As a playwright, Tracy Letts doesn’t repeat himself. From the grand soap opera of “August: Osage County” to the sentimental comedy of “Superior Donuts” to the kaleidoscopic profile of one woman that is “Mary Page Marlowe,” Letts always experiments. His latest, “The Minutes,” is agitprop. Tellingly, the play had its world premiere at Steppenwolf during the first year of the Former Guy’s presidency, and was supposed to open on Broadway in spring 2020 before it had to shutter in previews due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, “The Minutes” opened Sunday at Studio 54.
Only a few minutes into this comedy, we know we’re in for a stern lecture when someone at the Big Cherry city council meeting casually mentions the Savages, a local football team, and the Iroquois, the town golf course.