Christina Anderson certainly has the goods to be a successful playwright as evidenced by the world premiere at the Yale Repertory Theatre of her newest work, "Good Goods."
But as intriguing and absorbing as this play is, one is left frustrated by the work's many loose threads that serve to confuse rather than clarify the writer's exact intent. This is exceedingly frustrating because director Tina Landau has mounted an exciting, well-cast production that always holds one's attention while subtly building to a funny, thrilling and thoroughly unexpected second act.
Landau's greatest assist comes from set designer James Schuette's finely detailed set that depicts a country general store that seems never to have changed from the mid-1950's, except for some newer products interspersed among the old on its worn wooden shelves. There's a classic hand-operated cash register, a timeless ice freezer and an old-time display counter in the store, with a porch located on one side of the set and a back room that serves as a bed room on the other. It's typical of hundreds of shops located in small towns across America and in fact, according to Anderson's stage directions is located in a "village that doesn't appear on any map. You have to know about it to get to it."
This enigmatic designation is further developed in Anderson's identification of time, indicating that the play takes place in 1961 and 1994 "and everything in between. Time is layered, stacked, mixed and matched." Anderson is probably overplaying her hand here, because the play is in fact conventionally linear in structure. That she brings in some other-worldly, spiritual elements is what sets this play apart, even though the presentation remains straight forward.
The store is located in an exclusively African-American community that sometime earlier suffered from a traumatic, devastating "invasion" that is never specifically defined but seems to have its roots in deep-seated racism and hate. The residents continue to face economic hardship, evidenced by the residents' reliance on an unsafe, low paying pencil factory for income.
The action gets underway when Stacey Good (played as tightly-wound and stolid by Clifton Duncan) returns after a ten year absence to the general store founded by his father (hence its name, Good Goods) after walking out on the modestly-successful touring song and comedy act he created with his partner Patricia (De'Adre Aziza, offering a formidable, believable performance as the driving diva) The tensions and stresses that have developed in their relationship will be explored as the evening progresses, with the reasons for Stacey's return becoming clearer as the play goes on.
Good Goods, the store, has been run in the interim by Truth, who was a favorite of Stacey's father, who has remained out of loyalty to the family and the sense of security the business has provided Also helping out is Patricia's twin brother, the thin, boyishly-naïve but bookish Wire, who has been at odds and ends since his sister's departure operating an occasional face-to-face messenger service.
Patricia arrives with Sunny in tow, a young woman fleeing an abusive marriage with a much-older man, who met on the long bus ride home. It quickly becomes evident that Sunny has become attached to Patricia and that mutual feelings may be growing. When a fatal accident at the nearby factory literally sends a confused and angry soul rushing through the woods, a case of possession ensues resulting in an exorcism that not only roots out the usurper but seems to root out the inhibitions and fears of the main characters as well.
Angela Lewis brings an innocent enthusiasm to the on-the-run Sunny, and demonstrates an even broader range when the fiery, out-of-control spirit of Ameeka Evans gets entrapped in her body. As she conveys the alternating personalities fighting for domination, Lewis is at once hilarious and frightening. Kyle Beltran is appropriately gaunt and unfocused as Wire, though its hard to believe that he and Patricia were born just moments apart (over a midnight that lets them have two different birth dates) as there is little sibling resemblance in looks or even in age
Marc Damon Johnson is fine as the hard-working Truth who projects his character's limited experience of the world and, at the same time, his frustration at being consistently left behind. Oberon K.A. Adjepong makes for a commanding exorcist, as the srong, confident Waymon channeling his late female companion, Hunter Priestess, in a daring, physical dance with the errant spirit.
Lighting designer Scott Zielinski is faced with a multitude of tasks, each of which he handles successfully. He balances the bright interior of the store with darker exteriors that portend the dangers and mysteries that exist in the larger community, while quickly adjusting the lighting in response to the intervention of unknown forces. He also aids Landau in refocusing the audience's attention as the play switches from one conversation to another and then back again, particularly in the first act as the characters and their back stories are being introduced. Junghoon Pi's sound design also serves a similar purpose, especially in an eerie scene in which the beating of Wire's new drum, obtained under uncertain circumstances from a family mired in prophecy, is echoed by thumping from locations away from the store.
Because there is so much going on in Anderson's play, the resulting evening is a gripping experience that keeps the audience guessing as to its next developments. The mix of realism and magical spiritualism is not as unnerving as the description may sound; it actually seems quite natural, especially since the main characters so readily accept the logic of the possession and its causes.
It's just so much is left up in the air for the audience to interpret without any clear guidance from the playwright. What is the significance of the beating drums? What was the nature and extent of the frequently mentioned "invasion" that resulted in horrific beatings and death? What are we to make of the Evans family who refused to come to the aid of their neighbors during the invasion and instead waited for the fulfillment of a family salvation prophecy that never came to pass? And why does Stacey have so many freshly-pressed white shirts under his beds? (This latter is actually a running joke that Anderson uses as an effective tension breaker several times in the play.)
Is there a civil rights resonance echoing out from the play? Is there an inherent criticism of African-American superstition and how it has impeded progress, even fatally? Is there a comment on the African-American community's reluctance to fully embrace same-sex relationships, a reluctance that can only be exorcised from within? Anderson refuses to be more specific, but to give her credit, she tells a mean story and leaves her audiences pondering and talking. Not a bad outcome from an evening of theater!
Good Goods runs through February 25 at the Yale Repertory Theatre, 1120 Chapel Street, at York, in New Haven. Tickets range from $20 -$88. Student, senior and group rates are available. Tickets can be purchased and an exact performance schedule can be learned by calling 203.432.1234 and in person at the Yale Rep box office or online at www.yalerep.org.
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