Jay O. Sanders, William Jackson Harper, and Eric Berryman in Primary Trust (Photo:Joan Marcus)

 

Primary Trust

 

By Cammy Paglia

 

 


It isn’t that often that a theater critic can take in an audience’s reaction to the play at hand and also be engrossed in the performance as well. “Primary Trust” makes both possible. 

That being said, the laughter coming from this audience, evoked by this production’s writing and cast, is hard to ignore. However, the poignancy and tenderness evident throughout the show infuses those comedic overtones with a deeply bittersweet vulnerability. This is so touching one might feel the urge to run up on stage and embrace the protagonist, Kenneth (powerfully played by William Jackson Harper) with a comforting hug while offering him sympathetic strokes of gentleness and compassion. Harper is a master of his craft and watching him perform is a sight to behold.

 

Much background and other information comes from Kenneth in monologues. A 38-year-old African American man, Kenneth feels well treated by his community despite the fact that the fictitious town of Cranberry, NY, close to Rochester, is not predominantly populated by people of color. 

 

His life unfolds as a peculiar series of events initiated by the death of his mother (a bank employee) at age ten. Kenneth explains that she was originally from The Bronx and he could never figure out why she ended up in Cranberry.

 

His reaction to her death — he is alone when he finds her at home, lifeless — is at best disturbing, but more like bizarre. No spoiler alerts here. Go see the play to find out why one would call his reaction bizarre.

This life-altering occurrence leaves ten-year-old Kenneth in the hands of Bert flawlessly played by Eric Berryman), an older Black social worker from Child Protective Services. Kenneth is very obviously in desperate need of someone to lean on in the wake of his tragic situation. Bert, however, isn’t up to the task of providing this much needed nurturing and sees Kenneth only once. This leaves him to concoct another Bert which only exists in Kenneth’s own mind.

 

Imaginary Bert is a clone, if you will, of the in-the-flesh Bert, a handsome Black man. He is a very tall, bigger-than-life fellow, mostly sporting an eye-catching yellow shirt. His animated conversations and steadfast good counsel stand as Kenneth’s only knowledge of friendship. He “virtually” spends time with Kenneth at Wally’s, the local bar; Kenneth always orders the two for one Mai Tai special at Happy Hour. (The two drinks are for the two of them, but it is evident that Kenneth spends the evening drinking Bert’s share as well.)

 

William Jackson Harper and Eric Berryman (Photo: Joan Marcus)

Kenneth is bookkeeper, salesman and all-around guy at a used bookstore. A vulnerable loner, Kenneth prefers to spend most of his time having drinks after his workday ends. He has no real friends; every Thanksgiving he is offered an invitation to share a meal with his employers, the bookstore owners, but he always declines.   

 

The bookstore’s owner (Jay O. Sanders) is forced to sell, in order to move to a more pleasant climate in Arizona with his wife and to pay for an operation on his lungs, which he damaged by many years of chain smoking. He respects Kenneth and is not happy about having to let him go, even handing him three months’ severance pay.

 

The patrons and staff at Wally’s are used to seeing Kenneth sitting and talking to himself (or is it to Bert?) at his regular table. Then, Kenneth meets a new waitress (April Matthis) at Wally’s one evening, and she inspires him to try for a job at Primary Trust, a local bank, after his employment ends at the bookstore. Kenneth, always the pessimist riddled with low self-esteem, doesn’t think he can land that job. Not only does he get hired but he wins an award for his remarkable job performance.  

 

William Jackson Harper and April Matthis (Photo: Joan Marcus)

A real friendship ensues between these two, causing Kenneth to skip his standing Happy Hour appointment with Bert. Kenneth’s life is finally taking off with a good job (there is a hiccup in his career at the bank which gets resolved) where he is respected and with a real friend, not a fictional one.  However, he must cope with letting go of Bert—a heart wrenching and emotional happening—and come to grips with the realization that he is at the crossroads of newness and change.

 

Playwright Eboni Booth and director Knud Adams have brilliantly crafted a spectacular array of characters and set them in delightful motion. Scenic designer Marsha Ginsberg creates a wonderful, creative backdrop for these characters to inhabit.

Primary Trust will make you laugh as the Mai Tai enthusiast and imaginary Bert spar and banter about. It will also touch your heart as Kenneth, especially, leaves you with a moving portrayal of a loner who sheds his fears and begins to trust in himself.

•Primary Trust
•Laura Pels Theater
111 West 46th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues)
•Run Time: 95 minutes (no intermission)
•Through July 2. 2023
•Tickets: Phone…212 719 1300
Website https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/get-tickets/find-tickets/