by Barbara Waldinger
Barrington Stage Company ends its 2024 summer fare with a dynamite production of Eboni Booth’s PRIMARY TRUST, this years’ Pulitzer Prize winner, a perfect vehicle to conclude a varied and exciting season. It is a simple, poignant story, narrated by the main character, Kenneth (Justin Weaks), who introduces us to his life and surroundings. The director (Jennifer Chang), actors, and designers, in keeping with the unpretentiousness of the plot, have created Kenneth’s world without embellishment, executed cleanly and clearly, in a well-choreographed, well-timed, ninety-minute gem of a show.
Generally, when an onstage narrator brings us into his/her life, we identify with the storyteller and see the world through their eyes. But Kenneth is no ordinary narrator: he speaks slowly and haltingly, we learn that he has experienced many traumas (having lost his mother at the age of 10, he spent time in an orphanage and in foster homes), has just lost his job in a local bookstore after twenty years and has no idea what to do now. He has only one friend—his very best friend, Bert (Kyle Haden), a drinking buddy (Mai Tais at Wally’s Tiki Hut), a supportive, kind, caring, calming, fun, flawless guy: almost too good to be true. We worry about what Kenneth’s life would become if it weren’t for Bert. Booth has added two more actors to complete the cast: Hillary Ward, playing the whole wait staff at Wally’s, as well as customers of the Primary Trust Bank, and C. David Johnson, playing all the male characters (employers, employees and a snobby French bartender). The four actors seem to populate the whole town of Cranberry, a suburb of Rochester, New York.
Upon entering the St. Germain Theatre, we notice that the stage is empty, except for some flats indicating brick walls, and doors. Scenic Designer Baron E. Pugh was not going to clutter up the space, which would have been at odds with Kenneth and his uncomplicated world. Instead, whatever set pieces were needed are wheeled in and out by cast members so quickly and efficiently that no time seems to pass. For example, Wally’s is a small, round table surrounded by straw fringes, Hawaiian style, and two stools. When Kenneth is at work or interviewing for a new job, a desk and a couple of chairs is all that’s needed. When he speaks to the audience, he carries a backpack. The lighting design tells its own story: Bryan Ealey built thin, horizontal bands of light above the flats that become illuminated, one at a time, all one color, then another. That happens when Kenneth has trouble expressing himself, stopping his narration, thinking, blinking, finally continuing until the next pause. Do these lights symbolize synapses in Kenneth’s brain, as he attempts to make connections? In the script, Booth indicates the passage of time with asterisks—are the lights their physical manifestation?
Then there are the sounds accompanying the lights: Salvador Zamora’s sounds coincide with the lights, creating a “bing”—like the bell on the counter of a commercial business or an office rung by a customer to get the attention of a sales person or employee. Is that also an indication of Kenneth’s thought process, like a light bulb going on in a cartoon or perhaps some sort of jolt that helps the process along? Designers Danielle Preston (Costumes) and Earon Nealy (Wigs) dress actors Ward and Johnson, who magically appear as the different characters they portray. Ward, whose voice and movements create every employee at Wally’s, crosses the stage in one direction, returning almost instantaneously as another server.
Though there are many comic moments, the play is ultimately quite moving. As we watch Kenneth trying to control his anxiety and his emotions, to fit into his community, to combat the loneliness that envelops him, to navigate the ups and downs in his world, we want to reach out and help him. We want to be his friend. The vulnerability of Weaks’ Kenneth is inexpressibly sad, yet at the same time he’s smart, he’s a terrific worker, he speaks well if not easily, and his ability to love his friend is as striking as his dependence is frightening. Weaks’ performance is heartbreakingly beautiful. Kyle Haden’s Bert is there for Kenneth—meeting his every need, comforting him and celebrating with him when things go right. Watch their dance movements when they’re happy, the way Haden helps him to breathe by counting down from 10 when things are tough (as Weaks clutches his chest and seems to fall apart), how Haden coaches his friend to get him through his job interview and eventually his job, how they laugh together. Haden always brings him back from the abyss. There is such chemistry between these two actors—joy, solace, ease.
Aside from her versatility in changing roles in a fraction of a second, Hilary Ward’s waitress, Corrina, is a lovely character. She is the first person, other than Bert, who becomes a friend to Kenneth. She understands him, she shares her stories and feelings with him (even though she has a boyfriend) and he realizes that he can trust her with his deepest secrets. We want to cheer for her as their friendship develops. Among Kenneth’s other fans are Sam and Clay, his employers, played by C. David Johnson, both of whom admire him as a responsible, successful and dedicated employee. Johnson’s Sam, the bookstore owner, finds himself apologizing for having to sell the bookstore for health reasons, because he knows he has to let Kenneth go. And Clay, the bank manager at Primary Trust, who told Kenneth when they met that he reminded him of his brother who suffered from a head injury after a car accident, later seeks Kenneth out to give him a second chance after he experienced a sort of breakdown. The title of Booth’s play is not just the name of the bank but also an indication of what we look for in a friend, and what we come to learn about a young man who may not speak and act as we expect, but is more worthy than many who do.
Eboni Booth, Jennifer Chang, the performers, designers and crew have made all the right choices here. This is a production that will be remembered for a long time.
PRIMARY TRUST runs from September 18—October 13 at Barrington Stage Company’s St. Germain Stage, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield, MA. Wednesday at 7:30 pm, Thursday through Saturday at 8pm, Saturday matinee at 2 and Sunday at 3. For tickets call 413-236-8888 or online at barringtonstageco.org.
Barrington Stage Company presents PRIMARY TRUST by Eboni Booth. Director: Jennifer Chang. Cast: Justin Weaks (Kenneth), Kyle Haden (Bert), Hilary Ward (Corrina/Wally’s Waiters/Bank Customers, C. David Johnson (Clay/Sam/Le Pousselet Bartender/Wally’s Employee. Scenic Design: Baron E. Pugh; Costume Design: Danielle Preston; Lighting Design: Bryan Ealey; Sound Design: Salvador Zamora; Wig Design: Earon Nealy; Dialect Coach: Keri Safran; Production Stage Manager: Tyler Crow.
The production runs 90 minutes with no intermission.