Review: PRIMARY TRUST at Goodman Theatre

Eboni Booth’s PRIMARY TRUST is a slight and intimate play, made more heartfelt by Namir Smallwood’s beautifully realized central performance as Kenneth. Set in a time vaguely before smart phones, the 2024 Pulitzer Prize winner finds 38-year-old Kenneth, who’s extremely attached to his routine, in a moment of profound change. For the past 15 years, Kenneth has worked at a local rare bookstore in the small town of Cranberry, New York. And every evening after work, Kenneth goes to Wally’s for Mai Tais with his best and only friend Bert (even if Bert can’t always be there for Kenneth in the way he wants him to be.) When Kenneth’s boss announces he’s closing up shop, Kenneth takes a new position as a bank teller at Primary Trust — incidentally, the source of the play’s title. Kenneth’s new role forces him to become more social than ever before, and he soon finds that this transition piques his curiosity for becoming more social  outside of work, as well. 

The smallness of PRIMARY TRUST is unique and touching. It’s really just a play about Kenneth’s identity journey and the small discoveries and friendships he forges along the way. And luckily director Malkia Stampley’s terrific ensemble in this Goodman production brings out all the emotional depth. The bulk of the play rests on Smallwood’s shoulders. Smallwood reveals his immense versatility as an actor; the immensely introverted, neurodivergent, and quiet Kenneth is such a contrast to other roles he’s played. But Smallwood really inhabits the role and has you rooting for Kenneth all the way through. Moreover, Kenneth’s neurodivergence and anxiety aren’t the main focuses of the play. Crucially, Booth’s script just allows us to experience Kenneth for exactly who he is and how he navigates the world. Smallwood doesn’t overplay Kenneth’s anxieties and peculiarities but makes them feel lived in and true. He’s also affable during Kenneth’s many moments of direct address in the play. While “tell, don’t show” is normally a violation of a core theater principle, it works well to begin and end the play because it allows Kenneth to make his interiority visible. 

Charles Andrew Gardner is likewise energetic and sweet as Bert; he has a bouncy stage presence, but he demonstrates Bert’s expertise at calming Kenneth down. Fred Zimmerman plays both Sam and Kenneth’s new boss at the bank, Clay, with a warm balance between friendly and authoritative. Christiana Clark is a highlight in myriad roles, including several different Wally’s employees, assorted outspoken Primary Bank patrons, and most notably, Carina, a new Wally’s server who befriends Kenneth. Clark brings a groundedness and realism to Carina, which is a smart contrast to her heightened, broad strokes, comedic take on her other roles. While I didn’t think the on-stage musician added much to the presentational style, Mike Przygoda was charming and enjoyable nonetheless. But Booth’s text doesn’t make the case for the necessity of an on-stage musician. 

While Kenneth’s journey is a lovely emotional arc for the audiences, the play sags in the middle. I found myself feeling restless in some middle scenes because there wasn’t much for the characters to do. But the play comes back around to an unusually hopeful and sweet ending. 

Above all, Smallwood’s performance as Kenneth is a real testament to his superb abilities as a performer and the intimacy of PRIMARY TRUST becomes more profoundly emotional thanks to him. 

PRIMARY TRUST plays the Owen Theatre at Goodman Theatre through November 3, 2024. Tickets are $20 - $65.

Photo Credit: Liz Lauren

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