Photos by Benjamin Rose
SpeakEasy Stage presents ‘Primary Trust.’ Written by Eboni Booth. Directed by Dawn M. Simmons. Scenic Design by Shelley Barish. Lighting Design by Karen Perlow. Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl. Sound Design by Anna Drummond. At the Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood/BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston, through October 11, 2025.
By Linda Chin
Trust me – SpeakEasy Stage’s production of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winning play Primary Trust by Eboni Booth is a warm bath worth indulging in. For 100 minutes without intermission, expect to be immersed in a sweet and uplifting story told by a fabulous four-person cast and deftly directed by Dawn M. Simmons.
Set in the small fictional town of Cranberry, New York, Primary Trust centers on Kenneth (played to perfection by David J. Castillo), an emotionally reserved 38-year-old man whose simple, quiet, relatively isolated life routine – working in a bookstore, going to happy hours at Wally’s, the local tiki bar – is suddenly upended.
Arthur Gomez is wonderful as Bert, Kenneth’s compassionate coach, drinking companion, reassuring and non-judgmental – and imaginary – best friend. Luis Negrón plays three characters – Sam, the extremely caring, chain-smoking owner of the bookstore (who gave Kenneth his first job opportunity twenty years ago), Clay, the president of Primary Trust bank and former school quarterback (who becomes Kenneth’s new boss), and a waiter at the local French restaurant with heart and humor. Janelle Grace juggles a range of roles – a series of servers/waitresses at Wally’s and Primary Trust bank customers – with aplomb but truly shines (and complements Kenneth) as his new (non-imaginary and very real) friend Corrina.
In his portrayal of Kenneth, the gifted David J. Castillo (a Boston native, graduate of Boston Arts Academy and BU) gifts the audience with an emotionally, intellectually, and physically generous performance. So much of the story is revealed in his smile, his eyes, and unspoken thoughts; he demonstrates exceptional stamina in his onstage presence (nearly 100% of the time) and convincingly plays a 38-year-old man (who may possibly be a decade or so his senior).
To successfully pull off a theatrical piece that touches on mental illness, alcoholism, race, and social isolation, and for actors to have the comfort of performing vulnerable material, requires an atmosphere of trust. Bravo to SpeakEasy Stage for their smart selection of – and placing their “primary trust” in – Dawn Simmons as successor to longtime artistic director Paul D’Agineaut.
Audience members searching for a play that, like a warm bath, offers the opportunity for calm, quiet reflection (the many ringing bells throughout the production that I found particularly jarring is an exception) and a respite and sense of hope in these senselessly violent times will appreciate Primary Trust.
For more information and tickets, go to: https://speakeasystage.com/
