When I heard there was a play called “Primary Trust,” I figured it was about some sort of financial arrangements that have to do with a will or estate. As I know little about that stuff, I googled it and discovered that the play I was going to see by that name won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2024. I stropped reading lest I learn too much about the play. I would soon find out if it was about banking or trusting someone. While the bank plays an important role in Kenneth’s life, I learned upon seeing it, how complex trust is in this finely crafted play by Eboni Booth.
It begins on an empty stage with the protagonist, Kenneth (Newton Buchanan), alone on stage, breaking the fourth wall and telling the audience “This is what happened.” Then, the curtain goes up and we find him with his best and only friend, Bert, at Wally’s in the upstate town of Cranberry, New York. They are ordering and drinking Mai Tais at the happy hour when it is two drinks for the price of one. No one else sees Bert (Akeem Davis) because he exists only in Kenneth’s mind.
Kenneth loses his job when Sam tells him that he is shutting down the bookstore where Kenneth has worked for 20 years, since he was 18. Kenneth is distraught not knowing where to to turn, having lost his mother to cancer when he was 10 years old. One of the servers, Corrina, at Wally’s, suggests he apply for a job at Primary Trust Bank. Though unqualified for the job, he impresses the bank manager, Clay, and gets hired.
Though there is much story to Booth’s play, it is more about the internal struggles that Kenneth is dealing with, from the trauma of his mother’s death to his being shuffled off to an orphanage at such a young age. He resists the friendships of Corrina and Clay, preferring only his imaginary friend, Bert. Can he trust anyone who is real? Can we trust him? Can he trust himself?
In front of a beautifully painted representation of an intersection in the town of Cranberry by scenic designer David P. Gordon, there are scenes of the restaurant, the bank, and the bookstore that are created by simply rolling on a bar, a bookshelf, or a teller’s window. It is exquisite in its simplicity. And the four actors perfectly create a very real story. The ensemble was A+.
Buchanan’s Kenneth was filled with so many confused emotions in such a real sense, that we cannot help but feel for him and his anxieties. David Ingram and Taysha Marie Canales each portray several characters so beautifully and effectively that I didn’t even realize that the two actors were playing multiple roles until well into the play. And I can’t imagine anyone better bringing this simple but powerful play to the stage than Director Amina Robinson. She is sooooo good. I will go anywhere to see a play she has directed.
There is much more that gets revealed, through Kenneth’s direct talk with the audience and his private talks with Bert. It’s easy to see why this play was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. It is a powerful, yet unique story magnificently told. What a great start of the season for The Philadelphia Theatre Company.
“Primary Trust” by Eboni Booth at Philadelphia Co. at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19146, 215-985-0429 boxoffice@philatheatreco.org thru October 5, 2025
Philadelphia Theater Reviews by Frank Burd 