Right time, right place: Goodman’s ‘Primary Trust’ a moving tribute to the power of kindness

“Primary Trust” — 4 stars

At a time when too many of us treat each other callously, when too often animus animates our interactions with our fellow humans, the time is right for “Primary Trust.”

A play of unvarnished eloquence, Eboni Booth’s poignant, uplifting portrait of a solitary, emotionally wounded man navigating a major life change received 2024’s Pulitzer Prize for drama.

Warmhearted and gently humorous, it is a moving, unpretentious meditation on loneliness and the profound effect simple kindness and moral support has on an isolated soul.

Goodman Theatre’s quietly riveting Chicago-area premiere stars Namir Smallwood — an actor of incandescent vulnerability and keen self-awareness — as Kenneth, a bespectacled, slightly stooped, somewhat awkward, 38-year-old resident of Cranberry, a fictional exurb 40 miles east of Rochester, New York.

Kenneth’s internalized conflict animates the play, which is punctuated by frequent addresses to the audience during which he recalls being orphaned at 10 after the death of his mother (which Smallwood recounts in heartbreaking detail). At 18, after spending his childhood in the care of the state, Kenneth got a job at a small bookstore owned by Sam (Fred Zimmerman, who plays multiple roles). For the last 20 years, he has divided his time (fairly happily) between work and Wally’s, a nearby tiki bar he describes as his favorite place in the world. There, every day after work, he downs mai tais and shoots the breeze with his best pal Bert (ideally embodied by the endlessly genial Charles Andrew Gardner).

Early on, Kenneth acknowledges that Bert is imaginary, but at the same time insists it “doesn’t make him any less real.” Smallwood convinces us that’s true.

Sam’s announcement that he’s selling the store to a developer and moving to Arizona for his health forces the persistently melancholy Kenneth to confront yet another loss. He shares his dilemma with Corrina (Christiana Clark playing multiple roles), a new Wally’s server and potential friend, who suggests he apply for a job at the Primary Trust, one of Cranberry’s two banks.

Bert (Kenneth’s constant in life, who encourages him when he’s down and calms him when he’s anxious) coaches him through his interview with sympathetic bank manager Clay (Zimmerman). Kenneth gets the job and proves surprisingly adept at cross-selling to Primary Trust customers additional services like money market accounts and safety deposit boxes.

Clenching and unclenching his fists, fumbling with his jacket button, Kenneth recounts these and other life events, including his mother’s death and Bert’s origin, in aching monologues soulfully delivered by Smallwood, whose guileless performance is beautifully limned. Bravo.

Not all of the characters in Booth’s gentle, jewellike play are as well defined as Kenneth (although all are unfailingly kind and considerate, apologizing for profanity with a quaint “pardon my French”). Some appear on stage for only seconds, yet all are brought vividly to life by the tremendously talented Clark. Clark’s quicksilver characterizations and the unassuming, unfailing decency that Zimmerman brings to Kenneth’s surrogate fathers are among the many delights in director Malkia Stampley’s delicate, affectionately staged production.

The cast also includes onstage musician and co-composer Mike Przygoda, who in addition to playing the tiki bar’s resident pianist, rings a small bell (the kind customers tap to summon an employee to the service counter) to signal the passage of time.

Notably, Booth abandons the device once Kenneth establishes his new normal within this idealized town, whose open-minded, unusually accommodating residents accept Kenneth’s idiosyncrasies.

The action unfolds on Lex Liang’s pretty and evocative set, whose lush, green backdrop consists of an outline of Kenneth’s countenance on which a topographic map of Cranberry is superimposed, suggesting his deep connection to the town.

Liang’s set, which lighting designer Heather Gilbert bathes in comforting hues, is not proportional (actors tower over Cranberry’s buildings), but it is entirely appropriate.

In the narrative Booth has so beautifully conjured, individuals loom large. People take prominence, not places. And while everyone needs somewhere to belong — a home, a job, a neighborhood bar, all of the above — it’s our relationships and our compassion toward one another that truly heal and sustain us.

That’s the timeless message of this quiet, little play: Practice kindness and patience, extend a hand when you can, and reach out for a hand when you need one.

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Location: Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago, (312) 443-3800, goodmantheatre.org

Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday through Nov. 3. Also, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 22 and 27

Tickets: $20-$65

Running time: About 85 minutes, no intermission

Parking: Nearby garages; discounted parking with Goodman Theatre validation at the Government Center Self Park at Clark and Lake streets

Rating: For adults; includes strong language