Theater is so bound to the binary of comedy vs. tragedy that its universal symbol is a pair of masks, one laughing, one crying. So if you aren’t laughing within minutes of the lights rising on a theater production, it’s understandable if you assume that something traumatic is bound to befall one of the central characters.
But I recommend that you suspend that presumption if you catch the Guthrie Theater’s inspiring production of “Primary Trust,” which opened Thursday night in the big blue box’s proscenium space. Amidst an era in which there’s plenty of tragedy to go around, Eboni Booth has written a sweet little play about a sheltered man forced to make his way in the world, and the role that trust can play in shaking off fear of the unfamiliar.
Under Marshall Jones III’s direction, the Guthrie is presenting a lovely staging of a script that won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. After experiencing it, I can say that it’s something of a surprise winner, in that it’s so modest in its aims. But stay with it and you’ll likely find the Guthrie’s 95-minute, intermission-less production quite rewarding, the kind of tender touch you may need amid all the gut punches the news can deliver.
Bryce Michael Wood as Kenneth, left, and Nubia Monks as Corrina in the Guthrie Theater’s production of “Primary Trust,” Eboni Booth’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a sheltered man learning to find his way in the world. It runs through Nov. 16, 2025, at the Minneapolis theater. (Dan Norman / Guthrie Theatre)
Anchoring the show is a brilliant performance by Bryce Michael Wood, who acts as narrator, protagonist and both agent and recipient of the story’s central transformation. His character, Kenneth, speaks to us of his life in Cranberry, a fictional small city in upstate New York. He’s a creature of habit who has worked at a local bookstore for 20 years, concluding each work day with a trip to a local tiki bar for mai tais.
But change is afoot, as the bookstore owner is closing the store and moving to Arizona. So the probably neurodivergent and somewhat fragile Kenneth needs to find a new job, something he does with the help of an old friend, Bert, and a new one, a server at the bar named Corrina.
While that may sound light on plot, “Primary Trust” nevertheless allows you to look at the world through a different lens. It provides an opportunity to cultivate your compassion, get outside yourself and indulge your curiosity about others, perhaps making you a more patient person when encountering those experiencing difficulties in getting through the day.
And even if it doesn’t do that for you, just appreciate the outstanding performances by the four actors who spin the story on Sara Ryung Clement’s simple but effective set. Wood delivers a tour de force as Kenneth, consistently drawing us into his inner struggle between fear and seeking comfort. It’s a marvelous portrayal.
As are those of William Sturdivant as the confidence-building Bert, Pearce Bunting as two employers who value Kenneth’s work despite his eccentricities, and Nubia Monks as about 80% of the characters who populate the play, most notably unlikely ally Corrina.
It’s been quite a year for Monks, with scene-stealing performances on multiple stages, as well as having a play of her own produced at Pillsbury House Theatre. We’re fortunate to have her in the Twin Cities theater community, and to have the Guthrie offering a production as warm and life-affirming as “Primary Trust.”
‘Primary Trust’
When: Through Nov. 16
Where: Guthrie Theater, 818 Second St. S., Mpls.
Tickets: $90-$18, available at 612-377-2224 or guthrietheater.org
Capsule: Sweet, simple and touching, it’s a different kind of theatrical experience.
Theater review: Penumbra’s powerful ‘Marisol’ offers a captivating chaos
Theater review: English import ‘Enormous Crocodile’ makes Roald Dahl delightful
Review: ‘A Beautiful Noise’ paints a dark picture of superstar Neil Diamond
Theater review: ‘Addams Family’ isn’t curious or kooky enough
Theater review: Park Square offers a riotous love letter to theater with ‘It’s Only a Play’
