Not every life-altering relationship is romantic. Sometimes it’s a friend who helps us endure, who shapes us in ways that can last long after the friendship has ended. Boston audiences can experience that truth in two very different plays in the weeks ahead: Eboni Booth’s Primary Trust (SpeakEasy Stage at Boston Center for the Arts) and David Templeton’s Featherbaby (at Greater Boston Stage Company), both of which celebrate friendship as a source of resilience and healing.

David J. Castillo and Janelle Grace

While Featherbaby is a hilarious comedy about human-animal relationships with a poignant message at its core, the Pulitzer-winning Primary Trust is a gripping depiction of the healing power of even a fleeting friendship. SpeakEasy’s new artistic director, Dawn M. Simmons, says she chose to stage Primary Trust as the first production of this season because she was seeking an antidote to the rage culture that permeates so much of today’s social discourse. Like a good friend, this absorbing and tightly constructed script does that in the gentlest way.

Arthur Gomez and David J. Castillo

At the center of the play is Kenneth, beautifully played by David J. Castillo. We learn about the tragedy and trauma of Kenneth’s youth, but the play doesn’t dwell on those events. This is a play about the pain of mending and survival, not the incidents that caused the wound. Kenneth is surprisingly fascinating, never boring, despite the protracted nature of his agonizing struggles. He carries us along as he confronts his fears and overcomes his sense of inadequacy. Castillo expresses Kenneth’s tentative gestures toward building a life for himself with subtle hesitations and shifts in tone that fully express the courage Kenneth needs to overcome his fears and find the strength to take on new challenges.

David J. Castillo, Luis Negrón and Arthur Gomez

Essential to Kenneth’s efforts is the kindness of his pal Bert. Arthur Gomez conveys Bert’s comforting nature; he is kind and accepting and seemingly has unlimited amounts of time for Kenneth. Kenneth’s relationship to Bert is complex, yet it sustains Kenneth as he creates a version of himself that allows survival and growth. More than just a drinking buddy, Bert is the kind of friend everyone needs and, as the play progresses, we come to understand why he is so important to Kenneth—and why the friendship must ultimately come to an end.

Luis Negrón

Others offer small and yet important acts of kindness. Bookstore owner Sam (Luis Negrón) and later bank manager Clay (also played by Negrón) are two very different men. Yet both value Kenneth and his gifts, despite his quirks. They do not demand conformity or adherence to some standard of behavior that might apply to others. Likewise, Corrina, who offers uncomplicated friendship and kindness. Janelle Grace is steady and down-to-earth in the role, but Grace has multiple roles in this production. In one tour-de-force, she plays six or seven bartenders and servers in about forty seconds, a whiplashing series of humorous metamorphoses effected with accents and body language.

Janelle Grace

None of these kindnesses on the part of Corrina, Clay, or Sam are acts of heroism or drama. They are simple acts of concern and acceptance, of offering company and a willingness to listen and share a drink or a laugh.

In other words, decency—and friendship. Decency and friendship may not sound dramatic, but their effects on Kenneth are transformative and restorative. And in Simmons’s staging and Booth’s scripting, those friendships are rendered with such honesty and care that they become not only Kenneth’s salvation but also a gift to the audience—a reminder of the power of theater to illuminate the smallest yet most essential human bonds.

Janelle Grace and David J. Castillo

photos courtesy of Benjamin Rose Photography

Primary Trust
SpeakEasy Stage Company
Roberts Studio Theatre, Stanford Calderwood Pavilion
Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston
95 minutes, no intermission
Wed & Thurs at 7; Fri at 7:30; Sat at 2 & 7:30; Sun at 3; Thurs at 2 (May 29)
ends on October 11, 2025
for tickets ($25-$85), call 617.933.8600 or visit SpeakEasyStage

for more shows, visit Theatre in Boston