Set in a Hobby Lobby, A Bright New Boisie is the story of Will, a middle-aged man who is a new hire, and his impact on the other employees he connects with. There are definite drawbacks to working in retail (minimum wage, surly customers, stress) but one advantage is the sense of “family”. The demands of retail has a bonding effect, so over time, you come to appreciate friendships borne of shared misery. Right away, several details become salient. Pauline, the manager, is asking a lot of questions for such a menial position. Will is hiding something about the church he left behind. Will chose this job because the son he gave away at birth, works here. I know I’m spoiling, but there’s a lot I’m not telling you. At the outset, Will seems to be doing OK, gradually creating ties with the other clerks. This doesn’t last.
About ten minutes into watching A Bright New Boisie, it struck me that the writer must be Samuel D. Hunter, the same playwright behind The Whale and Clarkston. Hunter has a gift for beginning with something fairly dry and blasé, and then a dread starts to wash over you. I didn’t know, but I knew. Seemingly innocuous situations go sideways. The natural goodness of people doesn’t come through, or if it does, some other person in the equation isn’t receptive. Our hopes for nurturing and resolution (or at least mere disappointment) are squashed. Please understand, I say none of this by way of disparagement.
Mr. Hunter, with his cunning gift for recognizing society’s delusions, understands lives can be ruined when we fail to take responsibility for our behavior towards others. Yes, there are charitable souls who go out of their way to heal the walking wounded, but far too frequently pettiness, terror and toxicity win the day. It’s not that Hunter doesn’t believe in altruism, he grasps how very few of us do. Why forgive someone who recklessly harms you? Why take the high road when retribution feels more satisfying? Hunter explores the empty values and moral bankruptcy that have given cynicism such a stronghold in our culture.
It’s not obvious at the beginning, but Bright New Boisie considers the increasing tendency of Draconian Christian religions in America to ignore most (if not all) of the merciful, gracious impulses extolled by Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount. [Thank you, Reverend Phelps.]Will abandons his infant son, because his congregation believes the boy’s inception is sinful. A teenage boy, lost and aching for spiritual redemption, is betrayed by Will, and subsequently, an over-zealous pastor. How far gone must a gathering of souls be, to see obvious contradictions in their punitive nature and God’s plea that we love one another? How far gone must we be to see how far we’ve strayed? Hunter takes us to a very dark place, but then, how strong must the coffee be, before we wake the hell up?
Once more, the dedicated, diligent folks from Resolute Theatre Project produced a powerful, unsettling, gloriously blinding contemporary drama. If you have a profound appreciation for dangerous, life-changing, finely crafted theatre, keep your eye on Resolute Theatre Project. Many thanks to Danny Macchietto and his cast and crew, for their warmth and kindness. Amy’s Studio of Performing Arts. 11888 Marsh Lane, Dallas, Texas 75234. 214-682-2167. www.resolutetheatreproject.com