Good People centers on Margaret, a Dollar Store employee in South Boston who struggles to care for her handicapped adult daughter after losing her job for repeated tardiness. Margaret seeks help from Mike, an old high school sweetheart who became a doctor and now lives with his wife Kate in a higher-rent neighborhood. When Mike has no openings, Margaret pressures him into inviting her to a party to meet potential employers; she discovers the party was canceled and accepts Kate's invitation to stay. Secrets and embarrassing truths emerge, forcing constant reevaluation of who qualifies as 'good people.' Director Russell Kaltschmidt maintains brisk pacing and authentic Southie accents, while the cast delivers scrappy, nuanced performances.
Lindsay-Abaire's deceptively amiable story about those who better themselves and those left behind turns into a gripping drama with comic relief sprinkled throughout. His ability to craft complex characters and create timeless tales of survival makes Good People just as effective today as it was when it opened in 2011. Director Russell Kaltschmidt does more than justice to Lindsay-Abaire's blue-collar community in South Boston, where most live paycheck to paycheck.
The story follows Margaret (Alicia Rydman) as she struggles to care for her handicapped adult daughter while working at the Dollar Store. After being tardy too many times, Margaret is fired by her boss Stevie (Samuel Barksdale) and, reluctantly, asks Mike, her old high school sweetheart, for a job in his medical office. When Mike doesn't have an opening, Margaret goads him into inviting her to a party he and his wife are throwing, hoping to meet other prospective employers.
When Mike calls canceling the party, Margaret believes he's lying and shows up anyway to find the party really was canceled. When Kate invites Margaret to stay, many embarrassing truths come out making you wonder just who the good people in this play are. And once you decide, be prepared to change your tune and then change it again as the action continues.
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