Review: GOOD PEOPLE at Altarena Playhouse

GOOD PEOPLE is a good story with good acting. Class struggle, opportunities and societal constraints are all on display. Ultimately, it all comes down to choices, the ones you make and the ones you allow others to make for you. What makes a good person good? How does a good person react when faced with challenges or dilemmas? What do we do when all choices are bad choices? GOOD PEOPLE at Altarena Playhouse will have you thinking and guessing to the very end.

GOOD PEOPLE focuses on Margaret Walsh, a single mom to an adult daughter with disabilities that finds herself in dire straits after losing her job at the Dollar Store due to frequent late arrivals. When the offers of taking a pay cut yield no result from her boss Stevie, she is left with few choices in their Boston neighborhood of Southie. Margaret’s landlady, Dottie is sympathetic but depends on the rental income for her livelihood. While Margaret, Dottie, and Margaret’s friend Jean discuss possible job options while playing at the local Bingo, Jean has an idea. While on a recent catering job, she saw one of their old classmates, Mike Dillon, who happens to also be Margaret’s ex-boyfriend. Mike is now a doctor, and Jean thinks Margaret should go hit him up for a job. Margaret wheedles her way into Mike’s office and leaves not with a job, but with an invitation to his upcoming birthday party. Their complicated relationship brings problems of the past into the present. Things are said, choices are made, lines are crossed, and who the good people are becomes questionable.

The cast of GOOD PEOPLE is superb. They carry the show through various moments that stretch the seams of plausibility. The cast is led by Alicia Rydman as Margaret. Her down on her luck persona is balanced with an open friendliness and quick wit that make her truly a character of depth. Rydman manages to make Margaret both relatable and stress the fact that you can’t truly understand her unless you’ve walked a mile in her shoes. Marsha van Broek provides great comic relief with her portrayal of Dottie. And Nicola Naffaa as Jean is straight up as Southie as you can get. Her every mannerism, profanity, and dead stare were perfection. Rezan Asfaw as Kate was yet another highlight. Again, she so completely inhabited the character right down to the precisely tucked crossed feet to the side a la Kate Middleton. Samuel Barksdale as Stevie makes a big impact with a small part. He exudes authenticity. And finally Daron Jennings as Mike gives us a complex character that slowly peels back the layers and makes you wonder if you ever really know anyone.

Director Russell Kaltschmidt provides some great pacing in this play. Even the scenes that are done almost completely seated, feel alive with action. Tom Curtain’s set design provides everything the play needs without getting in the way with unnecessary complications. The costumes by Christine U’Ren all feel lived in, like parts of the characters’ wardrobes rather than things purchased for a play. Dialect Coach Sarah Elizabeth Williams has the cast providing just enough South Boston twang to give the show flavor without making it feel like a caricature. Her work also shines when accents are heightened during heated moments. Together the artistic team presents a cohesive plan that is both well thought out and well executed.

San Francisco / Bay Area Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. URINETOWN (Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble)

16.8% of votes

2. THE DAY THE SKY TURNED ORANGE (San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company / Z Space)

9% of votes

3. SWEENEY TODD (Cabrillo Stage)

8.7% of votes

Vote Now!