ALEXANDRIA – “This is the story of a friendship,” explains Kenneth in the opening line of Primary Trust. He’s speaking directly to us, the audience, eager to recount his personal journey. He’s awkward, shy, anxious, struggling to get the words out. We soon meet his friend, Bert. Everyone should have a life coach like Bert. He comforts Kenneth, encouraging him, advising him and guiding him to make the right choices, to say the right things.
Bert is Kenneth’s drinking buddy at Wally’s, a small-town Hawaiian-themed tiki hut outside of Rochester, New York, where they chug Mai Tais at Happy Hour. Just a couple of bros bonding, until we discover that no one sees Bert except Kenneth. Bert is Kenneth’s imaginary friend. “I don’t want a real friend,” he tells Bert. The servers play along.
We soon learn that Kenneth was an orphan shuffled from foster home to foster home where his only friend was his case worker Bert whom he admired, fashioning imaginary friend Bert’s persona after the social worker’s compassion. The death of Kenneth’s mother when he was a child appears to have caused a psychotic break that has followed him into adulthood when he finds a soft landing in a small bookstore with owner, Sam, who indulges his quirks. When Sam decides to retire, Kenneth, who has worked there for two decades, must find a job outside his comfort zone. A random convo with Carrina, a sweet waitress at Wally’s, reveals an opening at the local bank where Bert’s advice during the interview helps him land the job.
at Signature Theatre. Photo by DJ Corey Photography.
Bank manager Clay takes a liking to Kenneth, and despite Kenneth’s chats with the invisible Bert and the occasional freakout with difficult customers, he keeps him on. Kenneth’s surprising propensity for selling banking services to new clients soon propels him to top salesman.
Throughout his journey, our compassion and fascination with this tortured man grows deeper. He is as unlikely a hero as one could imagine, and yet his beautiful soul resonates despite his struggles. Kenneth speaks to everyone’s life’s choices for better or for worse. When a random meeting with Carinna turns into a drink at a fancy restaurant, he reveals his life’s story, and we learn how his young life took a one-eighty.
This tender and beautifully acted play walks a delicate balance as precarious as a tightrope. We fear for Kenneth’s future as fiercely as we seek to defend his choices. His frailty and hopefulness are an irresistible dichotomy.
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Eboni Booth has written a classic filled with dark humor and pathos. Primary Trust shows us who we are – flaws and all – with a message that finds us rooting for Kenneth to find his place in the world. He does, and we do when we empathize with our fellow humans.
A touching and exquisitely mounted triumph that will stand the test of time. Highly recommended!
Starring Julius Thomas III as Kenneth; Frank Britton as Bert; Craig Wallaceas Sam/Clay & Others; and Yesenia Iglesias as Corrina & Others.
Directed by Taylor Reynolds; Scenic Design by Misha Kachman; Costume Design by Danielle Preston; Lighting Design by Venus Gulbranson; Sound Design & Original Music by Frederick Kennedy; Casting by Jorge Acevedo; New York Casting by Geoff Josselson.
Through October 20 at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Street, in Shirlington Village, Arlington, VA 22206. For tickets and information, call the box office at 703 820-9771 or visit www.SigTheatre.org.
