Roundabout Theater Company presents the world premiere of Primary Trust written by Eboni Booth, directed by Knud Adams. Primary Trust follows Kenneth and his life as a 36-year old man living in a small town bouncing between the routine of working in the local bookstore and going to get his favorite drink, Mai Tais, with his best friend, Bert, at the local Tiki Bar until the bookstore suddenly closes down shop and Kenneth is forced to adjust his life while trying to avoid his past and attempt to be present. The cast features many acclaimed actors such as William Jackson Harper (as Kenneth), Eric Berryman (as Bert), April Matthis (as Wally’s Waiter & Others), Jay O. Sanders (as Clay & Others) and Luke Wygodny (as Musician) as they come together to tell a story of loneliness, trauma, jokes, and friendship.
Laura Pels Theatre
Primary Trust
PRIMARY TRUST CAST
Bert
Eric Berryman
Kenneth
William Jackson Harper
Wally’s Waiter / Corrina / Bank Customers
April Matthis
Clay
Jay O. Sanders
musician
Luke Wygodny
u/s Clay
Peter Bradbury
u/s Bert/Kenneth
Ugo Chukwu
u/s musician
Paul Lincoln
u/s Wally’s Waiter / Corrina / Bank Customers
Marsha Regis
PRIMARY TRUST CREATIVE
Playwright
Eboni Booth
Director
Knud Adams
Set Design
Marsha Ginsberg
Costume Design
Qween Jean
Lighting Design
Isabella Byrd
Sound Design
Mikaal Sulaiman
Original Music
Luke Wygodny
Hair & Wig Design
Nikiya Matthis
Walking into the theater, there is a misty haze that exists throughout the whole house and stage. Every piece of set on the stage looks almost like a model building from something like a train set. There is a warm orange glow shining from the building labeled “Primary Trust Bank.” Seated against a building we have a guitar player strumming a subtle and quiet melody. Suddenly we have the pre-show announcement giving us the chance to have an honest land Acknowledgement.
Suddenly, while house lights are still up, William Jackson Harper enters the space from the back of the house, and climbs up on the stage and acknowledges the audience. He goes to speak, and seems to be unable to form a sentence. After every attempt, a doorbell rings and almost seems to reset him. Or maybe the bell brings him back to reality. Once he gets himself settled, he introduces himself, what this story is, and where we are. Kenneth lives in the small town of Cranberry, New York and although he is not “that [much] of a religious person. [He doesn’t] really believe in God or heaven or hell, but [he does] believe in friends.” When he’s not working at the local bookstore, he hangs out at his favorite Tiki Bar with his best friend Bert. Wally’s aesthetic is one to note because spending time drinking Wally’s Mai Tai’s with Bert at Wally’s is Kenneth’s favorite thing to do. 
Eric Berryman adds such a kindness and accessible charm to Bert that has us believe in this friendship instantly. As they both laugh and talk to each other, they also talk to the audience to include us in their dynamic and Mai Tai after Mai Tai, we invest in them as a best friend duo: then quickly we learn that Bert is imaginary. Not fake. Not a made up person. But simply imaginary. And he lives only in the mind of Kenneth. And Kenneth used to tell people about Bert, because Kenneth doesn’t feel shame about Bert, but he has learned to keep Bert to himself and talk to Bert when no one is around. Outside the conversations with Bert, with the clever multitude of April Matthis’ performance from every server at Wally’s to customers of other establishments, we understand that although the town is small, there are many different people living lives outside of Kenneth’s mind. But Kenneth values Bert over anything.
We transition over to Kenneth as his boss Sam (played by Jay O. Sanders) informs Kenneth that the bookstore is closing. Through the conversation with Sam and Kenneth, we see a short glimpse into Kenneth’s world outside of his own mind, and outside of Bert. This scene shows how much people not only sympathize with Kenneth, but care for him. They root for him just as the audience does. But not everyone gets the chance to get that close to Kenneth because Kenneth relies solely on Bert and in the security of dissociation that comes with his happy hour on hours. Shocked by the news, Kenneth returns to Wally’s and after he spends much of his time and money on Mai Tais over the next few days we meet Corrina– a new server at Wally’s. This is the first time we see Kenneth meet a new person, and talk to them longer than “an order of the two for one Mai Tais.” Corrina is charming and awkward and exhibits one of those random interactions that could lead to something more, but could also be a stand alone moment in passing. Corrina hears about Kenneth’s current woes, and she remembers that the local bank is hiring. Kenneth connects the bank to his mom, along with the fact that she had cancer and died. Meanwhile Bert is on the sidelines coaching Kenneth in this conversation, something he seems to do most of the time with Kenneth. As we transition to the Bank Interview, Bert continues to coach and guide Kenneth as he is interviewed by Clay, the boss of Primary Trust Bank. Another conversation we recognize, with language silly and honest and awkward like the exchange with Corrina but again, it has a sense of hope in it.
And despite the anxiety, Kenneth gets the job! We watch him celebrate with Bert, and through Kenneth’s resistance to letting himself be known on a deeper level, we see little breadcrumbs of Kenneth’s past revealed. Now we begin to watch Kenneth in this new phase of life. He is still Kenneth, but things are shifting. He notices how there could be a life outside of Bert and Wally’s. But maybe that life isn’t as comfortable as the one he has now? And Is Kenneth willing to step out and make a change?
Kenneth finds out he is quite successful as a bank teller. So much so, Clay calls him into his office. Kenneth, afraid, goes into this meeting without Bert because he is certain Clay found out about Kenneth’s imaginary friend and is convinced he is getting fired because no one wants to work with an adult with an imaginary friend. But instead, Clay celebrates him! Praising him for his incredible sales stats! A wonderful shift in the way Kenneth feels about himself. There is a lovely moment with Kevin downstage, a subtle spotlight on him, and he shares his joy with the audience. But he is feeling more than pride, something is pulling him in a different direction and he starts to veer off of his routine. He walks around the town he grew up in instead of meeting Bert at Wally’s. In the cold, he runs into Corrina and they decide to get drinks. As they joke about how mysterious Kenneth is, being the solo regular who talks to himself at Wally’s to Corrina’s roommate and best friend struggles, we finally have a moment where a lot of the truth comes out. Kenneth shares about what happened to his mother, his childhood and they talk about this loneliness that has Plagued Kenneth his whole life. Corrina listens to him and validates his struggles. 
We find out the true identity of Bert. And how it’s the story of a young boy who lost his mother and couldn’t move on until a Social Worker came and helped him up and into the next phase of his life. Corrina offers a sense of solidarity with Kenneth whether she knows it or not. They share how important that intimacy is, and how worth it is to have and stand by. As Corrina leaves, Kenneth turns to the audience and confesses more of his past. This downstage confessional feels like a gift for someone as emotionally private as Kenneth, yet, we see him oscillate between trusting the audience and continuing to hide who he is.
Kenneth after this talk, reunites with Bert to update him on why he stood him up. And Bert is so elated to hear this that he suggests that maybe it’s time for Kenneth to continue to pursue this independence from Bert and try to live outside who he is with Bert. And of course, Kenneth takes this to a degree that leads to one of Kenneth’s “meltdowns” he was hinting at throughout the play at work. Because he already lost his mother, so Kenneth is desperate not to lose Bert. But before we know it, Bert leaves. And with the amazing performance of Harper, we watch as Kenneth slowly yet surely falls apart. Like pieces of paper dissipating into the air after being burned. Harper lives in a fragile paper-like state the whole show and now his personhood and mental state have been set aflame by Bert’s absence. And after this meltdown he runs away to Wally’s and patiently waits for Bert. Hoping that one evening Bert will reappear. But he never does. He even tries to look for Corrina at work, but she is nowhere to be found either. Both people, from his deepest confidant to his newest and most hopeful connection are nowhere to be found. But in the midst of this deepening spiral, Clay appears at Wally’s and he steps into Kenneth’s bubble and even shows him a sense of support that brings Kenneth back into the life he was about to abandon. Slowly but surely, we see Kenneth climb up and out, and continue living a life he didn’t think he would have. One filled with friends, happy hour with colleagues after work, travel and jokes and new experiences with wonderfully kind people.
Kenneth turns the audience, a spotlight on him again and confides in the audience for one last time. He updates us on the time that has passed and all the unexpected things that bring him so much hope. And that although Kenneth is still somewhat mourning the disappearance of Imaginary Bert, he doesn’t shame himself for missing him. He’s thankful for the role Bert played in his life, from in person Bert to the Bert he lived the last 30 years with. One of the most beautiful lines in the show is in response to this struggle he has with missing Bert while trying to continue to live. One particular evening, after too many Mai Tais leading to a tearful night, Denise, Corrina’s best friend and Kenneth’s new friend shares with him that “even though it hurts, Love is very good…. [and] even though we will lose everything in the end, it is the finding that it is important and it is a privilege to love everything before Death can touch it.” And with so much happening all the time, Kenneth relishes in the bliss of the “right now” because right now is all we have. And maybe life is really just a collection of right nows, and before you know it, you look back on a life truly lived.
Primary Trust is a complicated exploration of understandable response to deep traumas, loss, and general fear of intimacy in the unknown. And sets an example of how we can invest in our friendships. Although we can’t depend on our friends to fix our problems, the difference a good friend can make in times of kind and pain is immeasurable. Eboni Booth uses beautiful diction to explore the multitude of ways one can feel about such complicated feelings while inevitably narrowing down on the value of friendship and connection. And Knud Adams uses a somewhat devised staging to create a strong sense of ensemble balancing between the literal, with a beautifully constructed intricate set, while suspending our disbelief in feats such as having one actor play every single server at Wally’s. A wonderful cast explores heartbreaking loneliness with levity and depth and of course, clever humor delivered with tact and care.
Photography by Joan Marcus
