Reviews of Clyde's
Critic Reviews
“As they fix plates for perpetually on-the-move and hungry truckers, the enterprising cooks enthusiastically trade visions of the perfect sandwich … Clyde’s sandwiches aren’t just convenient meals served at lunch and dinner; they tell stories, hold truths and nourish dreams.” –The Hollywood Reporter
“Clyde’s is a surprisingly convivial enterprise, funny and warm and with just enough slap to keep from tilting too far towards the gooey.” –Deadline
“The characters Nottage creates are vivid and just as enticing as the food, making you want to follow their stories when they leave the stage. This show is raucous, bawdy, and full of surprises. If there’s any downside, it’s that the eminently delicious Clyde’s will leave you ravenously hungry for more!”–Chicago Sun Times
“Anyone who has ever had to work for a charismatic bully will recognize the storm of terror, supplication, and idolatry Clyde provokes every time she appears in the kitchen with a new chic wig and gleaming stilettos.” –LA Times
“Though it’s still about dark things, including prison, drugs, homelessness, and poverty, it somehow turns them into bright comedy. … Clyde’s is a comedy does not mean it doesn’t have tragedy baked in. (It was originally called “Floyd’s” — until George Floyd was murdered.) Though it ultimately rejects the Greek model, it is still about gods and mortals.” –The New York Times
“The twice-anointed Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright is as masterful as ever behind the wheel of this work, nimbly shifting gears from barbed exchanges to elegiac ponderings on Zen and the art of sandwich construction, coming together in a gritty lyricism that holds true and holds sway, too.” –Post and Courier
“Nottage really is going after the forces that control Broadway and the upper echelons of the other branches of showbiz. This shrewdest of American playwrights is tacitly accusing them of a lack of imagination, unkindness toward vulnerable workers, the propagation of unsafe work environments, and a determination to play to the lowest common denominator when it comes to the tastes of customers who would prefer better quality fare if only they were offered such a menu.” –Chicago Tribune
“In a roadside sandwich shop, good and evil are duking it out, but not the trite or abstract sorts. At Clyde’s, good is so extreme that kitchen counter becomes church altar; sandwich roll, cradled communion host.” –Date Book
Current & Upcoming
Art Exhibit: ¡Soy Yo! by Mika Martinez
¡Soy Yo!, is a multi-media project, created by Mika Martinez, that examines and celebrates Latinx identity featuring more than 50 portraits of the Hispanic/Latino community in Portland.
Piano Bar with Courtney Freed and David Saffert
Join us for this monthly event with local songstress Courtney Freed and Portland-based pianist David Saffert as they host a good old-fashioned PIANO BAR.
Improvisation Classes for Beginners
Whether you're looking to get more confident in social situations, think quicker on your feet, or get in touch with your imaginative side, these "one-off" improv classes will set you on the path to success!
Nassim
From Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour (creator of the Off-Broadway smash hit White Rabbit, Red Rabbit) comes an audacious new theatrical experiment, presented in collaboration with Boom Arts. Each night, a new, unrehearsed local performer joins the playwright on stage, while the script waits, unseen, in a sealed box... Touchingly autobiographical yet powerfully universal, NASSIM is a striking theatrical demonstration of how language can both divide and unite us.
Art Exhibit: Garam Garam Chai by Yusra Siddiqui
Portland Center Stage will host Garam Garam Chai, an art exhibit by Portland-based multidisciplinary artist Yusra Siddiqui, featuring a series of hand-sewn teabag printmaking pieces that serve as a contemplation of the communal tea times shared between Desi and British culture.
Coriolanus
Shakespeare’s tragedy about the war hero Coriolanus and the fight between the elite and the deprived masses will be fueled by a dynamic female and non-binary ensemble with a muscular, movement-focused staging.
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