The play focuses on the relationship between despondent Arthur Przybyszewski, a former 1960s radical who owns a rundown donut shop in Chicago's Uptown, and Franco, his energetic but troubled young African American assistant, who wants to update the establishment with lively music and healthy menu options.

Also in the cast were Yasen Peyankov as Russian appliance dealer Max Tarasov, James Vincent Meredith as local beat cop James Hailey, Jane Alderman as wise-crazy alcoholic Lady Boyle, Kate Buddeke as Randy Osteen (a cop who takes a liking to Arthur), Cliff Chamberlain as thug Kevin MaGee, Michael Garvey as surprise visitor Kiril Ivakina, and Robert Maffia as loan shark Luther Flynn.

[5] In his review of the original Chicago production, Charles Isherwood of the New York Times said the play "has a lot in common with the deep-fried breakfast food of the title.

A subplot about Franco’s gambling debts feels contrived, like one of those dubious byways cooked up by writers in the later seasons of a series, when inspiration flags and the characters’ interactions have begun to go stale.

The ancillary characters... might have come straight from the Sidekicks, Neighbors and Friends rack, although the excellent actors imbue them all with a sharp specificity.

Mr. Letts's depiction of this budding cross-racial, cross-generational friendship feels a little retrograde, as both Arthur and Franco reveal dimensions that confound each other but help ease the awkwardness between them...

Other cast members include Jermaine Fowler, Katey Sagal, David Koechner, Maz Jobrani, Anna Baryshnikov, Darien Sills-Evans, and Rell Battle.