Add playwright David Lindsay-Abaire’s “Good People” to the list of dozens of sensational scripts that have only made their way to Las Cruces via No Strings Theatre Company.
That list also includes Lindsay-Abaire’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning “Rabbit Hole,” which they staged in 2010. Both works contain richly complicated characters, compelling themes, unexpected turns, memorable dialogue and a masterful balance of humor and pathos.
From “Southie” (a Boston neighborhood oft-depicted in film and on stage), Lindsay-Abaire has stated that of the many characters he’s created in his large body of work, “Good People” is “the most explicit version of the people [he] grew up with.”
His work is marked by an obvious affection for the characters he creates, even as he reveals their flaws. This play asks us to consider what defines a good person, and to evaluate six layered, damaged individuals on their actions within their circumstances.
The centerpiece of the story is Margie Walsh, played by Bekah Taulbee, the show’s assistant director and lighting designer, who replaced the production’s lead actor the week before opening. Margie is the middle-aged single mother of a significantly developmentally delayed adult daughter. In the first scene of the play, we witness her awkward dismissal from her dollar store cashier job. Her twenty-something boss Stevie (Atticus Sterritt) is the son of one of Margie’s life-long friends, but he’s forced to fire her because of her frequent tardiness.
Whether over homebrewed coffee or bingo cards, Margie’s banter with her closest friend Jean (Karen Buerdsell) and landlord Dottie (Janie Franz) was a highlight. Jean recently bumped into a brief romantic partner of Margie’s early years, and suggests that she reach out to inquire if he has job openings in his reproductive endocrinology office. This sets a riveting series of events into motion.
Margie goes to visit Mike (AJ Tumminaro) at work. Minimizing spoilers, Margie later meets Mike’s much younger wife, Kate (Lisa Taylor).
The skeleton of this brilliant play is there. The six actors can be seen, heard, and understood. Director Nikka Ziemer demonstrated in her curtain speech that she had emphasized an exploration of the play’s themes with her actors, and that was apparent. With a script of this caliber, perhaps that is plenty.
Given the strength of some of the theatre’s recent work, I was disappointed that many opportunities were lost here. The aging makeup intended to aid actors in presenting maturity was amateurish and distracting. Rather than younger performers thinking of 50-year-olds as possessing somewhat less energy than in their youth, it encouraged them to lean into sluggish flatness. Happily, Buerdsell, Franz and Taylor escaped this trap, presenting colorful, life-filled characters.
Joshua Taulbee’s scenic design was minimalist, but somehow complicated enough to result in prolonged set changes accompanied by music that was thematically fitting but muddied the storytelling water. If we have cell phones in this setting, why is no music from the 21st century? A well-painted brick wall that remained in every location was confusing. Was its use in the doctor’s office or fancy home intended to demonstrate that the characters’ rough backgrounds could not be escaped? Then why is the wall so nice?
Details in such a small theater are crucial; it was distracting to see actors not marking highly visible bingo cards in a way that correlates with the numbers announced.
Still, there is much to be lauded in this theatrical effort, and there four more opportunities to witness it.
“Good People” runs through Nov. 3 at the Black Box Theatre, 430 N. Main Street. Performance times include a 7 p.m. performance on Thursday, Oct. 31; 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1 and Saturday Nov. 2; and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3. Admission prices range from $12-18. Ticketing and further information are available at 575-523-1223 or online at no-strings.org.