"Primary Trust" at Roundabout

 

Roundabout production photo by Joan Marcus

Roundabout has long been one of our favorite NYC theater companies, in part because they generally do interesting shows, and also because they are one of the few non-profit theater companies that straddles the Broadway/Off-Broadway divide. I really appreciate their ability to bring less commercial products to the Broadway audience.

Primary Trust is at one of their off-Broadway facilities, the Laura Pels Theatre, which is definitely one of their smaller houses. But it allows them to do some things that just wouldn't work in a big Broadway barn. This show, for example, has a cast of only five actors, and would just disappear on a huge Broadway stage.

The Play

This is one of those plays where I came in knowing basically nothing, and was well into it before I resigned myself to that feeling. Primary Trust by Eboni Booth is a very unusual play. It's almost like it doesn't have the proverbial fourth wall--the main character, Kenneth, addresses the audience from the moment he steps onstage. But at the same time, he's a very unreliable narrator of his own life, despite coming clean with us right off about his only friend, Bert, being imaginary.

So this is a peek into the mind and life of a quite offbeat person, orphaned young in a small town in upstate New York, he's spent his entire life since age 10 either in an orphanage or working in a used bookstore for a guy who doesn't care whether Kenneth talks to his imaginary friend. But now the store is closing, and Kenneth has to face life

Up to now, his only coping mechanisms are talking with Bert and going to happy hour at Wally's, the local tiki bar, drinking mai tais in great quantity. All of this has to change now. And change it does, as Kenneth lands a job working in a bank (called Primary Trust, hence the name of the play) after a tip from one of the wait staff at Wally's.

The ensuing action is odd and disconcerting in many ways, even when it's encouraging and uplifting. I've really not experienced anything like it, and it was truly interesting.

The Production

Nice and simple. The set is a small version of Cranberry, NY, Kenneth's hometown, and the occasional table, desk or chairs show up to represent various venues, and eventually Kenneth's teller window at the bank. But that's about it. William Jackson Harper does a remarkable job as Kenneth, both as the slow, damaged individual we come to know, but also showing flashes of the Kenneth who demonstrates himself to be something of a retail banking savant, flipping back and forth almost instantaneously. Equally impressive is April Matthis as a whole parade of Kenneth's servers at Wally's, jumping in an instant among genders, ages, races, and so on. It's really quite remarkable.

Bert (Eric Berryman) is a constant presence, at least for a while, and dovetails nicely into Kenneth's life during interviews and other events. And Jay O. Sanders fills in as various of Kenneth's employers and a few other niche roles quite effectively.  All of this is backed by a musician, Luke Wygodny, who also serve as something of a stage manager for Kenneth's life.

Director Knud Adams keeps this moving reasonably well, though the pace drags a bit in a few places. But even in slower-paced scenes, the actors keep things interesting--there are some truly pregnant pauses throughout.

Bottom Line

I thought this was a really good and interesting play, and the production was really effective. It's not earth-shaking, brilliant literature, but it's a unique take on the sort of person who doesn't really attract the attention of playwrights or audiences for the most part. In that sense, it's quite unlike nearly every play you can see.

So as long as you're looking for something small and interesting, this is a good option. The show runs through July 2 at the Roundabout's Laura Pels Theatre in the heart of the theater district. Well worth the time if you're in the area.