Some shows I go into knowing the basic story and plot. For some, I know only what I can glean from the music. For Primary Trust at the Mark Taper Forum (CTG), I really knew nothing in advance. I had read no reviews; there was no music (it’s not a musical). I was going in blind.
Primary Trust is a 4-player comedy-drama hybrid. Two characters are the same throughout the show. The other two take on a large number of other characters throughout. The basic story concerns Kenneth, a black man living in Cranberry NY, about 30 minutes from Rochester NY. A loner, he spends his days working at a bookstore job arranged by his social worker when he turned of age; by nights, he spends drinking Mai-Tais at an old Tiki-bar downtown. I’d say he’s drinking along, but he’s really drinking with his imaginary friend, Bert. When the owner of the bookstore announces he is retiring and moving to Arizona, Kenneth finds himself, for the first time in his life, having to look for work. Based on a recommendation from a caring waitress, Corrina, he finds a job at newer of the two banks in town, Primary Trust. He finds success as a teller there, but some echoes from his past threaten to derail things.
I’m intentionally not trying to give away the details of the plot or the resolution, but I do want to comment a bit on the story.
First, it is very slow moving story. There are — perhaps intentionally — lots of pauses. There are also lots of “dings”, as in a teller’s bell, which serve to punctuate the ends of thoughts or just to separate.
Second, what seems to be a straightforward story turns out to be something else entirely: it is a story of recovery from trauma and the importance of friends. Kenneth’s isolation both at work and at the Tiki bar turns out to have been the product of childhood trauma. To be clear, it is not sexual trauma; it is more abandonment trauma. It is this trauma that directly relates to the imaginary friend, Bert. It also relates to Kenneth’s behavior, Kenneth’s difficulty with interacting with people, and Kenneth’s difficulty with making real life friends.
By the end of the play, Kenneth has recovered sufficiently that he has started to make friends, and to go out and interact with them. It clearly isn’t a full recovery, but it is progress.
The ultimate question is: Did I like the play? That’s hard to say. My wife wasn’t a fan; she found it a bit of a downer. I found it more uplifting, but slower. Perhaps “gentle” is a better word? I like Kenneth’s slow steady growth. I could also see this having a long life at the regional and intimate theatre level: simple sets, small cast, no real special effects. It is efficient to stage and present.
The performances were all strong, but most notably Rebecca S’manga Frank, who played a large number of waitress roles and ultimately, Corrina. She did a remarkable job of presenting the wide range of characterizations. James Urbaniak was also equally strong with the secondary male characters, notably Clay, Kenneth’s boss at Primary Trust. Petey McGee was very strong as Kenneth, showing the aforementioned gentleness of character.
Primary Trust continues at the Mark Taper Forum until June 28, 2026. It’s an interesting comedy/drama. Tickets are available through the Center Theatre Group website.
Credits
Primary Trust. Written by Eboni Booth. Directed by Knud Adams. Primary Trust was developed at the 2021 Ojai Playwrights Conference. Originally produced in New York City by Roundabout Theatre Company, 2023.
Cast: Ugo Chukwu Bert; Rebecca S’manga Frank Corinna / Wally’s Waiters / Bank Customers / Others; Petey McGee Kenneth; James Urbaniak Clay / Others; Luke Wygodny Musician, Original Music.
Understudy Cast: Destiny Faith u/s Corinna / Wally’s Waiters / Bank Customers / Others; Wendell Jordan u/s Bert; Mark Rowe u/s Clay / Others; Dustin Stern-Garcia u/s Musician; Jordan Temple u/s Kenneth.
Production and Creatives: Eboni Booth Playwright; Knud Adams Director; Marsha Ginsberg Scenic Design; Sophia Choi Costume Designer; Masha Tsimring Lighting Design; Mikaal Sulaiman Sound Design; David Lober Production Stage Manager; Michelle Blair Stage Manager; Jihee Jenny Park Substitute Stage Manager; Henry Russell Bergstein CSA Casting.
Administrivia
I am not a professional critic. I’m a retired cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, Chromolume Theatre, and 5-Star Theatricals.
Want to find a show: Check out the Theatre Commons LA show list. Other good lists are the Theatre in LA listings; the TodayTix listings; OnStage 411 (use the “shows” drop down); and Theatermania. If you are looking for discount tickets, TodayTix (unlike their predecessor Goldstar Events) doesn’t handle the small theatres in LA. Luckily, Theatre Source LA has a new initiative: StageRushLA for discount tickets.
Upcoming
Key: 
Theatre / 
Music / 
Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (
indicates ticketing is pending).
- June: Mamma Mia at CTG/Ahmanson.
- July: Mexodus at Pasadena Playhouse; The Wizard of Oz at 5-Star Theatricals; If/Then at Chromolume Theatre.
- August: Beauty and the Beast at BIH/Pantages;
- September: Water for Elephants at BIH/Pantages; The Visit at Pasadena Playhouse; Sutton Foster at The Soraya; Catch Me If You Can at The Colony Theatre; Every Brilliant Thing at The Main;
- October: The Outsiders at BIH/Pantages; Branford Marsalis & Dianne Reeves Celebrate John Coltrane at The Soraya; Les Miserables at 5-Star Theatricals; Gershwin and the Golden Age (feat. Michael Feinstein) at The Soraya; The Who’s Tommy at BIH/Pantages.
