Chicken & Biscuits, a rollicking family comedy by Douglas Lyons, opens April 19 at TheatreSquared (477 W. Spring St., Fayetteville) and runs through May 14. Tickets, from $20-$54, can be purchased by calling (479) 777-7477 or by visiting theatre2.org.
Chicken & Biscuits comes to the T2 stage fresh from its 2021 Broadway debut. Rival sisters, Baneatta and Beverly, are trying to bury their father without killing each other first. When a family secret is revealed at the church altar, decorum flies out the stained glass window. With fast-paced jokes that will have audiences rolling in the aisles—and Grandpa turning over in his grave—this dysfunctional family comedy is even more satisfying than its namesake.
"Chicken & Biscuits is a feast of a production, and there is enough sustenance and libation for the entire family," read Variety’s review. "This play is both a Hallelujah and an A-men. "
"The one thing I’m really excited about this project is diving into the humanity of these characters," says director Denise Chapman, who last worked at TheatreSquared as the director of Clinnesha D. Sibley’s Love Be Like at the 2020 Arkansas New Play Festival. "Comedy has this wonderful way of allowing us to see deeper into the human condition and find those painful places that we might not normally talk about. But since it’s wrapped up in a laugh, we can dive deeper into our shared human experiences in a way that we might be a little more apprehensive about doing in other situations."
The creative team for the production includes actors Kathy Tyree, Michael A Jones, Robert Denzel Edwards, Justin Mackey, Tameka Bob, Jordan Taylor, Candace Jandel Thomas, and Maura Gale. The design team includes Katie An Siegel (stage management), Marie Laster (scenic design), Devario D. Simmons (costume design), Athziri Morales (lighting design) and Cameron M. Griffiths (sound design).
Broadway News said Lyons’ script provides "continual laughter," but Chapman says the lasting impact of Chicken & Biscuits goes well beyond the jokes.
"I think the biggest thing I hope audiences take away from Chicken & Biscuits is the importance of family, truth and reconciliation," she says. "And that death is always a beginning as well as an ending."
Tickets
Performances of Chicken & Biscuits are scheduled from April 19 until March 14, with 7:30pm performances Tuesday through Saturday and 2pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday. The play is in the majestic-yet-intimate West Theatre at TheatreSquared, 477 W. Spring Street in downtown Fayetteville, Arkansas. Tickets range from $20-$54. All fees are included, with no additional charges at checkout.
Subscription packages for TheatreSquared include full seven-play packages starting at $199, with four play flex packages starting at $128. Benefits for season ticket holders include savings of up to 20% on every show, free unlimited exchanges, discounted reserved parking, and same-day discounts in The Commons Bar/Café and other T2 Restaurant & Hotel Partners.
Through T2’s Lights Up! For Access program, with lead support from the Walmart Foundation and the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation, SNAP benefit recipients can purchase $1 tickets, while students and patrons under the age of 30 can purchase $10 tickets. Fully subsidized, free tickets are also available for clients of a number of local community service organizations. For more information, visit theatre2.org/lights-up.
Subscription packages and single tickets can be reserved by calling TheatreSquared at (479) 777-7477 or by visiting theatre2.org.
About TheatreSquared
TheatreSquared’s signature offering of bold new plays in an intimate setting has driven its growth to become the state’s largest theatre, offering more than 350 performances annually in an intimate setting. Its pioneering work has been recognized with the 2022 Obie Award as well as critical acclaim from The New York Times ("Best Theater of 2020" list), The New Yorker, and The Wall Street Journal. The playwright-led company is one of mid-America’s leading laboratories for new work, having launched more than 70 new plays. Notable collaborators have included Candrice Jones, Bryna Turner, The Kilbanes, Sarah Gancher, José Cruz Gonzales, Mary Kathryn Nagle, Qui Nguyen, Mona Mansour, Amy Evans, and many others. TheatreSquared’s home—winner of the 2021 International Architecture Award—is a cultural landmark. Offering far-reaching access and education programs and an open-all-day gathering space, the Commons Bar/Café, TheatreSquared remains rooted in its founding vision, that "theatre—done well and with passion—can transform lives and communities."
Major funding for the TheatreSquared Season 17 is provided by the Walton Family Foundation; the Walmart Foundation; the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation; the Windgate Foundation; the Shubert Foundation; the Tyson Family Foundation; the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage; the National Endowment for the Arts; Bob and Becky Alexander; Jane Hunt; Margaret and Dick Rutherford; the Francis Lee Scott Estate; Barbara Shadden; the John & Robyn Horn Foundation; Todd Simmons and Melissa Hall Simmons; and Simmons Foods.
Marketing support for TheatreSquared Season 17 is provided by Experience Fayetteville, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Fayetteville Flyer, 3W Magazine, CitiScapes, KUAF, MailCo USA, and NWA Daily.