Justin Weaks and Kyle Haden Photo by Daniel Rader

Kenneth (Justin Weeks) had to deal with traumatic loss early in his life and now, in his late thirties, living in the Rochester suburb of Cranberry, New York, he tries to discover just who he is. Booth's play feels quite contemporary yet she specifically notes that this is a time "before smartphones." Kenneth is a Black man living in a town where many people, though not all, are white. He is very much at home sipping his favorite mai tai at Wally's, a tiki bar and restaurant. Hilary Ward plays many different wait people who serve drinks there. She must be fast on her feet as these individuals tend to scoot around. Kenneth and his best friend Bert (Kyle Haden) have a sweet, comical, fun-to-watch relationship, even if Bert is imaginary.

Kenneth is a reader who has loved working at the bookstore and he is crushed when the owner (C. David Johnson) advises that he must sell, since he has upcoming heart surgery. Kenneth manages to get a job at Primary Trust, a bank where he works for a manager (also played by C. David Johnson). Kenneth takes to the position since he is good at mathematics and his accomplishments will enable him to win an award which will be presented at the Radisson Hotel.

Director Jennifer Chang, honoring the playwright's intent, shows that time is moving forward and another vignette is near, through tingling sounds of bells combined with brief on-and-off lighting. This becomes diverting if not distracting. Still, Chang coordinates the presentation with great detail. For example, all of the characters Hilary Ward plays move with specificity and zest.

Scenic designer Baron E. Pugh sets the 90-minute play on a bare stage in front of a series of brick exterior facings. If this is a town street, it is a dreary one. The backdrop is appropriate and it yields to Weaks's and everyone else's top-tier performance. Kenneth is interesting at the outset and nearly transfixing an hour and a half later.

This show focuses on one man who has been clinging to a bookstore and his frequent visits to the local bar where he, too often, orders multiple drinks. Kenneth is a searcher, trying to make sense of his life. He is not alone when he's with the irrepressible Bert, but Bert is not real. Kenneth and some of the waitresses Ward personifies do flirt. The protagonist remains unfulfilled even though he is likable, conversational, and acts as if he is functioning well enough at least some of the time.

Justin Weaks sculpts his Kenneth gradually but hooks the viewer with his presence and voice from his very first words, which are: "This is what happened. I'd like to tell you ..." Kenneth shortly explicates circumstances of his life. Weaks, making his Barrington Stage debut, has also performed at Shakespeare & Company. He appeared Off-Broadway and at a number of other regional theatre companies.

Eboni Booth, who is also an actor, has written this completely engrossing piece to come together through increments; it is intimate but never soggy. Booth entices the theatregoer to listen to Kenneth from the very beginning and to attempt to figure out just what might happen. Kenneth demonstrates the play's arc but not through physical dexterity. Instead, he struggles to find some combination of meaning and solace which could sustain if not enrich his existence. One could argue that this is a fusion of the spiritual with the cerebral. While Kenneth interfaces with other people, he is in consuming struggle. There's the primary question: Will Kenneth achieve some kind of closure within the context of the play?

The playwright provides many monologues for Kenneth, which Weaks delivers adroitly. She builds that distinctive character progressively and the actor, never hurrying, finds the necessary intensity and emotion to apply. It's all thoughtfully provocative and might have you pondering as you exit the theater.

Primary Trust runs through October 13, 2024, at Barrington Stage Company, St. Germain Stage, 36 Linden St., Pittsfield MA. For tickets and information, please call 413-236-8888 or visit barringtonstageco.org.