Review: BUST at Goodman Theatre

Zora Howard’s BUST: AN AFROCURRENTIST PLAY opens with a mystery. In Huntsville, Alabama, Retta (Caroline Stefanie Clay) and Reggie (Ray Anthony Thomas) witness an all too familiar interaction between their friend Randy (Keith Randolph Smith) and two police officers — Tomlin (Mark Bedard) and Ramirez (Jorge Luna). But in the wake of Randy’s rage at the officers, something mysterious and surprising happens...keeping him safe from harm. It’s tough to write about the specifics of BUST because to reveal some of the play's secrets is to ruin the mystery for audiences. But Howard’s set-up essentially asks the question: What happens when Black rage is repackaged into a magical force and potentially one to keep the person experiencing it safe? 

Directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz in a co-production with Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre, this opening scene unspools into an investigation. The first act of BUST primarily concerns itself with the question: What exactly happened to Randy? Retta and Reggie’s grandson Trent (Cecil Blutcher) — along with his high school classmates Krystal (Renika Williams-Blutcher), Boobie (Ivan Cecil Walks), Zeke (Bernard Gilbert), and Paige (Victoria Omoregie) — becomes invested in finding out. That quest takes Trent on a journey (though I won’t reveal specifics). 

The second act finds Trent grappling with what he finds. And through Trent’s experience, Howard poses a powerful question about place and safety: What would we as humans — or, more specifically, the Black characters in her play — be willing to sacrifice in order to feel safe? Does a desire for safety mean we’re willing to forgo the relationships we have with friends and family? Or is it worth risking both the good and the bad to live a full life?

I think the play speaks deeply to these questions, though I don’t want to reveal precisely how. Still, the play and production build an intriguing sense of suspense and mystery. Howard has a definitive high concept, and it’s engaging to see it unfold. 

Because the first act is so focused on cuing up the mystery, the second act is more haphazard. I wasn’t sure Howard knew exactly how to wrap up her concept, even if the final moment of the play is devastating. While Retta, Reggie, Trent and his friends are fully-fledged characters, both of the police officers are broad stereotypes — obvious foils. Tomlin is a despicable, racist white cop, and while Ramirez, clearly identified as a Honduran American, seems to have a little more of a moral compass, he’s not deeply shaded either. I don’t begrudge Howard this choice — and these two provide plenty of laughs — but it marks a tonal shift. Likewise, the play has some wide swings between reality and surrealism; part of that’s integral to Howard’s concept, but that means the world building is occasionally murky. 

Matt Saunders’s set is jaw-droppingly detailed with hyper-realistic sets effortlessly sliding onto the Goodman’s Albert Stage, but the more surreal elements of the set are contrastingly underwhelming. 

Blain-Cruz directs a really lovely cast. Clay is hilarious in the play’s opening moments as she narrates the proceedings to a friend on the phone. She has terrific comedic timing, but she gives a deeply layered performance as her concerns for her grandson develop later in the play. Thomas has an affable presence, and though his character is more subdued, he matches Clay’s immense energy. Blutcher is a welcome presence as the proverbial hero in BUST’s hero’s journey — he’s subdued but not at all in a way that’s forgettable. His performance has a real groundedness and sense of contemplation befitting what Trent contemplates. Williams-Blutcher is delightful as Trent’s brainy friend and crush, Krystal, often talking a mile a minute. She handles her character’s more somber moments nicely as well. 

Overall, BUST gives audiences many questions to ponder: Both in terms of unveiling the play’s unique building, but also when it comes to unpacking the themes and what to take away. Ultimately, after the surreal mystery of BUST is revealed, the play really asks: Where do you go to feel safe, and what are you willing to let go of (or not) in order to reach that place? 

BUST plays the Albert Theatre at Goodman Theatre, 170 North Dearborn, through May 18. Tickets are $28-$85 (subject to change).