BWW Reviews: Powerful Class Warfare in Seattle Rep's GOOD PEOPLE

Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire has made a name for himself as an author who takes those uncomfortable situations and artfully puts them up on stage with heart and humor. Whether dealing with the loss of a child or the loss of memory his crisp dialogue always conveys sincere emotion and a discomfort that's riveting. His recent "Good People" currently playing at the Seattle Rep is no exception. And in addition to Lindsay-Abaire's fantastic script, Director David Saint and the Rep have assembled a superb cast and crafted a truly engaging power struggle between two old friends.

In this case these two old friends are Margie and Mike (Ellen McLaughlin and John Bolger), two Southies whose lives took very different paths. Mike went off to college and became a successful Doctor leaving his working class life behind him. Margie stayed back in the blue collar Boston neighborhood and worked whatever jobs she could find trying to make ends meet while taking care of her mentally handicapped daughter, Joyce. So when Margie is fired from her cashier job at the Dollar Store, in a fit of desperation she calls upon her old friend to see if he can help her out with a job before she loses her home. But Mike is none too happy to be faced with his past life especially when it intrudes upon his "lace curtain" neighborhood home and his smart sophisticated wife Kate (Zakiya Young). And what follows is a thrilling shift of the balance of power as these two old friends battle to keep the lives they have built intact at any cost.

Saint; along with set designer James Youmans, have created a rich and very real world complete with some seamless and almost cinematic transitions from location to location. But Saint has also managed to keep the power play of the characters shifting to increase the tension of the scenes. There's no real good or bad person here nor is there one person holding all the cards. And this keeps the situations honest and enthralling. Ya know, like life.

McLaughlin and Bolger have an incredible chemistry together but I wouldn't call it effortless. It's that kind of relationship between two people who used to know each other very well but now have little in common and that's exactly what the characters need. Both very grounded and real and McLaughlin's arc throughout the show is a stunning portrayal of how desperation can overtake good sense. In some supporting yet key roles, Marianne Owen, Cynthia Lauren Tewes and Eric Riedmann flesh out Margie's world of the Southies wonderfully. And Tewes especially is hilarious as the no nonsense fair weather friend Dottie. And I must mention a stunningly guarded and subtle performance from Young as the woman from Mike's new life. She not only keeps the character truthful but she brings a humor and likability that almost turns her into the protagonist of the piece.

I continue to be impressed by the writing of Lindsay-Abaire (in his original stuff, not so much in the musicals he has written the books for), as is Broadway, which is why he keeps getting produced and produced well. And the Rep's production is right there in that mix with a solid and exhilarating production of this war of class and obligation.

"Good People" plays at the Seattle Rep through March 31^st. And the Rep is even offering some tickets at $1 a piece with their Dollar Store Deal. For tickets or information contact the Rep Box Office at 206-443-2222 or visit them online at www.seattlerep.org.

Photo credit: Gerry Goodstein

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