Friends and Neighbors

Although set in the 1990s, Primary Trust speaks directly to the “loneliness epidemic” of the modern era that so many have written and spoken about. Eboni Booth’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy-drama captures not only the pain of loneliness, but also how escaping it can create difficulties of its own.

Kenneth (Bryce Michael Wood) is a man living in a suburb of Rochester, New York, and he’s been alone for so long he doesn’t recognize his own loneliness. His life consists of working at the same bookstore job he’s had since he was 18 and then spending his evenings drinking Mai Tais with his friend Bert (the always wonderful Will Sturdivant). Their relationship seems nice enough, but once its true nature comes to light, it becomes increasingly clear that Kenneth’s connection to Bert isn’t as healthy it seems. When he’s told his place of work is closing, Kenneth is forced to rethink his life and find another job. On the advice of friendly restaurant server Corria (Nubia Monks) he applies for a bank job, and while he takes to the work naturally, being surrounded by new people causes Kenneth to realize just how lonely he really is.

Both star Bryce Michael Wood and director Marshall Jones III make their Guthrie debuts here, and they do terrific work managing the shifts in tone necessary to balance both the comedy and the sadness expressed in Eboni Booth’s script. It’s rather remarkable how well Wood is able to carry the show on his shoulders – his Kenneth is a true original. He’s socially awkward at the best of times, but not stereotypically so. It’s hard for him to make connections, but he’s not rude or standoff-ish towards others. It’s clear early on that Kenneth is in something of a state of arrested development, having never quite gotten over losing his mother at a young age and having to be raised in an orphanage. The things he has relied on at the play’s start- his job, drinks with Bert, the restaurant – are mostly crutches, and once he begins to realize that, the possible consequences begin to scare him even more. Other consequences aren’t touched on, through- the play doesn’t really dwell on the deeper implications of Kenneth’s daily drinking of Mai Tais, though. There’s no indication he’s an alcoholic, even though by his own estimation he’s been having his daily drinks for 15 years.

The supporting cast is filled with local talent; not just Sturdivant, but also Nubia Brooks (last seen by me in last season’s The Nacirema Society) and Pearce Bunting (previously on this very stage in the Guthrie’s The Mousetrap). Brooks and Bunting both play multiple roles, and do so wonderfully. Brooks has a delightful scene where she plays both Corria and a male waiter unsuccessfully trying to flirt with her at the same time. Bunting makes his biggest impact as Kenneth’s boss at the bank, He gets a big laugh early on when he muses to Kenneth about having a brother who suffered brain damage before saying “You remind me of him!”, but that line also gets a tender call back later in the play when he shows that his relationship with his brother alllws him to understand Kenneth’s vulnerability, and wants to help him work through it.

A Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a nice but very lonely man who drinks too much and needs to grow up makes me think a little bit of Harvey, but unlike in that classic play  there’s no real antagonist here, and I found that refreshing. Pretty much all of the characters are basically nice, and almost everyone who Kenneth encounters wants what’s best for him. The question is whether or not Kenneth is able to come to terms with his own issues and learn to trust other people. It’s a play that is smaller in scope than most put on at the Guthrie, but it still carries an impact. It makes you re-examine your own life experiences, and in between the laughs it can be almost painfully poignant.

PRIMARY TRUST runs at the Guthrie Theatre’s McGuire Proscenium Stage until November 16