Primary Trust: the human connection

Man overboard

“Primary Trust” at the Mark Taper Forum

by Bondo Wyszpolski

The intimacy that takes place between characters onstage is one thing, but the intimacy between the characters and the audience is another, and no less important. I want to start with that, because the superb and well-polished “Primary Trust” play by Eboni Booth, now at the Mark Taper Forum through June 28, demands that we get as close to the story as possible. Not just emotionally and intellectually, but even physically. And I’ll circle back to this in a moment.

“Primary Trust” won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for drama, and although it wasn’t with this particular cast, this lineup of four actors and an onstage musician can’t be topped. Much of that credit must go to Henry Russell Bergstein, and of course to director Knud Adams who kept everyone on their toes and moving.

Kenneth (Petey McGee) is a 38-year-old who lives (in an age “before smart phones”) in the fictional suburb of Cranberry, 40 miles or so outside of Rochester, New York. The scenic design (by Marsha Ginsberg) consists of several pint-sized buildings — bank, shoe store, church, bowling alley, and, most notably, Wally’s tiki bar — among which the narrative unfolds. The only props, wheeled in and out when necessary, are chairs, a table, and a teller’s counter. In other words, an economical, minimal setting.

Somewhat haltingly, Kenneth addresses the audience and describes Cranberry, where time quietly rolls by and people just grow older. He’s a black man in a predominantly white city, but this doesn’t appear to be an issue. We do notice that Kenneth seems unsure of himself, insecure, and it’s not jumping the gun to say that he’s a rather fragile being, a shrinking violet, so to speak, and a tormented soul.

The catalyst for this, as far as we know, was the early death of his mother, which pulled the rug out from under him. Later he’ll tell Corrina (Rebecca S’Manga Frank, a waitress at Wally’s) the details of how mom was found and the traumatic events that ensued). Eventually Kenneth found a job at a bookstore, where he continued to work for 20 years. Then the owner retired for health reasons and Kenneth found himself looking for a new job, something he was unprepared to do.

For much of this time, Kenneth has been patronizing Wally’s, where he joins his friend Bert (Ugo Chukwu) for the 2-for-1 mai tais. Bert is both a confidant and a coach, but Kenneth lets on almost immediately that Bert is imaginary, although modeled in part on a social worker who briefly helped young Kenneth in the aftermath of his mother’s death. In short, Bert is also like a crutch, kind of like the mai tais they allegedly share. And when Kenneth gets an occasional anxiety attack it’s Bert who calms him down, having Kenneth breathe deeply and count backwards from 10 to 1.

Rebecca S’Manga Frank not only plays Corrina, but several other waitresses and even a couple of bank customers, all with impressive versatility. But it’s as Corrina that she’s most helpful, and when Kenneth tells her he’s out of a job she tells him that the bank, Primary Trust, might be hiring. So he goes there to apply and has an interview with the manager (James Urbaniak), who likes to reminisce about his glory days as a high school football jock who was always successful with the ladies. A nice counterpoint to Kenneth, of course.

Kenneth gets the job, and not surprisingly it won’t all be smooth sailing. Bert is there at first to offer some encouragement, but then wants Kenneth to go at it on his own. Now, how much of this is taking place in Kenneth’s conscious mind or subconscious may be up to the viewer to decide. But Kenneth still goes to Wally’s, and he continues to wait for Bert to join him. Like someone attempting to go cold turkey, it’s not easy.

Corrina tries to be understanding, and we are privy to one key scene between her and Kenneth in a swank French restaurant, Le Pousselet, where they share tequilas, and where Ubraniak, this time as a bartender, adds a touch of subtle humor. The Kenneth-Corrina interlude does seem promising (just glance once more at the title of the play), because, after all, the one thing that Kenneth needs above all else in the world is to find a caring, sympathetic friend. How it all plays out is for the viewer to discover or ponder.

I’ve mentioned all four actors, but the fifth onstage presence belongs to Luke Wygodny, who sits at a keyboard near the very front of the stage, and who very quietly provides the music, which he composed. For certain key scenes he switches to cello. And it’s all beautifully performed. He also, with great precision, presses a service bell that demarcates a change in setting or mood.

Although Kenneth often addresses the audience directly, because he’s essentially telling us his story, the fourth wall is only broken when, at loose ends, he wanders into the audience and unloads his feelings. This reviewer had clear sightlines, but was seated somewhat farther up, and it was only when Kenneth was a few feet away, and speaking softly as he does for the most part throughout the play, that I realized how much was being missed.

The Mark Taper Forum seats 735-plus patrons, but because it’s more of a chamber piece, “Primary Trust” should be seen either in a smaller venue, perhaps with a seating capacity of one-third of the Taper’s, or, if you can swing it, by sitting within the first dozen rows. Trying to insert oneself into the intimacy of Kenneth and Corrina’s dining conversation from too far back is difficult, and there’s always rustling in the seats or coughs in the air where words are missed and one needs to lean forward and strain to hear. This may sound like quibbling, but “Primary Trust” is not “Aida” or “Il Trovatore”, and the closer we are to the stage the more we’ll enjoy this well-conceived and acted production.

Primary Trust is onstage through June 28 at the Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown Los Angeles at the Music Center. Performances, Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sundays at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets, $40.25 to start, and another $100 or so for premium seats. Available at the box office, by calling (213) 628-2772, or online at CenterTheatreGroup.org. ER