 in 3 American adults have a criminal record). Under Montrellous’s guidance, Rafael, Letitia, and Jason find purpose in the quest to make the perfect sandwich…at least until Clyde comes in and crushes their hopes and dreams in the stranglehold of reality, which she does on the regular.

I had the very good fortune to see CLYDE’S during its Broadway run, so I knew how good this play could be. And PCS knocks it out of the park! When you walk into the theatre, you see Britton Mauk’s excellent set, and it just gets better from there. Vernae is phenomenal as Clyde – dishing out senseless cruelty while looking fabulous in Dominique Fawn Hill’s spectacular costumes. Wainiqolo, Arquimedes, Steele, and Bradshaw play their roles with all the heart that Clyde is lacking.

CLYDE’S is a must-see play and the best possible way to end the PCS season. It runs through June 30. Don’t miss out! Details and tickets here.

Photo credit: Michael Davis

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