Good Bones

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James Ijames’ new play now at The Public Theater is quite different from his satiric Pulitzer Prizing-winning Fat Ham which appeared there two years ago.  Good Bones is a realistic depiction of black on black gentrification in an unnamed American city, a theme not often represented on our stages. This provocative and timely play also has some intriguing supernatural elements which are not fully dealt with in Saheem Ali’s otherwise polished and urbane production.

Travis and Aisha, a power couple, have moved back to her hometown which she left soon after graduation. She is in business management helping a sports franchise “speak the language of community.” She has come back in order to help with the new sports complex in the old neighborhood with the business model to tear down the rundown projects and dangerous streets that she could not wait to escape from. As a result she and Travis, a celebrity chef who was born into money and has started a gourmet soul food restaurant in the city, have bought a run-down townhouse near the old neighborhood that needs to be renovated. They have hired local contractor Earl to do the work.

However, while Earl grew up in the same neighborhood as Aisha, his memories are different. She sees it as a place in need of tearing down; he sees a vibrant, striving community in need of renovation. When he discovers that it is she who is working to tear down the homes and stores he grew up with, he loses all respect for her. For her the new sports complex which will bring 6,000 jobs to the community is “The Jewel,” for Earl it is the “Death Star.” Travis with his upper middle class values is caught in the middle, calling the police on a block party causing too much noise at night, and then apologizing to Earl for his being so inconsiderate of the annual community event.

Although the play is vastly entertaining as we watch the flirtation relationship develop between Aisha and Earl, the play takes a little too long getting to the heart of the matter, the rivalry between gentrification and saving what is good about a community. And although Maruti Evans’ wonderful all-white and grey set is a pleasure to watch as the huge plastic curtains covering various parts of the huge modern dining room and kitchen come down revealing Earl’s superb work in restoration, the play seems to be too leisurely in its depiction of four days in one week, culminating in a confrontational dinner party in the last scene.

The supernatural elements of the play are intriguing but never developed. As Aisha works at home, she hears laughter and other noises. Doors open and close, a ball rolls down the stairs from the second floor. However, little is done with these sound and technical elements from sound designer Fan Zhang and the uncredited technical director. In addition, we are told that the house was last the home of the first Black woman to be elected to the city council, something Aisha incredibly claims not to have known, but this historic fact is brushed over.  Like the “good bones” of the house’s foundation in Earl’s parlance, the play has all the elements for a masterpiece but it is not quite there yet.

The play’s foursome has been expertly cast. As Earl, the master carpenter and contractor, Khris Davis who played the commanding boxer in The Royale at Lincoln Center as well as appearing in the Broadway production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Sweat and Death of a Salesman, gives a muscular performance as the reliable working man who is also quietly a community activist. Susan Kelechi Watson who last appeared at The Public Theater in Jocelyn Bioh’s Merry Wives at Free Shakespeare in the Park is both efficient and sophisticated as the self-made woman who has been rejecting her roots.

Mamoudou Athie who appeared in the similarly urbane The Mystery of Love & Sex at Lincoln Center does a fine job with the difficult role of Travis, a man caught between his well-heeled upbringing and his wife’s needs, as well as fostering his own rising career. In the smaller role of Earl’s college age sister Carmen, Téa Guarino making her New York stage debut is an interesting contrast as one brought up in the neighborhood who can see both sides of the gentrification and identity question.

The attractive and chic costumes by Oana Botez perfectly define the characters and their social milieu. Barbara Samuels’ eerie and varied lighting design adds depth to both the play and the setting. Krystal Balleza is credited with the hair, makeup and wig design which add glamour and authenticity. While Saheem Ali has given James Ijames’s Good Bones a top-notch production, this fascinating play of ideas about gentrification, self-identity and community has not quite reached its full potential.

Good Bones (extended through October 27, 2024)

NY Shakespeare Festival

The Public Theater

Martinson Hall, 425 Lafayette Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, visit http://www.publictheater.org

Running time: one hour and 55 minutes without an intermission